Active 365 Days

Day 59 to 61 - Two Months Down

2012-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being so tarty in my posting. It has been a crazy week, lots of work, sick kids and everything with Angela has thrown me off. But I have managed to fit in my minimum 30 minutes of exercise for the last 3 days. Here is a quick run through.

Day 59 - Tuesday February 28th - a great workout at Active Life Conditioning - lots of new stuff and my legs still feel it today.

Day 60 - Wednesday February 29th - this is the day that was the surprise day -that extra day in February for leap year - so really my new years resolution is now 366 days of physical activity. Today was an early morning run with Sarah - a fast 6 km - a great push for me to pick up my pace.

Day 61 - Thursday March 1st - two months down and I feel great - have managed to get in my exercise everyday and have even been trying to make it 60 minutes. I am feeling great and have managed to lose my pre-Christmas and Christmas weight gain and am down a few pound from that too - 14 pounds so far - which is also helping to motivate me to keep going. Today was the day that I got the call from the school to say that I needed to pick up Kade from school because he was sick - of course this was just as I was heading out the door to go to the YMCA. Thankfully there was a drop in class at Active Life in the evening that I was able to get to - lots of fun too - PUSH YOUR PACE was the class - it was co-ed and it was a great cardio strength workout - just what I needed to end the day!!!!!

Tomorrow is Ladies Ski Day at the Collingwood Ski Club - I hope to get a little skiing and snow shoeing in - will fill you in on all the details - well maybe not ALL the details.

Krystin

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Day 58 - A Sad Day

2012-02-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well today started out great - got a good 45 minute cardio workout in at the Y. But unfortunately the day ended on a sad note - my partner in exercise - Angela - lost her dad today. Angela just know that I am thinking of you and your family - your dad was a great man and was like a dad to me too.

Krystin
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Day 56 & 57 The Weekend

2012-02-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

Well I survived my first hockey tournament. Saturday was a day full of fast hockey and lots of fun. I am loving the game more and more each time I play.

Sunday was my snow shoe day - Rachel, Sarah, Heather & Nicole were my crew on this sunny cold morning trek up the hill. Thanks for getting me out and helping me clear the cobwebs from events the evening before.

Also managed to get out for a 7 km run later in the afternoon with Jen - need to get the kilometres in for the upcoming races this spring.

Krystin
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Day 55 - First Real Hockey Game

2012-02-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

Friday - finally - why do short weeks always seem so long? Today was the day that the I thought when I woke up it would be a snow day - they were predicting a big winter storm. Well when I headed out the door at 6 am for a run with Rox, Jen and Lindsay, there was not even a single snow flake. Needless to say we had a good run and as soon as we were done the storm rolled in - its still snowing now.

This weekend is the Collingwood Rotary Club 4 on 4 hockey tournament. I am playing on a Collingwood girls team. We played a very fast and snowy game tonight. Lots of fun! This was my first real hockey game - a game with referees, where the goals count and where my fellow Friday night girls, who were on the opposing team, were playing to win - a very different and challenging game.

To be continued tomorrow.....

Krystin
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Day 53 & 54 Quick Updates

2012-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Crazy days so just a quick update on the last two days.

Day 53 Wednesday included an early morning run at the Y on the Treadmill. A lot of people get up really early to workout - was actually lucky to get a treadmill at 6 am. People are also very set in their ways - had finished my run and there was 5 minutes left in the program that I was watching - so I was cleaning my treadmill in hopes to catch the final reveal of the kitchen makeover and this lady was standing behind me because she wanted my treadmill - at this point in time there were 4 others available - but she wanted mine! It was stressful - I felt like I deserved to see the end of the show since I had just completed an hour run but this lady obviously was getting impatient and really really wanted my treadmill. I ended up succumbing to the pressure and quickly gave up the machine - now I will never know what the new kitchen looks like :( Mental note to self keep running to the end of the show!!!

Today, Day 54, I had my early morning workout at Active Life Conditioning. Today was a spin and TRX workout - good mix of cardio and strength. Then this evening the family went for a walk around the neighbourhood. Matthew has an app on his Ipod touch - Nike + gps - he set it up to make sure that we got our 30 minutes in and he was excited to track our kilometres. Matthew also noted that he thought we should do "the family walk" more often!

Krystin

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Day 52 - Valentines All Over Again!

2012-02-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday but boy did it feel like Monday. Hard to get up this morning and with all that fresh air and skiing yesterday I slept like a baby and my legs were melting into my bed when my alarm went off at 5:45 am. But I got up and went to Active Life Conditioning for 6:15. Today was testing day - yeah! Just kidding! had some wrist issues so did not do as well as I would have liked. But the workout this morning was the 21 to 9 - 10 exercises (mostly with kettle bell) starting at 21 reps then going down by 3 until you get to 9 - this is one of my favourites. My partner Heather rocked the strength testing and helped me rock the 21 to 9. I love being the first to finish :) I'm not competitive at all!!! Thanks Heather.

As I told you last Tuesday night - Valentines Day - Sean and I went to spin class as our date. Well we had so much fun we did it again tonight - we were late getting there so we had to get a bike at the front - hard not to work hard when the instructor is right there watching your every move!

Another great day!

Krystin
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Day 51 - Family Ski Day

2012-02-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today is family day and we decided to make it a ski day. We packed up the family first thing this morning and headed to the hills. The sun was shinning the whole day - I am actually burnt! We met up with the Buckrell and DaSilva families and skied all day! So much fun and here are some pictures that tell part of the story.

I think it will be early to bed tonight. Best day so far this year with family and friends.

Krystin
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Day 50 - Family Snow Shoe

2012-02-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday - we started out with a hockey game - Kade's team worked really hard this morning but could not pull it together for a win - what a great game to watch though.

Then the family headed to Osler to go snow shoeing. I took Sean and the boys on the uphill trail that the girls and I shoe on Saturdays. It was a slow start with some complaining -"are we at the top yet?" and "I'm hot" but once we got a layer off and wrapped their heads around the trail heading up hill we had a great time.

The boys liked the climb through the rock cut but really, really liked the downhills - or the jumping down the hills. When we got to the top we met up with some friends - Jim, Cath, Evan and Caleb - for a visit and a snack - they were skiing for the day.

The snow shoe adventure took us 3 hours to complete - but the weather was great and we got lots of fresh air - just what we needed :)

Krystin

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Day 49 - Julie and Julia

2012-02-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday - the first day of the long weekend - we did not do much of anything - which was really nice. Both boys had a hockey practice and I went for a 45 minute run with Jen.

Then this evening I decided to do a little cooking - cooking seems to bring the stress level down a little. Decided that since the boys were watching a hockey game in the basement I would see if there was anything on TV that I could watch while in the kitchen. I found Julie and Julia - which I thought was interesting since I was cooking up a storm and Julie in the movie was blogging about her experiences making her way through Julia Child's cookbook. Tonight I made Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins, curried quinoa salad and roasted sweet potato soup. I have been thinking a lot about food lately - yes I like food but I have been thinking about 1) what foods I should be eating and feeding my family to keep us active and healthy and 2) planning meals so that we don't eat foods that aren't great for us but are convenient.

The sweet potato soup is really good and good for you (even Matthew likes it). Here is the recipe if you are interested in trying it out.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

6 cups            sweet potato - peeled and cubed (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups      onion chopped
1 tbsp             olive oil
1 tsp               minced garlic
5 cups            reduced sodium veggie or chicken broth
1 tbsp             both graded orange zest & gingerroot
1                     whole clove
1/2 tsp            each ground cumin & salt
1/2 tsp            ground pepper

spray a roasting pan with cooking spray. Add sweet potatoes, onions, olive oil and garlic. Roast, uncovered, at 475 for 25 minutes - stir halfway through cooking time.

meanwhile in a large pot mix broth, orange zest, gingerroot, clove, cumin, salt and pepper add the sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. reduce to medium-low and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree.

makes 6 servings, 209 calories, 3.7 g fat, 6 g protein, 4.9 g fiber

Enjoy :)

(source: The Looneyspoons Collection)

Krystin
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Day 48 - Hockey Night in Collingwood

2012-02-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Friday night - finally - what a week and now a long weekend. Started the day with a 45 minute run first thing this morning with the ladies. Nice and warm - so we had a good fast 5 k run. Work today was crazy so ended the day with my Friday night hockey game with the girls. Got a goal - a really nice one - my boys would be proud. Looking forward to the weekend - hope to get lots of outdoor time with the family.

Krystin
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Day 47 - Planners at Osler

2012-02-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today was OPPI (Ontario Professional Planners Institute) ski/snow shoe day at Osler. I volunteered to lead the snow shoe portion of the day. Randy and Scott (fellow planners) decided to join me but I am not sure they were glad they did. So we started up and kept going up and I thought I lost them once but they persevered and made it to the top and also completed the full snow shoe trail. I think that my abs will be sore tomorrow - you guys are funny!

This morning was also my morning at Active Life Conditioning- a strength work out - I think I am going to be sore tomorrow.

Krystin
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Day 46 - We Live in a Great Place

2012-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

Wednesday - hump day - half way through the work week and half way through February. Not a cold day today just perfect. Tonight I took advantage of what our area has to offer during the winter months. I went snow shoeing with Roxanne and Suzanne up the south end of Blue Mountain. Snow shoeing at night is so amazing - with the sky being so dark tonight we decided to go up the south end of Blue so we could get some light from the night skiing lights. What a view from the top - totally worth the climb. I hope to get a few more nights in this winter so if there is anyone out there that wants to go let me know.

I was not 100% sure the snow shoe was a go tonight so I did a 6 am spin class this morning - it was hard getting up today but once the class was done I felt like I could conquer the world - ok maybe not the world but definitely the day!

Today is my brother-in-law Jake's birthday the big 17. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE

Krystin
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Day 45 - Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

Well it is that magical day Valentine's Day - right! A day that has 100 chocolate reasons to get some exercise today. My day started with making 75 cupcakes for the kids classes! Then Sean and I had a date tonight in celebration of Valentine's Day- we went to spin class together - a great workout and some quality time together.

I also bought a road bike today - this is a new sport for me and to say the least I am a little nervous. I told my friend Noelle that I finally joined the other side - road biking (the other other side is mountain biking - which by the way I love!) Noelle has her own company - Pedal Pushers - they offer unique personalized road and mountain bike clinics to all levels of riders who are looking not only to improve their bike handling skills but explore new and exciting terrain on and off road - best part they have women only clinics - so anyone who wants to join me let me know - we can do it in the spring!

Krystin
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Day 44 - Monday Again

2012-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well the weekend is over and it is Monday again! Another week to start getting physically active. Today was my early morning start to the week - a 6:15 am workout with Laura. It was a cardio (spin bike) and strength workout this morning. Thanks for the great start to the week :)

Krystin
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Days 41 to 43 - Weekend Full of Fun!

2012-02-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone sorry for posting so late and missing a couple of days - what a busy weekend.

Day 41 - Hockey Night in Collingwood

It all started out Friday morning at Active Life Conditioning - 9 am ladies conditioning class with Sarah. I was joining Heather for a workout - it was a great one - the 150 workout - 10 exercises - 15 reps - as many times until the time runs out. This one I like because it is competitive - that motivates me to work hard! Friday night I had hockey with the ladies - boy did it snow - so much snow on the rink I felt like we were curling! Always fun and a good warm up for the weekend pond hockey tournament.

Day 42 - Saturday - Pond Hockey

Well this was the big day - the pond hockey tournament at Blue Mountain Resort hosted by the Collingwood Optimist Club (this was Sean's inaugural event!). Well it started out with our team, made up of myself, Matthew and Kade, my brother Paul (Shut Up N Train) and nephew Carter (he's 7), Sarah and Jayden (he is 7 too) and Mike and Jake (7), playing a game at 8 am. Ok I think this was the coldest day of the winter so far - not nice and balmy like every other day this winter. So cold that the kids helmets did not fit and it took me forever to get the skates on everyone - after tying 3 pairs of skates I could not even feel my fingers. The kids were not happy but once they got skating they were good to go. The day did end up warming up and the sun did come out later in the day which made it much more bearable! The kids played amazing we were by far the youngest, the kids were the youngest, team in the family division. Those 7 year old boys played hard against the 10 year boys that play rep hockey - they did not give up! So fun to watch.

The rest of the divisions were fun to watch too - they had a great turn out and lots of great comments including that they can't wait for next years tournament - great job honey!! This is a picture of them setting up Friday night!

check out mycollingwood.ca for lots of pictures from the event - just pick the optimist pond hockey in the pull down menu.

Both boys had play off games today too - boy what a busy day! Great that both Nana's and my brother and his family could watch them both play. They both won their games too which was an added bonus!

Day 43 - Fresh Powder

Today was time to hang out with my sister-in-law Erin. We got tons of fresh powder over night so I decided to take her snow shoeing at Osler. She was hesitant to join me and Sarah - not sure why! But I convinced her it would be fun. So we cleared the foot of snow off the car and headed out. Then we strapped on the snow shoes and headed up - I sort of forgot to tell Erin that the first part of the trail we were taking was up hill! I think for a moment she hated me. Once we got up that part we enjoyed a great snow shoe - thanks for joining me Erin :)

I also went for a quick run on the treadmill at the Y - got to watch a DYI show - we don't get that channel at home so I stayed longer then I was suppose to - oops!

Matthew had a playoff game in Midland in the evening - Sunday evening games don't really fit with my Sunday night ritual - PJ's by 7. But we all made the trek and saw a great game - way to go Collingwood - they won and ended the series - so maybe we might have one day off next weekend!

Wow what an action packed weekend - so much fun too!

Krystin

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Day 40 - The Sun was Shining Today

2012-02-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

Day 40 already - 40 days since the first of the new year! 40 days of physical exercise everyday. Feels good and is going great.

Today started out with a great Ladies Conditioning class at Active Life Conditioning at 6:15 this morning - lots of fun with ropes, TRX's and great ladies. Then ended the day with a 5 km run in the sun with 2 girls from my morning class - Jen and Roxanne thanks for the run and laughs.

The Rennie family is gearing up for a weekend of hockey - the Optimist Club of Collingwood is hosting its first annual pond hockey tournament at Blue Mountain Resorts Village Pond. If you are around and looking for something to do come and check out the action. The tournament runs all day Saturday starting at 8 am.

Krystin
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Day 39

2012-02-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today was an early start to the day. Off to the Y for the 6 am spin class. Would have loved to have slept in but too much happening today and I knew that if I did not get my workout in early I going to have a hard time finding any other time today.

The one good thing about getting up early to workout is that when you get home and everyone else is still sleeping you can get a lot of stuff done! I was so awake and raring to go that I made pumpkin pancakes for the boys for breakfast. Lately I have been trying to get more protein into them before school. These pancakes had protein so we tried them out - they were a hit. Below is the recipe if you want to try them. I substituted the flours with gluten free flour, the evaporated milk with almond milk and added flax seed.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

1 cup        whole wheat flour
1 cup         all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp     baking powder
1 1/2 tsp     pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp        baking soda and salt (I didn't use salt)
1 can          (14 oz) 2% evaporated milk (or14 oz of almond milk)
1 cup         canned pure pumpkin
1/4 cup      brown sugar
2                eggs
2 tbsp        butter, melted
1 tsp          vanilla

combine flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
in another bowl mix all other ingredients
add wet to dry and stir until moistened
cook in frying pan medium to high heat until brown
serve with maple syrup and fruit

makes 12 pancakes
per cake 217 cal, 3.9g fat, 6 g protein, 2.1 g fibre

Enjoy!

Krystin
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Day 38 - Thanks Hollywood

2012-02-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well today got away from me and all of a sudden it was 7pm and I had not gotten in my minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity yet. All I wanted to do was put on my PJ's (I was so cold) and watch TV. So my go to option was to go for a walk but as I mentioned I was cold and it was cold outside. So option 2 was the Y. So I got there and jumped on the treadmill and watched a little Entertainment Tonight. I got all caught up on what is happening in Hollywood. I didn't know that Jennifer Aniston was looking for a place in LA - me too - maybe we will be neighbours!!!!! Well the Hollywood updates got me through a 60 minute run and helped me complete my goal for the day. Thanks Hollywood!!

Krystin
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Day 37 - Monday!

2012-02-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well welcome to Monday - the beginning of the week - another opportunity to jump on board the 30 minutes of physical activity every day. It is amazing how much easier it is for me to fit it into my day now that I have been doing it for over a month. Today's activity included a great group of girls first thing in the morning - it was my Monday morning 6:15 am ladies conditioning class at Active Life Conditioning. A great way to start the day and the week.

Krystin
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Day 36 - It Really Isn't Winter

2012-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

So today is Sunday - early February. I went out for a run today after Kade's hockey game and it was a tough one. I planned on a long run today since I had the time but after 10 minutes I was thinking I might not be able to even run for 30 minutes! I really over dressed for the temperature today - I guess I thought it was February! Thankfully I had borrowed Matthew's Ipod touch (which he bought himself) that had some good and motivating music. I managed to get to 45 minutes - not what I had hoped for but better than nothing.

Matthew's hockey team won their second game tonight 8-0. The team had a great game- lots of energy and great passing. oh and Matthew got another goal tonight - number 8 for the season. Not bad for the kid who has never played before - he has really improved through the season! He wanted to make sure that you, the readers, knew that he is still participating in the 30 minute challenge!

Krystin
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Day 35 - Enjoying Winter

2012-02-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today was all about being outside again. Started the day off with a snow shoe with Sarah - we still have snow but it was more like spring snow shoeing then early February - a few muddy spots that we had to manoeuvre around! Thanks Sarah for getting me up that first steep up hill - the legs still hurt from yesterday :)

This evening I took the boys to the Village to skate on the pond - try it out before the big pond hockey tournament next weekend. We watched the Canadian ski cross racers compete against the Canadian snowboard cross racers in a game of pond hockey - kids enjoyed the game but were more excited when it was over so we could go skating.

Congratulations to Matthew and his hockey team - they won their first playoff game. Matthew got the first goal of the game and MVP - so proud little man!

Krystin
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Day 34 - Big Day of Skiing

2012-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a day full of fresh air and skiing. Blue Mountain Resort hosted the FIS Ski Cross World Cup event today. So the boys skipped school to hang out at the mountain skiing and watching the race.

I also managed to get an early morning run in with Roxanne and Lindsay and then played hockey tonight - not a great game for me tonight - a little tired from the days activities. So today was a day filled with fun, friends, family and physical activity.

Krystin
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Day 33 - What's Your Excuse?

2012-02-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Late night last night - The Jim Cuddy Band was amazing. Still managed to make it to my 6:15 workout with Laura. Earlier this week I talked about being able to do anything for 30 seconds - well today was 60 seconds - boy that workout was a lot harder. What a great group of ladies to workout with so early in the am!

A friend of mine (Lesley) send me this picture to post for all of you on the blog. I have had so much input as I muddle my way through this process (which by the way I am really enjoying) - so thanks to all of my contributors. I think this picture sums it up!

30 minutes that is all it takes!

Also I have been playing around with the design of the blog and you will notice to the right of this posting there is an area that says "follow by email". This will send you emails when I update the blog - that way you won't forget to check in :)

Krystin
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Day 32 - February 1st

2012-02-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

The beginning of a new month and lots going on. On February 11th the Collingwood Optimist Club is hosting it's first ever Pond Hockey Tournament at the Blue Mountain Village Pond. This is Sean's inaugural event as an optimist member (he joined as soon as we moved to Collingwood) so let's help him make it a success. There is still space available if you are interested in participating. There are three divisions - family (parents with kids 10 and under), coed adult and adult mens. To get more information check out www.collingwoodoptimistclub.com. It is going to be lots of fun with lots of ice time, prizes and much more!

Also rugby season is just around the corner. The Georgian Bay Titans Rugby Club is having their first registration night tomorrow Thursday February 2nd at the YMCA in Collingwood from 7-9.

Tonight is date night for Sean and I. Sean won tickets to see The Jim Cuddy band tonight in Barrie - I love Jim Cuddy! I also have an extremely busy work day so I got up early this morning to get to a spin class at the Y. To my surprise the class was packed and I got the last bike - I guess lots of people are still sticking to their new years resolutions too! Great to see a familiar face this morning too - good to see you Annie!

Have a good day everyone

Krystin
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Day 31 - One Month Down

2012-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well it is officially the last day of the month - one down eleven to go! Today was busy and I had plans with some girlfriends this evening so I knew I had to fit my workout in the afternoon. So I headed to the YMCA to jump on a treadmill. Was planning on a quick 30 minute run but the treadmills at the Y have TVs - I never get to watch TV during the day so I ended up watching ELLEN - great show and I wanted to see the whole program and ended up running for 60 minutes.

Krystin
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Day 30 - You Can Do Anything For 30........

2012-01-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

You know the saying "you can do anything for 30 seconds"? Well that was this mornings 6:15 am ladies conditioning class at Active Life Conditioning . It was full of 30 seconds. That's right 30 seconds of cardio and 30 seconds of strength for the whole session - what a great workout with little rest. You really push yourself to the limits when you know it will end in 30 seconds. Thanks Laura!

Well I think this 30 thing can apply to my new years resolution too! You can do anything for 30 minutes. 30 minutes of physical activity out of 1440 minutes of a day. Trying to fit in 30 minutes in a day may seem difficult but it really isn't. It can be as simple as going for a walk around the neighbourhood - sure does feel good to get out there! Start today and try it out!

Krystin
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Day 29 - Snow Shoe with Friends

2012-01-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

Today was the most beautiful day this winter-sunny and warm with lots of fresh snow. Today was an amazing snow shoe with Sarah, Heather and newest addition Karen. I missed the snow shoe last weekend due to hockey! So I was so happy to be able to get back to our routine this weekend.

I got a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas and have been doing lots of baking this month - experimenting with Gluten and Dairy free recipes. So today I made some cookies (not too bad for you cookies) I had the girls try them out after snow shoeing and they were well liked so I said I would post them here. Enjoy!

Ginger Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour (I used a gluten free flour mixture that I make - if you want me to post let me know)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup fancy molasses
2 cups rolled oats

preheat oven 375
combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt and stir with fork until uniform
beat butter and white and brown sugars together with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until light and well combined. Add molasses and beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add oats and beat until fully incorporated.
chill dough for 15 minutes
scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto pan lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart.
Bake 10-23 minutes until cookies are brown on the edges and puffed but still soft in the middle.
let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

The goods on these cookies

oats are high in fibre and help lower cholesterol
Cinnamon helps to control blood sugar and lover blood pressure
ginger has anti0inflammatory properties
oats, cinnamon, ginger and molasses are all very high in magnesium which helps muscle relax

(source: Canadian Family)

Krystin
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Day 28 - Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2012-01-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

After a long day of hockey and a million other chores it was time for my physical activity. Sean had been working on his report cards all day so I convinced him to join me for a walk around the neighbourhood. For some reason when I am planning a brisk walk for my physical activity it always seems to be a snow storm? Maybe it is the addition of the elements that is suppose to add to my experience? Not sure but there were a lot of snow drifts that we had to make our way through. We had a quick stop at Jen and Brett's house (Sean's brother) while we were out to check out Dylan's (our nephew) new hair cut - supper short and blonde! A big change since he has black hair :) His whole hockey team has done this for playoffs! Looks good Dylan.

Matthew wanted me to post that he has also been keeping up with the 30 minutes challenge - good job buddy!

Krystin
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Day 27 - A Visit With Angela

2012-01-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

Early, early (5:30am) Friday morning was an hour walk in the rain/snow with Angela. Since I was in London for my mom's birthday I had the chance to catch up with Angela but since it was Friday and Angela had to work I had to join her for her early morning walk with Marley. If you remember from my first post Angela is my partner in this adventure. I mentioned my idea before the new year and she decided to join me - it was us trying to figure out how to document the project that got us to this blog. Angela is a busy mom of two small boys and works full time - so she is going to update me and you with a comment to my posts. Thanks for the walk and talk Angela - it was great catching up with you :)

Oh and I happened to make it back to Collingwood in time for my hockey game with the ladies!

Krystin

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Day 26 - Happy Birthday Mom

2012-01-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

Well today is my mom's birthday so the boys and I are heading to London to have a little visit later today. I have already gotten my physical activity in for the day. Another great workout at Active Life Conditioning at 6:15 this morning. Thanks Sarah!

Krystin
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Day 25 - Sleep is Good Medicine

2012-01-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well it is amazing how much better you feel after 9 hours of sleep! That sleep gave me the leg power to work extremely hard at my spin class today. It was one of the hardest classes this year and the sweat started pouring 5 minutes into the class all the way through to the end!

Shelley joined me today - I texted her to remind her that she mentioned she was going to join me this morning - she tried to find an excuse (she actually said that!) but when I got there just before class she was all set up and ready to go - way to go Shelley - see you next Wednesday :)

Krystin
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Day 24 - These Boots Were Made for Walking...

2012-01-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

Really, really tired today. Planned on going out for a quick and dirty 30 minute walk, but once I started and after I warmed up, I felt better and ended up walking for an hour. It is so true that once you get started you will feel better - tonight was a great example!

Krystin
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Day 23 - Early Morning Workout

2012-01-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well we are nearing the end of the month and so far so good. I did not feel 100 % today so I am glad that I got my workout in first thing this morning - 6:15 Ladies Conditioning at Active Life. Was planning on trying out my new snow shoes (their pink) tonight but between not feeling great and the rain I was not to motivated this evening. Now off to bed for some much needed sleep.

Krystin
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Day 22 - a Long Run

2012-01-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well here we are the end of a busy weekend - great hockey game Jake!. Was hoping to get out and enjoy the beautiful sunny day today but enjoyed my day lounging around the house this afternoon after Matthew's hockey game. A little baking (healthy gluten free), watched a movie (which I never get to do especially one I want to watch), and lots of laundry (wish I could have gotten out of that one). Sean and the kids decided that they wanted to go to the outdoor rink to work on shooting on net around 5:30 so that was my window to get my physical activity too. With not much energy or desire I figured I would get a quick 30 minute run in. I headed out and just kept going figured since it felt good I should go as long as I could - so I did for an hour - I figured I should get home and get dinner started and my knees were hurting a little (running on snowmobile tracks is hard).

Krystin
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Kade Shots and He Scores Too!

2012-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well here we are on Day 21 - I wanted to start this post with a Congratulations to my 7 year son Kade. He followed in mom's foot steps from last night and scored his first goal and second goal. Just a note too he is a defenceman and he skated from his teams end of the rink to the other stick handling past all the other players - for both goals - almost three - very impressive. Sean takes some credit for the goals -all the extra ice time since the Lockhart neighbourhood rink has been open!! What ever it was it worked :)

So since today is filled with hockey - Kade's game was at 7am, Matthew's at 10:30 and now we are heading to TO to watch Jake (Sean's 16 year old brother) play in the all star game for his division - GTHL (greater TO Hockey League) Triple A for 16 year olds - my physical activity was a quick 30 minute run between Kade and Matthew's games this morning.

Krystin

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She Shots She Scores......

2012-01-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Well tonight was hockey night and I got my first goal- ever! And it was a beauty - a back hand shot through the five hole - boys would be proud! They did come out to watch for a while tonight after a skate with dad and of course I scored my goal right after they left. Heather had a great goal too - her first this season! Fun times.

Yesterday, Day 19 was my ladies conditioning class at 6:15 am at Active Life Conditioning - it was the 21 to 9 - my favourite. We have 6 strength exercises that we have to do- you have to do first 21 reps, then 18,15,12 down to 9 and push yourself to finish as fast as possible - you have 30 minutes to do it and if you are done before the 30 minutes you keep going - 6 reps then 3. I love this one because I am a "little" competitive so I am motivated to win!!! which I did this morning :). Finished this day with a snowy run with Roxanne, Jen, Suzanne and Lynsay.

Krystin
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Day 18 - spin spin spin

2012-01-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

Today was spin class with Lori - always a good workout - 1 hour of sweat - always feels good after that one and again great to catch up with Lori. We got a couple of looks because we typically talk throughout the workout - what most people, who are not moms, don't realize is that we have to multi-task (always) so working out and socializing has to happen at the same time - I don't have time to work out and then socialize - it has to happen together!

Krystin
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Storm Rolls In....Krystin goes for a walk???

2012-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well today is day 17, busy day - 7pm rolls around and I have not gotten in my physical activity. What to do? Go for a good walk around the neighbourhood. I can usually talk Matthew into joining me but he is not feeling great. So I open the door and the weather has drastically changed? - the rain is no longer - which is good but it has been replaced with blistering winds that includes snow and the temperature has dramatically dropped too. Music playing, bundled up out I go - best thing about walking - lots of time to think and no dishes!! 40 minutes later I am home and have gotten in my activity.

My friend Lesley sent me this link - check it out - reinforces the 30 minute minimum commitment and outlines the Return on Investment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo&feature=share

Krystin

get active NOW!

Day 16 - Early Morning Monday Workout

2012-01-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well here we are at day 16 - today was a 6:15 am work out at Active Life Conditioning. Laura Powers worked us hard this morning - a good cardio and strength mix. This was a morning that I needed someone telling me what to do - I had a hard time getting up this morning - thanks Laura.

Krystin
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Leap Year?!?!?!?!?!

2012-01-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Day 15 - halfway through January and only 350 days to go - actually 351 days to go - I get an extra day this year because it is a leap year!!!!! The girls at the Meaford Planning department made me aware of this fact and asked if this would allow me to have an official day off - unfortunately not. The resolution was for the entire year - the fact that I was unaware it was a leap year does not let me have a day off. I also think that those Meaford girls are going to join in on this little challenge - it is amazing how many people are joining me - kinda cool!

Today I was tired, the hockey and skiing took its toll on my quads - the snowshoe up Osler was hard and cold. But Heather and Sarah let me lag behind and all and all I got my butt up that mountain and enjoyed an hour and a half of snow shoeing with some great and physically fit chicks!

We also had a lady follow us up today - she was there because her daughter had a ski race and she did not want to just sit at the bottom of the hill and watch all day so she decided to hike up the hill (no snow shoes). She did not know her way around so she followed us. I do not remember her name but she kept referring to herself as "grandma". We did find out that she has grandkids the same age as our kids. Anyway she rocked it and made the whole way and was so proud of herself (she did great). - I am sure we will see her out there again!

Krystin
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Day 14 - Still Really Cold

2012-01-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Well I survived the blistering cold outdoor hockey Friday night - lots of fun and lots of snow on the ice. Today was Saturday so family time. It started out with lots of kid hockey - both kids had games today and both kids were MVP's of their games - so proud. We spent the whole day together and went skiing in the evening - my first time out this season - yes I picked the coldest day/night this year to go out and to top it all off they were making snow on every single run which does not make for fun skiing. We skied for about and hour and half and then when none of us could feel our toes we headed home for hot chocolate. I am now officially the worst skier in my family - I have been surpassed by the kids and there is no hope in hell that I will be able to catch up!!!! They have no fear - which is cool and scary for me. Sean loves it because he can take them on jumps and ski the trees (not for me). So I got lots of fresh air and my physical activity was with the family enjoying a night of skiing.

Krystin

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Baby Its Cold Outside.....

2012-01-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

Well day 13th - Friday the 13th! and to top it all off it is now cold and snowy! Don't get me wrong I like winter - one of those people that figured that if we have winter I might as well enjoy it - ok not really I married a man who loves winter. A skier through and through. So it was sort of a decision that if I was going to marry him I should probably love winter too - makes for a better relationship! Well Sean has definately shown me over the years that winter is fun and you can do so many active things in the winter. When we first started dating he was so excited to take me skiing - he basically grew up on skis - lived at the base of Blue Mountain and ski raced (which allowed him to ski all over the world) - so there we are at the top of Smart Alec - not a baby hill and he said ok lets go...... well I have been skiing ever since! We live in Collingwood and love that we can go skiing anytime and it is so fun with the kids - who by the way have been skiing since they could walk. Well I kind of got off topic there and I have to go - I was trying to lead up to what I am doing for my physical activity today - hockey with the girls. I know you are thinking what does that have to do with the winter and being outside - well we play on the outdoor rink - that's right we play outside in the cold and snow!

Krystin
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Day 12 - January 12th, 2012

2012-01-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

So day 12 I was hoping to put together something witty but I am already a day behind so this one will only be a short one outlining what physical activity I did yesterday. Well it was another 6:15 am workout at Active Life. Great work out! Then Roxanne and I went for a 40 minute run after work. Felt great to get out there more consistently.

Day 11 - It Really is a Family Affair

2012-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I wrote about Matthew my 10 year joining the challenge - well now my brother is in. I asked him to check out my blog and he thought it was such a great idea he has started his own - shutupntrain - check out his blog and see what he is up to for the rest of the year.

Todays physical activity for me was an hour spin class at the YMCA with Lori. Great class and great to catch up with Lori.

Krystin
get active now!

Matthew - Day 10 - January 10th, 2012

2012-01-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well here I am again -with my second post - Day 10 - January 10th, 2012! So today my physical activity was not that exciting - in fact it was an end of the day walk. But this walk was with a bonus - my 10 year old son Matthew joined me. So I may not have gotten the best workout so far this year but I did get some quality time with my son. It is amazing how much you learn about your kids day when you are all ears for 30 minutes. So nice compared to the typical conversations of - is your homework done? did you put your dishes in the dishwasher? stop fighting with your brother! Best part - just before he went to bed he asked if we could walk every night!

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that Matthew has decided to join Angela and I in our new year resolution. He wants to pay more attention to what physical activity he is doing everyday - training to get ready for rugby session and oh and he wants a six pack (me too!)

For those that wonder where I got this idea - it did not just come to me. I remembered that someone I knew did this a few years back (2010)- well she saw my post yesterday and she was excited and said that it was a great experience - Thanks Tara Gignac- she is a local naturopath - has helped me out tremedously with Kade's skin and learning difficulties - check out her website http://stonetreeclinic.com/

That is all for today

Krystin
get active now! (this is Kade's idea for a signature - so cute - he is 7)

New Years Resolution

2012-01-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

So as we all head into the new year we are all faced with the concept of New Years resolutions. Oh I have made them before only to fall short of my goal as life (family and work) take over my good intentions. So this year I decided to get my friend Angela involved in my New Year resolution so that I have to be accountable to someone other than myself. Oh, I guess this would be a good place to tell you what my New Years Resolution is.........well the plan is to be physically active for a minimum of 30 minutes for all 365 days of the year. That is right every single day of 2012. So now you might be asking why are you blogging about it? Well Angela and I were trying to figure out how to keep each other on track, she lives in London and I live in Collingwood. We tried google calendar but that was really frustrating and then Angela sent me an excel sheet that had dates on it and that is not that much fun. So when I was snowshoeing the other day I thought to myself maybe I should blog about our efforts - make us accountable not only to each other but anyone else who might be interested in what we are up to.

So as you can see by the date it is Monday January 9th - nine days into 2012 and what have I been up to? Here is a quick overview of the last nine days and how I have been active.

January 1st - 45 minute run with friend Roxanne in the rain - did clear out the New Years Eve cobwebs!
January 2nd - snow shoe with friends at Osler Bluff Ski Club - up the escarpment.
January 3rd - a 45 minute brisk walk to a dinner party!
January 4th - went to a spin class at the YMCA with hubby Sean. Instructor did not show up but the volunteer who filled in got us sweating for a good hour :)
January 5th -well this one was the hardest one - went to dinner at a friends house and got home late and had still not done my minimum 30 minutes - my son Matthew reminded me as he headed to bed that I needed to get out there and get my 30 minutes in - so off I went for a 30 minute walk at 10 pm!
January 6th - 9 am Cardio Mix workout with Robin at Active Life Conditioning http://www.activelifeconditioning.com/ and then hockey with the girls Friday night - so much fun and lots of laughs!
January 7th - this was an outdoor day for sure - an early morning snow shoe with friends up the escarpment at Osler Ski Club - love it (if you want to join us let me know). Then that night we went to a snow shoe party - started with a snow shoe (with the whole family and friends) up the north end of Blue Mountain Resort. That's right up again only this time I was with my 7 and 10 year old boys - who by the way made it all the way up - so proud!!! Then back to the Gordon Base Lodge for bevies and appies. So much fun. We had good timing too - the Toronto Ski Club was having an event and we just happened to be heading up the hill when an enormous firework show started - it was almost like we planned it!!

January 8th - a nice 7 km run with Roxanne in the sun.
Today - the beginning of my 8 week program at Active Life - 6:15 Ladies Conditioning Class. Great workout just not really back to getting up so early.

So there you have it - what I have been up to for the past week. This blog thought has evolved as I plan it out with my husband Sean - the sounding board - this is going to be a place where I talk about what I have done to be active everyday but I am going to be including what you can do too. What is happening in our area, places you can go with your friends and family to enjoy our area and the great outdoors, activities that are out there for us to take advantage of and who knows what else I might be able to share over the course of this year.

Krystin