Day 58 - A Sad Day

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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?

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

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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