My Last weekends Lazy Day SAVER

I woke up last Saturday with FULL intentions of a KILLER workout.......

To wake up and feel SO SORE lol from the week of training...... I chose to do JUST CARDIO......

But then wrote out a TEN MINUTE BLAST,

 headed in to the gym, 

broke a sweat, 

warmed my muscles up

 and finished my "LAZY DAY" with a 45 minute bike ride.......

watch my lazy day workout

~There really is such a thing as TOO MUCH TRAINING.... otherwise known as OVER TRAINING.

Our body responds to rest VERY WELL.... Rest is when our muscles are able to recover and repair....... At the least, I recommend taking ONE day per week off.

I often use my OFF day as a light longer cardio, to really loosen up any tight muscles and follow that with a nice loooooooooooooonnnnnng stretch..... mmmmm SO RELAXING!!!

Always listen to the body.... Don't push past the pain that is giving you the inner thought of..." I'm not sureeeeee if this is 'good' pain or 'bad' pain.... If you question it... it's likely bad pain.

Being the tough guy or girl with those issues will ONLY leave you behind. 

If you've ever had an athletic related injury ( any injury at that ) You KNOW how frustrating the recovery period can be. SO just simply LISTEN.

The human body is among the MOST intelligent machines we have on the planet and we just happen to be blessed with living IN IT.

~Ky

xo

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

FEB .13. 2012 VALENTINES DAY PREP!!!!

*FROM TOP TO BOTTOM* 

Aprox time 45-60 minutes
Needed : gym equipment ( lat pull down, seated row, DB's, bench or ball)

-EVERYTHING IS 10 REPS AND 3 ROUNDS

-UPPER BODY BLAST WITH SQUAT JUMPS BETWEEN EACH SET

LAT PULL DOWN + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3  (NO REST UNTIL 3rd SET IS DONE)

SEATED ROW + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

PUSH UPS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

FLAT BENCH DB FLY + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

STANDING DB BICEP CURLS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

FACE DOWN INCLINE DB BICEPS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

DIPS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

TRICEP KICK BACKS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

SEATED OVERHEAD DB PRESS + 10 SQUAT JUMPS X 3

DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!!!!


540 REPS


270 STRENGTH
270 PLYO SQUATS


NO BIG DEAL

Quick and to the Point - ABS AND BUTT

Building  beautiful backside and a tight tummy...... From HOME!

This simple 6 minute workout can be done LITERALLY anywhere..... I did it after my cardio this am at the GYM, and then to film, came home and did it AGAIN, and then when my camera wasn't turned on... lol I did it AGAIN.... and then you know what I did after my COMPUTER wouldn't upload the video....???

I DID IT AGAIN!! hahaah MY BOOOOOOOOTY is sore you guys!! YOWZA

This is the breakdown of the 

3 minute ABS + 3 minute BOOTY blast:

Timer set for 30/10 for 12 rounds

You will need a mat or carpet flooring and ideally something ELEVATED for your booty blast.

AB ROUTINE:

30 seconds KNEE HUGS / 10 sec rest
30 seconds TOE TOUCH SIT UPS / 10 sec rest
30 seconds HAND TOUCH TIC TOC / 10 sec rest
30 seconds HAND TOUCH TIC TOC / 10 sec rest
30 seconds TOE TOUCH SIT UP / 10 sec rest
30 seconds KNEE HUGS / move into BOOTY BLAST using your 10 seconds rest
VIDEO HERE!!!

BOOTY BLAST:

30 seconds DBL LEG BRIDGE/ 10 sec PULSE
30 seconds R LEG ONLY BRIDGE /  10 sec PULSE
30 seconds DBL LEG BRIDGE / 10 sec PULSE
30 seconds L LEG ONLY BRIDGE / 10 sec PULSE
*IMMEDIATE FLIP ONTO TUMMY *
30 seconds STIFF LEGGED SWIMMER KICKS
10 seconds STIFF LEG HOLD
30 seconds STIFF LEGGED OPENERS
VIDEO HERE!!!


This is a Great end to any workout, or tossed in just before bed..... If your butt isn't BUUURRRRNNNNNING after this 3 minutes... REPEAT!!!

Enjoy my friends,
~Ky xo

ThE DoOzY - 12 minutes

Hey Guys, 
Here is the 12 minute HIIT workout I promised you......... The exercises are a mix of old and new.
This is a description, with a mini how to video..... THE ACTUAL WORKOUT.... darlings...IS HERE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ThE DoOzY

YOU WILL NEED:
Dip Station ( IF YOU HAVE ONE) If you do not have one, either use a squat rack in the gym, the chair & broom handle trick or even change the exercise altogether, which will be discussed in the video...
Resistance band ( or 2 light weights ) *The bands can be found almost anywhere...Walmart, sport stores, London Drugs etc...
Anything elevated ( I used a bench)

Here is your BREAKDOWN:

Set your timer for 12 rounds of 50/10.

There are 6 exercises, to be run through ONCE as a full circuit, and then repeated.

1. Glute squeeze Burpee w/ speed skater side kicks
2. Decline plank walk up
3. Reverse Push ups
4. Oblique leg raises
5. Gliding Warrior lunge
6. V sit resistance band Reverse Fly

*IMPORTANT THINGS TO FOCUS ON*

Exercise #1:  If you are unable to perform a tricep push up from your toes, DROP TO YOUR KNEES, ABS TIGHT, squuuueeeeze your glutes on each lift.

Exercise #2: ABS TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT!! If you are unable to perform this on a decline, please bring your feet to the floor. This can also be performed from your knees.

Exercise #3: Lift that chest, squeeze shoulder blades together at the back. IF NO DIP STATION, and at home, use a band, or weights and stand in a bent over row position, tight abs, flat back and row up.

Exercise #4: If you have no DIP STATION, lie on the floor, arms extended out like a T, legs up and drop side to side, like a clock!

Exercise #5: All of your weight MUST sit in your heel on the bent leg, sit your butt WAY back and make sure the straight leg remains STRAIGHT.

Exercise #6: Sit up tall, lifting your chest up, if you are unable to keep your feet up, simply place them down, Like the reverse push up, focus on squeezing the shoulder blades behind you.

Staying toned while travelling

Hey guys and gals......

I have just come home from a little bit of travelling, and wanted to share with you my thoughts on staying on track with your fitness while being on the road, or plane, train....whatever your 'mode' is.......

First things first, if you are a GYM rat, make sure the hotel you are staying in HAS a gym..... or at least is close to one.
Some hotels don't have gyms themselves but will often have promotional deals with near by facilities, and this is something you can look into.

Another option is just simply packing a few light weight tools to get you through your workouts.

~Resistance bands are hands down the LIGHTEST easiest tool to travel with. Now don't go assuming that a measly little rubber band isn't good enough for you...... they come in all strengths.... ask the men in my boot camp.... BIG BLUE adds up quickly!!!

~ Skipping ropes are equally as light and take up just as much room as your resistance bands... NONE AT ALL! Skipping is in MY opinion, the best form of cardio!!! High intensity, and challenging!!!

~ A Dip station is extremely easy to assemble and fits very easily in your suitcase..... ( this may be for my real keaners...... no pressure but I'D DO IT!!!)
You can find yours here.... shipping is FAST!!!
DIP STATION

~ In all honesty you travel with your best tool regardless of what you bring in your suitcase..... YOUR BODY!!!
Whether you are an avid fitness fan, a regular gymer, or perhaps brand new to exercise and are nervous about travel plans getting in your way of success, make it a 'no questions asked' sort of thing.
Make up your mind, its THAT simple..... You WILL train while away.

Even 10-15 minutes, who DOESN'T have time for that??
I BEG you to answer me this!!!

Best body weighted workout out routines found @ www.bodyrock.tv so if you have left your equipment at home, or you found yourself in the only city in North America without a gym..... your excuses are now just that.......EXCUSES!! ;)

HAPPY TRAVELS:)
Drink water, drink your vegetables Performance Greens - when vegetables aren't available

~Ky
xo

Stairs to Heaven

My boot campers and I are challenging ourselves with a trip to Vancouver in a few weeks to take our first trip up THE GROUSE GRIND. Which to those who may do this hike regularly may seem normal, but for us island folk who's toughest climb may be Mt Finlayson, this seems both exciting and terrifying.

Yesterday morning (Saturday) we made our way to a beautiful set of stairs just slightly out of town and after counting the steps from bottom to top ( 230) we made it a point to run them 10 times in order to get 2300, which is just slightly less then the Grind.

Although everyone ran / walked at different paces and in their own comfort zone, it was still very much a team effort. In total it took us 1 hour to complete ten sets. From that we subtracted the time it took to go DOWN and multiplied that ten, giving us 47 minutes of straight UP!!!

We left tired, shaky legged and pretty stoked on ourselves!!!

*This is only the first 71 steps, the next 159 were shorter and steeper.....and concrete*  These were runnable, but the second you hit the concrete set, it felt ...lol very UN RUNNABLE~



2300 Stairs - First 71








After the shaking stopped, or at least slowed down we all went our separate ways for the day before meeting up again later for a well deserved BBQ and movie night!

Kev and I headed to Starbucks where we both ordered the Chocolate Banana Vivanno half sweet, made with water. I order this often and some baristas think nothing of the water request, however this guy seemed to think we were from another planet. He actually took his head set off, pushed his neck way out with a super confused look on his face said " You want WATER?????"
I always try to be polite but i think my tone was a bit of " GO F yourself" ...
"Yaaaaaa.... water"
anyway, it was delish and He learned something new......:)

The rest of the day was filled up with a consultation with a new ( super cool, super motivated) new client, and a day of shopping with another!!!
It gets tough for me knowing what to call some of my clients who become friends...... You are told not to befriend your clients, and to try to stay very professional. This is fine and acceptable with some, however, as a personal trainer, you are in most cases a really important part of some peoples loves. You are who they confide in and trust with their biggest struggles, and so it DOES become personal and I DO become invested and i care, therefore, we become friends. Not for  second do I regret or feel wrong about it either.... I have a job which allows me to spend my day with people who I can call my friends and who I simultaneously am able to help reach a happier healthier point in their lives!!!!

~THAT IS A FABULOUS FEELING~

The BBQ was delicious, with way too may appies, which filled us up before the BBQ was even turned on...... 

There was the usual veggie platter, cheese and crackers, and then there was prosciutto wrapped zucchini with ricotta, 4 types of prawns, scallop potatoes, mini turkey tacos ( adorable and tasty), kale chips and then for the main course, there was salad, grilled asparagus ad zucchini and chicken.

We all collapsed in the living room for a movie and watched the dogs take the main stage for most of the movie...... 4 little dogs with 4 large personalities. Any pet owner can appreciate how awesome this was.

11 o'clock came and I was exhausted, so home to bed, with high hopes of waking up for morning yoga.......

Its the morning.... I'm home:)

However I DID just have a great workout........ 30 minutes looked like this:
1 minute each / repeated 3 times

SKIP
PUSH UP
SPLIT LUNGES
KNEE TUCK ON STABILITY BALL( CORE)
BOX JUMPS
PICK UP PRESS UP (L)
PICK UP PRESS UP (R)
PLANK WALK UP ROTATION
SNOWBOARDERS
CRAB DIPS

I'm finishing the day with a spa visit..... and CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy end to your weekend,
~KY
xo

Summa time in the cityyyyy

Ohhhhhhhh WELCOME THE SUMMER WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is beautiful, plain and simple! If you are not living on the west coast today I am sorry.

I was blessed with another sleep in today, woke up to breakfast and a beautiful walk along Dallas Road with the dogs and Kevin.

I decided to check out a 24 hour gym down the road from the condo, and basically had it to myself, as it was in the middle of the day. Theres something extra great about that:)

The sun just didn't stop shining all day, and so I tried to take advantage of it....
I washed the car, both inside and out, i wore SHORTS and a tank top....if you know me at all you know that I have an issue with shorts...lol i rarely wear them and for ME, today was a special occasion :)

After work today I got to hang out with my "little" ( I volunteer with Big Brothers of Victoria and I have a little sister I see every week, tonight was our night and guess what we did????

WE WENT SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!

Her older sister had given her some money for a good report card and she wanted to spend every penny !!!! I felt confident in my ability to help her... and in the process spent a bit myself lol

Today was a simple day, and I appreciate these days very much...... a run down of my workout and food ~

I focused on back and legs warming up with 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer.

5 pull ups

5 chin ups

3X bent over row 35 lbs

3X back extensions

2X Leg press

2X plyo straddle jumps

5 pull ups

5 chin ups

2X smith machine squats

2X sissy squats

5 pull ups

5 chin ups

2X bent over 1 arm row

2X bent over revers fly

3X single leg leg press

5 pull ups

5 chin ups

3X seated reverse fly

3X cable pull down

3 rounds of 60 alternating crunch/bicycle, leg drops, scissors

AM- protein pancake

PWO- Power protein smoothie

LUNCH- seared tuna taco with asparagus

SNACK- 1 square Elevate me, 1 mini orange bunch of kale chips

DINNER- homemade cauliflower leek turkey bacon soup

Sunday Funday - 1000 reps

Last night was a friends birthday, and therefor a great excuse for a few of us to get dressed up and head downtown for some delicious eats and enjoyable drinks ( which is a rare occasion for me )

We started at our house, with a simple innocent glass of white wine. This turned into ..... well a few more:) The night was full of laughter, as per usual and a LOT of rain!!!  There was some FULL intention, at least with myself and Serena, to make an appearance on a dance floor later in the evening, but due to what turns out to be an EARLY start, we were home by 11:30, and very ready for bed, with a gravol in hand.

 I sort of took alcohol out of my life ( not completely but for the most part) about a year , to two years ago, and every time I invite it back in, I am reminded as to WHY I removed it to begin with. I felt sick to my stomach all night, waking up multiple times with a gross over heated nauseated feeling.

When I finally opened my eyes for the day around 8:30 all I could hear in the quiet house was the heavy rain on the roof and skylight. It was calming and quite pretty.......

and so I lay there....... until 11am.

I thought about going to yoga, but clearly didn't think hard enough about it, because class started at 10, and I hadn't budged much at that point. I knew that whatever I did had to be high intensity to combat the crap that I ingested last night.

Once I was up and fed it came to me....

1000 REPETITIONS!!!!! 

As I put my running shoes on I wrote down the workout...... check it out HERE>

1000 Reps ~ Sunday punishment workout

I actually don't remember the last time I dripped so much sweat in such a short amount of time. Within the first 5 minutes, or first round, I was DRIPPING!!!!! 
I still had 9 more rounds........

This workout took me 60 minutes, I pep talked myself through a LOT of it I will have you know :)


The rest of the day was spent much like a Sunday should be, We  (my room mate and I ) drove up island to visit my Dad and Step  mom and there ridiculously adorable little dogs, we lounged on their couch for a few hours before heading back home to make a yummy warm winter style cauliflower, sweet potato and leek soup with turkey bacon.
We watched from home, my boyfriend and a crew of our friends on T.V at the Canucks  / Sharks first game. (Which we WON !!!!!!!)

Tonight I will sleep like a baby, looking forward to feeling the pain tomorrow......

We do it cuz we love it!!!!

Feelin the after burn baby burn

I woke up this morning, sore again, still in the upper body, but now mainly my inner thighs were cursing me and the ball squeezes we did yesterday :)

I woke up an hour early again, took dose #1 of HEAT and hit the cardio- I did another skipping interval, which I love due not only to the added 70-110 calories burned every TEN MINUTES ( depending on your current weight, lean mass % and intensity) but its an easy form of cardio that doesn't involve pricey pieces of equipment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFBgKGsfwHk

After my first client and meal #1 I  took round 2 of my HEAT and fit in a Bi and Tri workout and finished with some abs, and the rest of my day was FREE!!!

I had lunch with my man and my room  mate, walked the dog along the most beautiful road in Vic....DALLAS RD, went for my weekly massage with my favorite lady, CHANTAL BOUCHARD (phone number available)
and finished with a lovely reunion with a client back from a few months off.

I thought that throughout the day my inner thigh pain would ease but I have been sadly mistaken, lol It's after 5 pm and crossing my legs is still massively uncomfortable.

LOVE IT!!!!!

Today's food looked like this:

AM- Protein pancake with 1 small Silhuette yogurt
PWO-1 scoop MAGNUM QUATTRO chocolate love with almond milk, 1 orange
LUNCH- Bandara salad with chicken @ Cactus ( no crispy noodles, dressing on the side)
SNACK- 1 energy ball 2 mini oranges
DINNER- Cauliflower rice w/ spinach, zucchini and tomato, 2 turkey meatloaves

MAGNUM QUATTRO ~ Chocolate Love Protein

La La La legs

Well I can officially say that yesterdays Strength workout did its job, and I woke up sore in all the right places :)
I set my alarm for 7 am, took my HEAT and stayed in bed for another 15 minutes before grabbing the jump rope and powering through a 26 minute skipping interval and meal 1 before my first client.

After She left, I started in on my workout for the day- LEGS

I will admit that training legs with a focus on size and strength with limited equipment is a bit tough. Here is what I did:
25 KB squats (40lbs) / 25 bosu ball hop overs x3
40 inner thigh stability ball squeeze / 50 bosu toe taps x3
20 Walking lunges / 30 bosu ball Glute Bridge (10 each leg/ 10 both) x3
20 Side lunges on bosu (10 reg/ 10 pulse) / 20 Dolphin kicks x3
60 Calf raises (3 way foot position) 20 each position / 10 Hamstring curls w/ stability ball x3

Foods today looks like this:

AM- Protein pancake with greek yogurt
PWO- Power protein smoothie
SNACK- Eat more protein bar 1 apple
LUNCH- Chicken with lentil loaf
SNACK- 1 Silhuette yogurt 3 mini clementines
DINNER- 2 turkey meatloaves, spinach, zucchini

Zen zen zen zen zen ......

Today I slept in...... I didn't open my eyes until almost 8:30!!!! And when I DID, the sun was shining in my bedroom window:) Isn't that one of the best things in life??? Early morning sunshine through your bedroom window~

Zig, Serena and I lounged around for a few minutes while Serena got ready for work.... Zig and I went for a little morning outing and I headed in for a workout, that looked like this:

100 skips
30 Kb squat press (15 per side)
REPEAT
30 sec Mt climbers / 30 sec Toe Touch sit ups
REPEAT
100 skips
Handstand Pike jump / Split pike jump 10 each
Hamstring curls w/ Ball
REPEAT
100 skips
25 KB Bicep burls
REPEAT
100 skips
Med Ball 1 legged dead lift press up (10 each)
REPEAT
100 skips
Pull ups - failure
REPEAT
50 skips
TRX Close grip pull ups- failure
REPEAT
50 skips
TRX Tricep drops
REPEAT

After yesterday's 10 client day, I have a much more mellow 2 client day today:)
I plan to take yoga class at 1:45 quickly run back for my lovely client and call it a day:)

Serena and I are playing arts and crafts tonight, to get ready for our Stella & Dot Friend Advice and Vinno get together Thursday night at our place~

With such a relaxed day, I am feeling very much the same.... relaxed with very little on my mind..... so this blog will likely NOT be the most interesting to read lol.

Wishing you all the same zen like feeling I have right now,
Happy training and happy life
~Ky

Alberta/Whistler/Canucks/Friends/Mothers Day

Its been a full weekend for me, hence why I have been MIA since Thursday.....
Thursday night I boarded a flight to Edmonton to meet Kev It was my first time flying WEST JET, and can I say i LOVED IT!!!!! I mean loved it so much I am writing a letter to tell them how great they are and how perfect my short but important flight was:)

Kev picked me up at 10 pm and we headed to Hinton, Alberta..... home of..... well home of.... i don't know, its Hinton, its small, but it was our home for the night. We settled in around midnight and the alarm went off again around 7 am.

We headed to the lobby for a small breakfast that consisted of 3 hard boiled egg (whites) and 1 small organic yogurt with a mini portion of corn flakes..... oh and an apple for the road.

We grabbed a Starbucks and headed to Jasper for some real food:)
We got to Jasper around 10 am and searched for what we anticipated would be the 'cutest' eclectic hippie style cafe for a delicious meal.

Have you ever been to Jasper?????

If you have and you know of this place .... or a place like it.... please tell me..... we found NOTHING!
we ended up at Smitty's and settled for oatmeal and more egg whites.
( you CAN still eat healthy on the road people!!!!!)

  NO EXCUSES!!!!!

After breakfast number 2 we strolled the streets for a few minutes taking in the beautiful view and continued on our way towards Vancouver.

The scenery was incredible the whole drive, wild life, mountains, frozen lakes and hillsides.  I couldn't stop taking pictures, even if to anyone else they look just like the one before.

We drove to Kamloops before stopping for dinner, where we found an always trusting Milestones and enjoyed a delicious meal, really our first legit meal of the day. 

I had the shanghai chicken vegetable pasta with brown rice pasta and Kev had the curry rice bowl...YUMMMY:)

On our way out of Kamloops, it occurred to Kev that there was a rather important hockey game happening the next night in Vancouver, and we would be in the general vicinity.

Literally within 5 minutes he had craigslist up on his phone and had tracked down 2 tickets for us, so before finding a hotel for the night we had picked up 2 playoff tickets for game 5 between our VANCOUVER CANUCKS and NASHVILLE PREDATORS.

We checked into our hotel and hit the hay!!!! Again the alarm was set for 7 am, and up we got and headed to Whistler for our first snowboard trip together.

I acted as teacher for the day as Kev hadn't been boarding since he was ...... 17 or so ( without giving away how GOD AWFUL old he is....) lol  it had been a while!!

He did awesome and we had a really great time, had some lunch and a boozy coffee and made our way back to the hotel to quickly change and head to the game.

We both had a few friends in the arena watching as well and so after what ended up being a sad game we all met up and made a night out of it!

~We had a really great time with old and new friends.

I woke up this morning, Sunday (Mothers Day) feeling a bit blah..... even though its meant to be a great and special day, I felt a bit ...well.. BLAH~

After checking my Face book numerous times through the morning and reading every ones mothers day posts..... I called my step mom who is FABULOUS and wished her a happy day and reminded her I loved her.

We caught he 12:30 ferry home to Nanaimo, so we could pick little Jackson up from his gramma's house. (Kevin's mom is always so happy to watch him for us .... and he loves her so its really a  mini vacation for him as well)

Once we got home and I did my Sunday errands, which always consist of the GROCERY STORE I began a baking / food prep extravaganza!!!!

Tonight I made:

Celebration Lentil Loaf ( Whole Foods recipe)

Mini Turkey meatloaf (18 of them)

a way too big Kale and Butternut squash salad

4 hours later Im going to bed..........

Back to reality tomorrow.... hard work in the gym, clean regimented eating and water!!!!!!!!

~Ky

xo

Excuses annoy me

I'm not perfect.....not by far but what Id like to think of myself as is realistic and honest, both to others and more importantly to MYSELF.

I have days, yesterday being one of them where it seems impossible to hold myself together..... But the only way through it .....is THROUGH IT!!

It seems that everyone has an excuse for just about everything these days, why your late, why you can't do something, why your boss sucks, why your not losing weight, why you never see your friends, why why why....... And YES I have used them myself, again I'm not perfect.

There has to come a moment in your life, an "Ah Hah"moment as Oprah likes to call them, when you figure out the common denominator in all of your struggles, and realize its YOU. This isn't saying anything poor about the person you are, its just clearing up a confusion your mind has with who what where and why.
How much easier will life be now that you know YOUR IN CHARGE!! There will no longer be reason for excuses, because YOU are the only hurdle.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you.  Never excuse yourself.  ~Henry Ward Beecher



We have more ability than will power, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible.  ~François de la Rochefoucauld


Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.  ~Edward R. Murrow


Success is a tale of obstacles overcome, and for every obstacle overcome, an excuse not used.  ~Robert Brault


I challenge you, yes YOU to go the next week, 7 days starting THIS MOMENT to own everything you do, everything you eat, everything you say or dont say...... NO EXCUSES.
 The second one enters your mouth to escape your lips, shut them, swallow it and own it.
As soon as the thought enters your brain to convince your mind of reasons why or why not, stop listening, and own it.


Today is my last day in town before I fly out to meet Kev in Edmonton, and so I woke up at 6:30, strapped on my runners, wiped my eyes, grabbed my Ipod and hit the stair well in my condo building.

NO EXCUSE WORKOUT!!!!!!

I set my timer for 20 minutes, upped the tunes and away I went, it's SO simple to be healthy, we too often over think it and make it "too difficult" thus using an EXCUSE!!!
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=mlFDh8DuxD0&next=%2Fmy_videos

I had to walk 15 steps to get to the stairs in my building and I KNOW I am not alone here...... half the city lives in a condo or apartment buildings.

So COME ON PEOPLE!!!! dont leave me hangin.... hit the stair well.... you will love yourself for doing it, even if you dislike the initial thought of it!!!

Stay happy and healthy,
~Ky

Some things just make me smile

I woke up this morning feeling...well honestly feeling really tired lol and still SUPER achy! But still inside, felt like a million bucks!!!

The sun was shining, and the city was still asleep, and so I ran.
I shaved almost 6 minutes off my time from yesterday on the same run, which wasn't my intention, but I'll take it!!

During my run my nomination for Best of The City kept circling through my brain and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed  and appreciative. Actually this hasn't gone away yet today.... I just had a beautiful walk with Ziggy along Dallas Rd, and called to tell my Dad the good news. Its so heart warming to hear pride in a parents voice :)

When we finally hung up, I started to get really emotional, wishing that I could have called my Mom to tell her all the greatness as well..... So instead I took in the beauty of the ocean and mountains, and remembered that she wouldn't have BEEN proud of me......She IS proud of me <3

Enough sap, back to the day....
My run was awesome, my clients have been hard working and inspiring, and my workout today was exactly what my body needed. *BROKEN BOOTY*

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/note.php?note_id=106298789452510

The sun hasn't stopped shining, which is obviously very enjoyable, and we've got 3 new Stella trunk shows booked!!!
I have a coffee date with a wonderful old friend of mine tonight, which is so overdue..... So ONCE again, life is great!!
I fly out tomorrow evening to meet Kevin in Edmonton, so may not be able to blog over the weekend, as we are road tripping through Jasper and down to Whistler for a last chance snow board:)

Wishing you all a perfect evening, and a wonderful end of week
~Ky
xo

The bitch is back!!!

WELLLLLLLL did you read about THE BITCH yesterday???? (The 'bitch' being my workout) if you haven't yet, do it now and then come back to read the following line...........

OUCH OUCH OOWWWYYY OMG WOWZA.... PAIN!!

I woke up this morning in hopes for another rainy run, but to my dismay, the sun was out lol. 

So I ran anyway...... I did the 'usual loop' around my condo, which takes me exactly 30 minutes, and I have guessed it to be 6 km. (Lisa Fantetti, my dear I will get the app i promise) The run was my only workout for the day, with an ab circuit mid morning.

By 10 am this morning I felt like I had accomplished so much. I had a beautiful run, a yummy breakfast, a shower, which let me tell you, ME showering BEFORE work???!! Not sure the last time that happened. LOL

I had a pretty slack day, with a few clients, a nail appointment, a JEWELRY pickup!!! woohoooo its like Christmas like EVERY DAY!!!

Serena and I are loving the Stella & Dot goodies and are booking trunk shows for May NOW!!!

**This is the RIO COIN Bracelet, gifted to us :)

~ Thank you Stella & Dot

Another pretty wonderful thing happened today, with an email from a woman working at VIC NEWS, regarding the 'BEST OF THE CITY' Awards.

I WAS NOMINATED FOR BEST TRAINER IN THE CITY!!!

I was voted in as top 3 and we have a meeting on Thursday morning to discuss what happens now!

 How cool is that??!! Thank you to WHOM EVER voted without my knowledge, I appreciate it!!!

All in all another smile worthy day in my land, thank you for sharing it with me:)

Food today looks like this:

AM- Protein pancake with 2Tbsp cottage cheese

SNACK- banana 1/2C greek yogurt, KASHI, and 1 Tbsp carob chips

LUNCH- Broccoli, carrots, spinach and 2 mini meatloaves

SNACK- Visalus shake with almond milk

DINNER- Spinach salad with cottage cheese 

Killin it ~

I woke up this morning with the intention of sprints!

The first thing I heard when I woke up was the sound of rain on the roof and skylight.....Now if you have been reading these posts, you are aware of my extreme dislike for cold weather cardio :)

I, however had made a promise to myself to "UP" it this month and so out I went.

I cant lie to you..... I LOVED it!!!!! I really loved the rain :) and I am a little bit excited for the rain tomorrow morning too :)

After the run I came home to my lovely family ( Serena and Ziggy....Kev is back in Alberta :( I had my breakfast and headed to work.

When my first client was finished I prepared for the workout of the day.....

1100 reps- THE BITCH

This name has just come to me now, and it seems so fitting lol, You will agree once you complete it!!!

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&note_id=117756061640116

As soon as I had finished stretching, I ran out the door to make sure I got my vote in!!!!!

vote VOTE vote VOTE vote VOTE vote VOTE

.........Now Im home again, having my PWO meal and getting ready for a steady day of beautiful clients......

FOOD today looked like this:

AM-Protein pancake with apple sauce
PWO-Power smoothie
SNACK- apple 1 energy ball
LUNCH- 2 mini chicken meatloaves 2C broccoli and carrot
SNACK- DAMY health Eat More protein bar
DINNER- sauted spinach 1 mini chicken meatloaf

LIFE IS GOOD :)

~Ky

xo

RUNNIN IT OUT

So I had gotten really used to having access to a treadmill everyday at the old studio, and now in my 'transition' studio, I have no cardio equipment other that a skipping rope, my own body and the great outdoors...

There's a commercial on TV about how tough Canadians are when it comes to outdoor sports and activities, I must not be a REAL Canadian, because i HATE cardio in the cold.
Now when I say 'cold' i mean any month before June.....mayyyybe JULY lol

However, I am a bit bored with skipping ( although it IS a great form of cardio) and my muscles needed a mini rest from all the workouts and so I sucked it up and headed outdoors.

There is a perfect hill on the next road for hill sprints!!!!

First thing this morning I strapped on my runners, and headed to Lodge St for 20 minutes of hill sprints.

The weather this morning was beautiful.... 

that is until I was about 7 minutes into my run, and there it came...THE RAIN!!!
It poured down on me for the next 15 minutes, but it was actually fine :)

I finished in true fashion with fully collapsing on the floor unable to catch my breath and fighting back the feeling of nausea for a few minutes!!

PURE JOY!!

On a happier lighter note, our Stella and Dot order came in and we are ready to do some shows, so LADIES, grab some friends, some wine and invite us over :)
www.stelladot.com/kylagagnon 

I fit in a super quick core workout after work, before heading home (about 15 minutes worth)

FOOD today looked like this:

PWO- protein pancake with 2 strawberries and 2Tbsp greek yogurt
LUNCH- spinach salad with chicken 1 apple
SNACK- energy ball 1/2 mango
DINNER- Salmon and spinach saute

I just came to say HELLO!!!!!

Mid week and I'm feeling GREAT!!!!!
 On a personal narcissistic moment I have had 2 clients in the last 12 hours comment on my arms looking more defined, and I have to stop and be very grateful for those comments as I personally have not seen any change. ( you RARELY see the change in yourself that others see)
THANK YOU TO YOU TWO LOVELIES!!!!!!

Anyway, today's workout was another throw together.... it's what I seem to do lately, but it seems to work.
 Here's what I did:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/kylagagnon-healthandfitness/combo-mix-up/116644298417959

No yoga today, as my client schedule is extremely choppy as i call it..... hour breaks between each....doesn't allow for a 90 minute class, no problem,  I'll go tomorrow :)

I DO however get to have lunch with a very dear friend whom I NEVER see.....

We all have at least one. You live in the same town, maybe even the same postal code, yet life happens to take over and you go months between visits......
Well SHE is this person to me, and I love her very much so today is a good day!!!









Food looks like this today:

AM- Visalus shake and 2 strawberries
PWO- Goji, blueberry flax oatmeal with 2Tbsp Greek yogurt
LUNCH- Seared tuna over spinach w/ 1 hard boiled egg
SNACK- 1 banana 1tsp Natural PB, Kylas trail mix
DINNER- Spinach salad w/ cottage cheese

Welcome to my Monday

Today was a good day:)
 It started a bit earlier than planned with a whimpering little Chihuahua at 4:30 am, needing a bathroom trip outside..... How can you say no to Jackson?? If you've ever met him, you know what I mean.

I felt the need for a good butt kick for the start of the week and so my workout looked like this:

10 Burpees
20 sec Sprint
40 walking lunges
60 seconds plank glute kick tummy tuck
80 weighted side bends (40 per side)
20 sec sprint
10 push ups
Repeated a total of 3 times this took 26 minutes

I immediately followed this 'Tone Up' with a Butt Blaster that looked like this:

10 side planked knee tuck glute kick back (L)
10 straight leg side raises (L)
10 pulsing leg raises (L)
10 Glute Bridge raises
10 single leg glute bridge raises
10 single leg glute pulses
*Repeat the bridges on the other leg now
10 glute bridges
20 Glute Bridge step ups
10 Glute bridge hip swivels
REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE
This took aprox 8-10 minutes

I passed on yoga today even though I had planned on it, but I had some work that needed to be done... and so I did it!!

Food today looked like this:

AM- Visalus shake
PWO- Protein pancake with 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt
SNACK- 1 small energy ball, 1 banana
LUNCH- Halibut salad with red peppers, and feta
SNACK- kale chips
DINNER- Chicken and vegetable cauliflower pizza (MMMMMM my boot campers were here while it was cooking.......they KNOW it smelled great!!!)

Tomorrow is a new day, a GREAT day and  a YOGA day (well night.... I'll be getting to the 7:45 pm class!!)

Big hugs and healthy eats to you!!!!!
~Ky

Active Rest- just as important as the HIIT

Its the Friday of a long weekend....So i guess for a lot of people, its Saturday. Not for me....its still Friday, which is a good day non the less:)
I woke up feeling pretty achy and pretty tired. Achy in a good way mind you, my muscles have been well worked this week, and so I decided on an easy morning workout today before my clients started coming in.

I did a skipping / core combo of 100 skips and 10-20 reps of random core exercises, and I just repeated through until it was time to work. This took me 32 minutes.
I will admit that even though I CHOSE this as I am already sore..... I feel a bit ripped off, like I should really be doing something more.
So here's how I look at it.

I work my body relatively hard for 5-6 days in a row on a regular basis. I am hiking Mt Finlayson tomorrow morning, followed by a 3 hour pilates workshop, so its important that i am rested for the day.
Today was an active rest day!!

* This brings up a valid discussion of rest days and when to take them.

Our bodies are incredibly complex machines that have so much more awareness that sometimes, WE do.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or tired, pay attention to WHY you may be feeling this way.
Have you been training hard all week? Have you been up all night with the kids? Have you been under fuelling yourself ( not eating enough calories to supply you with the needed energy)
The first 2 reasons may be reason enough to allow for an active rest day. When I say active rest, I mean no resistance training, avoid what you HAVE been doing, and go for a walk, a light job, swim, bike ride etc..... something light and enjoyable- not strenuous.

Rest is when our bodies gain the most benefits from the strain of our workouts. (This is why it is CRUCIAL to get at least 6-7 hours sleep every night)

So bottom line, work HARD in your workouts and take the rest days as a welcome reward!!!!
You deserve it :)
~KY