Day 31 - One Month Down

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
get active NOW!

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

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
get active NOW!

Day 29 - Snow Shoe with Friends

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
get active Now!

Day 28 - Walking in a Winter Wonderland

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
get active NOW!

Day 27 - A Visit With Angela

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

get active NOW!

Day 26 - Happy Birthday Mom

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
get active NOW!

Day 25 - Sleep is Good Medicine

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
get active NOW!

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

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
get active NOW!

Day 23 - Early Morning Workout

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
get active NOW!

Day 22 - a Long Run

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
get active NOW!

Kade Shots and He Scores Too!

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

get active NOW!

She Shots She Scores......

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
get active NOW!

Day 18 - spin spin spin

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
get active Now!

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

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

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
get active NOW!

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

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
get active NOW!

Day 14 - Still Really Cold

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

get active NOW!

Baby Its Cold Outside.....

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
get active NOW!

Day 12 - January 12th, 2012

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

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

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

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