My "Wheat Freedom Adventure" Part 2

As you read earlier last week, my hubby and I are on a wheat free regime now and its going amazingly well. We have 1 meal a week that is our "cheat meal" and last night was that. We went out for sushi with friends and it was interesting, tummy felt fine but the puffy fingers today from water retention (which is common) made me feel "fat". I haven't felt that bloated feeling since Day 1!
Tonight at my parents for dinner it was burgers and chicken, so no bun for us and veggies with the burgers...a breeze. Then came dessert, yes we gave in. But HOLY CRAP did we pay for it; Nick was in the bathroom within 30mins of finishing and I had gut rot along with a sugar headache! I'm not kidding you!
So this is clearly an "Adventure" in how our bodies respond to food for sure. We are both learning what we just took as normal before is not that at all, its our bodies telling us "this is not what we want or what we need" to function properly.
If you have gone wheat free or are trying it let me know how you're feeling? And if you want to join me in this adventure..DO IT!
Until next time....

Best date night EVER!

Last night was our 2nd  Couples Bootcamp and it ROCKED! We had 3 couples along with Nick and I who laughed, sweat & joked for the whole time. I love it when we end up sitting and talking for another 20+mins after the workout is done, means the company was enjoyed as much as the workout. Can you believe some people actually said it went by too fast I should make it 90mins! You guys keep me on my ties and so pumped about my job.
My arms are stiff today though! lol  Next time we'll plan dinner afterwards as well for anyone interested. Thanks for the fun EVERYONE!
www.performancefitnesstraining.com

My "Wheat Freedom Adventure"

So as of Monday April 9th, 2012 I decided to embark on a new "food adventure" and test out some theories on the effects of wheat on my body. I have gone wheat-free for a few days/wk and little bouts here and there but never consistently for longer than a few days.
I work very long days and I had been noticing a real lull in my energy early afternoon as well as cravings for sugar or just food later at night light 9-9:30pm and I know from many years of education and research in my field that my body does NOT need to eat, its merely a habit or an imbalance in my body that starts to tell my brain I need it. Losing weight is not at all my goal out of this experiment; it is 100% for internal health of all my organs and my brain along with overall consistent energy throughout the day, no "brain-fog" for half the morning and no bloated belly half the time.
So I told my hubby about my plans and as usual he asks why I'm always so extreme and "one-sided" with what I try to follow. He told me that this "diet" was crazy. Once the word diet came out I proceeded to tell him about what I had learned from reading the research in "The Wheat Belly";
1) wheat/gluten crosses the blood-brain barrier and attaches to the same receptors at opium drugs! The ones that make people have the munchies and makes people addicted! So it is 100% an addictive food. They use a gluten-free diet to treat mental illness in some well known facilities...does that not set off a warning sign in anyone else’s head?! It did in mine
2) The insulin response our bodies have when we eat wheat specifically placed fat around our bellies but the scariest part is that the fat is visceral fat. That is the deep fat that surrounds your organs, the most dangerous fat
3) For men, it also increases estrogen production so not only is there belly fat but also "man boobs"...and the list goes on! So needless to say, he reluctantly has joined me on this adventure and I might add, is doing VERY well.
I have also been reading Dr. Natasha Turners "The Carb Sensitivity Program" and it has a very easy to follow meal plan with all recipes and LOTS of options to help you go wheat-free. She also then introduces carbs back into your diet one at a time so you can see if you have any sensitivities, I’m not doing that part...done that already.
The main guidelines we are following are:
1) Breakfast- scrambled eggs with meat and veggies (doesn't take long) or Smoothie with fruit, almond milk, vegan protein powder, ground flaxseed & spinach
2) Snacks- cheese, raw nuts (no limit), Greek yogurt, smaller smoothie, boiled eggs
3) Lunch- Salad or raw veggies and hummus, chicken or fish
5) Steamed or raw veggies with lots of protein (fish, chicken) avocados, salad, and lettuce leaf tacos
6) Evening- green tea

I am proud to say that I have not had a craving all week! Nick on the other hand would have given his left arm for some bread by Wednesday so he had a small portion of rice noodles with a meat sauce but then was fine! I have felt amazing this week, even with an insane work day wed (7:30am-9pm) I had lots of energy and focus. Also, NO BLOATING!! And a pretty cool side effect is I’m down 2lbs, so wont complain about that either.
This is definitely a commitment and not done easily so if you are thinking about it make sure you have time to plan your meals. I did a big shop on Monday for all our meat/fish, nuts, and avocados to make sure we were stalked up or we would crash and burn.
So YAY for week #1 on my Wheat Freedom adventure, I’ll keep you posted on how it goes each week.

http://www.performancefitnesstraining.com/

Exercise makes you a "whole new person"

Yesterday my hubby went out mountain biking with my brother and brother-in-law; I have always know the positive effects exercise has on our outlook on life and frame of mind but it was SUPER obvious to me yesterday in him. We had a really busy week-end of Easter festivities and we were both tired by sunday afternoon, but when he came home from being out in the fresh air, getting his blood pumping and having some fun with the boys...he was in such a good mood and that lasted for the whole rest of the evening. He was more relaxed with the kids, didn't let little things get to him and he even said that evening that he really felt like he needs to "enjoy" our time with the kids and our family more instead of feeling like we're "on top" of them for most of the week-end. To put this into perspctive for some of you, we have a 4.5yr old, and 3yr old and a 1yr old daughter so you can imagine what life can be like in our house at times!
So get yourself moving and enjoying this weather since spring has come early and not only will you feel the difference, others will SEE it!

"Take it outside the gym" by Paula Man

Take It Outside the Gym

Who says you need to have a gym membership to be in shape...NOT ME! There are so many great things you can do at home or outside that require very minimal cost or equipment. Many of them would be fun with your family as well!!

Cardiovascular activities, such as, biking, jogging, soccer, roller blading, basket ball, football and ultimate frisbee are great for burning calories and improving cardiovascular endurance. The key things to remember though are 1) you must get and keep your heart rate elevated for a 20 min+ period of time to see improvements in endurance and 2) you must do these types of activities 3-4x per week. If you follow those 2 guidelines you will see improvements in your endurance, increased energy levels, a more positive frame of mind and usually weight loss!

To gain more strength and tone there are also many options that you can do outside or in your home. In my opinion, the best and most cost effective pieces of equipment you should invest in are a stability ball (approx $25) and tubing (approx $15). With these 2 pieces of equipment you WILL gain strength, tone, and lose inches. With the tubing you can wrap it around a stair banister or support post at home and outside you can use a tree, fence or park bench as your anchor. The stability ball I would use in the house or possibly deck but not on grass in case something sharp pokes a hole in it. It is a great tool for core and legs though.

Here is a sample workout that can be done at home or outside...or ANYWHERE!

Equipment: Medium Tension Tube, yoga mat (optional) & YOU

Warm-up: do each of the following for 45-60sec

*stationary squats (not too deep, keep your weight in your heels), toe touches (opposite hand touches opposite toe then switch back and forth), arm circle (in both directions), plank (shoulders relaxed & pelvic tilt!)

Workout: perform each of these exercises for 60 secs; do as many as you can with proper form in the 60 secs

1) Chest press (with tubing anchored behind you)

2) Row (with tubing anchored in front of you)

3) Mountain Climbers (on hands and toes, body flat, Pull 1 knee into your tummy then switch)

4) Walking lunges (when stepping keep front knee over ankle when you drop down into lunge, both knees should bend to 90 degree. If you experience any knee pain don't go as low, modify to what suits your body)

5) Planks (on forearms and toes)

6) Bicep Curl (standing on centre of tubing)

7) Tricep kickbacks (tubing anchored in front of you, tip forward from the hip so your back is almost parallel to ground and keep elbows at your sides. Push hands back till arms straight then bend elbow to 90 degrees and repeat)

It is up to you whether you have enough time or strength to complete this circuit twice or more. If you are a beginner to exercise or haven't done much in a while start with one time through and see how you feel. This circuit should take you about 15-20 minutes total so ideally doing 2x through is still very manageable for a busy mom or dad. This type of workout should be done 2-3x per week in order to see the results quickly. There are MANY different options that can be given besides this workout so feel free to contact me if you need some modifications or variety.

I must say this as well though, no matter how hard you workout, if your diet is filled with processed carbs and sugars you are sabotaging your results. The eating plan should always go along with the exercise plan. When you put the two into action together you will be floored by how fast you will feel better and see physical changes. Healthy eating and getting active is the key.

So there is absolutely NO REASON why we all can't get active, get outside with our families and see that results we've been looking for. No gym membership needed! Recruit some friends to join you and the accountability is awesome! I have grown from 3hrs/wk of small group training to over 10hrs/wk just because of some pretty amazing results but even more so, the social aspect and accountability that the participants get.

If you have any questions about this article or Performance Fitness and the programs we offer, please contact me at paula.performancefitness@gmail.com.

Get outside and get in shape! Have a great day!

Paula Man

I can't put "The Wheat Belly" down!

I have had MANY clients tell me about the book "The Wheat Belly" by william Davis but had't read it, well bought it and hooked! So interesting how our modern day "wheat" has been so genetically modified but yet was never tested to ensure it is still healthy for humans. There is now testing being done but it doesn't go back to the original grain, it only testing to ensure any future modifications are not harmful for our bodies. All for the sake of more yield per crop and more profit.

We need to get back to the basics people; Whole Foods & Real foods, not genetically modified or man made. If this is a topic you are interested in highly recommend this book.

I'm DEFINITELY Felling that run!!

I had an afternoon with no kids and no clients yesterday so i did a few errands but I then decided to put all my house hold chores aside and get out for a run! It was AWESOME! I have been trying to get my butt back in gear with my regular running so i can do another half marathon and within a year hopefully a full. For me its all about setting goals and booking the races and then I make time for it. I have many clients and members who are runners and it seems to the general consensus; book the race and you will train...talk about doing a race, you will make excuses.
So here is my plan ladies and gentleman, and you can hold me accountable; do a 10km before the end of the year, a half marathon by the spring or 2013 and a full by the end of 2013!! There, I said it so now I have to do it.
I will be starting a running group in May/June where anyone can come and run together from the studio. This will not have a fee to it, its just an accountability tool to get everyone back on track with their goals as well as myself and my training. So I'll keep you posted on the start date.