Forgive me for my absence... let's get reacquainted!!

Well hello again!!  

I'm Natalie, Owner of polished, personal training!  

It's been a while since I've been on here to share tips and perspectives on all things health, wellness and fitness.  Forgive me for my absence and let's get reacquainted!!  

20 things you don't know about me.... 

1.    I always turn things into a positive... I am very good at it to the point where I actually think I AM crazy for looking at <insert difficult, can’t find a silver lining moment> and spinning it around to be a positive thing.  It’s totally weird, but I love that I think that way.  

2.     I talk to myself.  Yep like out loud and in a positive sort of way... it's almost like I'm cheering myself on.  This is probably where I get some inspiration on how to cheerlead for others... and it definitely stems from growing up with no siblings in the house.... who do you talk to when it's just you??  You of course!!  

3.     I have learned to walk away (figuratively and physically) from darkness and run towards the light, no matter how difficult the process.  It’s always better with sun light shining on your face.  

4.     I am learning to say 'No'.  I am a 'Yes' person through & through, so this whole 'No' thing is a biggie...

5.     I am a risk taker.  I jump at opportunities and get excited about the possibilities.  Every new day is an opportunity to be amazing and do amazing things...  I have fallen a lot and gotten back up every time.  Getting up is inevitable, so why not go for it?    

6.     When I am stressed I tickle my elbow arm pit (what is that place on the body really called anyway??)  I have done this since I was a little girl and I still find myself doing it.  It’s almost like a meditation of sorts.   

7.     There is nothing that I don’t think I can do and be awesome at.  Not in a cocky ‘I can do anything’ kind of way, but in a ‘I can because I do’ kind of way.  

8.      I want to meditate and need to meditate... but I have never tried, even though I consider myself a spiritual person.  I find solace in my running and in my intention setting, but should really take up the Ommmmm.  
  

9.      I cook my dogs food.  Like from scratch... in my kitchen... every month.  I started doing it because he was super sick and it was the only thing that made him healthy.  9 years later I’m still doing it.  It’s definitely a challenge, but I know it’s the healthiest thing for him and it reminds me that the time & energy we spend on our health makes a difference in our lives. 

10.     My cottage in Georgian Bay is my heaven.     

11.     My favourite colour is grey... not in a ‘sad’ way, but in the ‘goes with everything’ way.  And that’s me a in a nutshell really... I go with everything.  

12.     3 of my favorite exercises are jump squats, push ups and burpees.... Please don’t hate me & I promise to be kind the next time we workout together.  

13.     I was born on August 13th and I think the number 13 is the luckiest of numbers, especially on Fridays!!  ...refer to number 1.  

14.     I truly believe that everything I have in my life today is because I believed I would.  

15.     I am incredible at creating & singing 1 word songs...just ask my 14 month old daughter.  

16.     This little gem I’ve just learned and I think can change so much in our lives.  Repeat after me... ‘I am worthy, I am worthy, I am worthy.’  Whether we are talking the big things in life, like happiness & fulfillment or the simple things like rocking the Burpee Press exercise at the end of a workout.  We are worthy of achievement and doing the things we want in life.  

17.     I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International.  I live a Pure, Safe & Beneficial life helping people find amazing health & wellness products and share with them the opportunity to live the life of their dreams.  How fantastic is that?!?!  

18.     My glass is always half full.  

19.     I love wine.  See #18.  

20.     I live the life of my dreams with my 3 soul mates.  Sterling the Neurotic Weimaraner (my fur baby), Willow, my daughter & soul’s mini me and Michael, my everything.  The sun shines on us constantly and for that I am grateful. 

Well, there you have it!  20 random things about me...  I look forward to getting to know you more and sharing amazing insights, perspectives and tips on how to live your best 'polished.' life.  

Take care & stay healthy,

n.

Tips to Keep You Going

l. Adopt a specific plan and write it down. 

2. Keep setting realistic goals as you go along, and remind yourself of them often. 

3. Keep a log to record your progress and make sure to keep it up-to-date. 

4. Include weight and/or percent body fat measures in your log. Extra pounds can easily creep back. 

5. Upgrade your fitness program as you progress. 

6. Enlist the support and company of your family and friends. 

7. Update others on your successes. 

8. Avoid injuries by pacing yourself and including a warmup and cool down period as

part of every workout. 

9. Reward yourself periodically for a job well done!

Who says pancakes can't be healthy?

Do you ever wish you could have pancakes (without all the calories) on the go without having to go dine in somewhere? Check out this awesome Protein Pancake Recipe!  

PROTEIN PANCAKE RECIPE

(optional) 1 scoop isolate protein powder (plain or vanilla flavored)

1 cup oats
2 eggs (or 1 cup egg whites)
1 cup 1% or fat freecottage cheese)
Cinnamon to taste
1 pkg of flavored tofu (there's almond flavored, mango banana)

You can add frozen blueberries to the mix or any other type of fruit for more natural sweetness.

Butter or oil  (to grease pan if necessary)


Directions:
Pour all ingredients into the blender. Grease pan if necessary with butter. Pour batter into pan and cook like you would pancakes. Cook until it bubbles, flip.  Once cooked, you can also use fruit spread on top, apple butter or maple syrup.

This is a great recipe to stock up on for a busy few days. 

Throw stock in the fridge and put in the toaster to warm up and enjoy during the week.  

Want a great recipe, with low calories, and the best part? It tastes great!

Orange Spiced Chicken w/ Broccoli 1⁄4 cup spiced chai tea (see recipe above) 3 1⁄2 oz chicken (skin removed, no visible fat) 3 1⁄2 oz broccoli (cooked) 1 orange peeled and cut into small pieces. Pour spiced chai tea into pan, add chicken pieces, simmer on medium heat till chicken is well cooked. (This works well with frozen chicken tenders, just put frozen meat in pan with tea and simmer till done). Place broccoli, oranges and chicken and juice from pan in a bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, herbs and spices. Enjoy! This works well with beef or fish too. Lobster with onions and tomatoes 3 1⁄2 oz Lobster pieces 1⁄2 lemon juice Salt, pepper and dill 3 1⁄2 oz onion slices 1⁄2 Tomato cut in pieces (serves as fruit) mustard and seasonings Put onion and 2Tbs water in medium frying pan, cook till onion is transparent. Add fish and drizzle with lemon juice, season with salt, pepper and seasons. Cook on medium heat till done. Add tomato and cook an additional 2 minutes. Season with mustard to taste and serve. I bake 2-4 pieces of fish at a time and put in individual portions in baggies. This way the fish is ready to go. Southwestern Salsa Chicken Simmer 3 1⁄2 oz of chicken in chopped tomatoes and chopped onion. (1⁄2 tomato, 1⁄2 onion). Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Add a dash of sweetener and simmer till chicken is fully cooked. Serve over spinach or lettuce. Sometimes u can add chopped orange to this recipe for a great citrus twist. Sweet Basil Marinated Spinach Chicken Salad 3 1⁄2 oz spinach 3 1⁄2 oz cooked chicken in pieces 1⁄2 grapefruit diced into bite size pieces 2 tbs chopped basil Vinaigrette salad dressing (see recipe) Put desired quantity of vinaigrette salad dressing in bottom of large bowl, add chopped basil and stir. To enhance flavors add some vanilla or raspberry Stevia drops. Add chicken, grapefruit and spinach. Toss and serve. Spicy Cabbage Chicken Soup Put 1 C of chicken broth in bowl, add additional water as desired. Add 3 1⁄2 oz cooked chicken pieces, and 3 1⁄2 oz chopped cabbage. Season to taste. Simmer till cabbage is tender. Lemon or vinegar with sweetener makes a good sweet and sour broth. Add 1tbs of milk if desired.

Counting Calories

Each pound of fat your body stores represents 3,500 calories of unused energy. In order to lose one pound, you would have to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories by either taking in 3,500 less calories over a period of time than you need or doing 3,500 calories worth of exercise. It is recommended that no more than two pounds (7,000 calories) be lost per week for lasting weight loss.

Adding 15 minutes of moderate exercise, say walking one mile, to your daily schedule will use up 100 extra calories per day. (Your body uses approximately 100 calories of energy to walk one mile, depending on your body weight.) Maintaining this schedule would result in an extra 700 calories per week used up, or a loss of about 10 pounds in one year, assuming your food intake stays the same. To look at energy balance another way, just one extra slice of bread or one extra soft drink a day – or any other food that contains approximately 100 calories – can add up to ten extra pounds in a year if the amount of physical activity you do does not increase.

lf you already have a lean figure and want to keep it you should exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet that provides enough calories to make up for the energy you expend. If you wish to gain weight you should exercise regularly and increase the number of calories you consume until you reach your desired weight. Exercise will help ensure that the weight you gain will be lean muscle mass, not extra fat.

Overweight or Overfat?

Overweight and overfat do not always mean the same thing. Some people are quite muscular and weigh more than the average for their age and height. However, their body composition, the amount of fat versus lean body mass (muscle, bone, organs and tissue), is within a desirable range. This is true for many athletes. Others weigh an average amount yet carry around too much fat. In our society, however, overweight often implies overfat because excess weight is commonly distributed as excess fat. The addition of exercise to a weight control program helps control both body weight and body fat levels.

A certain amount of body fat is necessary for everyone. Experts say that percent body fat for women should be about 20 percent, 15 percent for men. Women with more than 30 percent fat and men with more than 25 percent fat are considered obese. 

How much of your weight is fat can be assessed by a variety of methods including underwater (hydrostatic) weighing, skin fold thickness measurements and circumference measurements. Each requires a specially trained person to administer the test and perform the correct calculations. From the numbers obtained, a body fat percentage is determined. Assessing body composition has an advantage over the standard height-weight tables because it can help distinguish between "overweight" and "overfat." An easy self-test you can do is to pinch the thickness of the fat folds at your waist and abdomen. If you can pinch an inch or more of fat (make sure no muscle is included) chances are you have too much body fat. People who exercise appropriately increase lean body mass while decreasing their overall fat level. Depending on the amount of fat loss, this can result in a loss of inches without a loss of weight, since muscle weighs more than fat. However, with the proper combination of diet and exercise, both body fat and overall weight can be reduced.

Exercise and Weight Control

Just about everybody seems to be interested in weight control. Some of us weigh just the right amount, others need to gain a few pounds. Most of us "battle the bulge" at some time in our life. Whatever our goals, we should understand and take advantage of the important role of exercise in keeping our weight under control. Carrying around too much body fat is a major nuisance. Yet excess body fat is common in modern-day living. Few of today's occupations require vigorous physical activity, and much of our leisure time is spent in sedentary pursuits.

Recent estimates indicate that 34 million adults are considered obese (20 percent above desirable weight). Also, there has been an increase in body fat levels in children and youth over the past 20 yaars. After infancy and early childhood, the earlier the onset of obesity, the greater the likelihood of remaining obese. Excess body fat has been linked to such health problems as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and certain forms of cancer. Some evidence now exists showing that obesity has a negative effect on both health and longevity. Exercise is associated with the loss of body fat in both obese and normal weight persons. A regular program of exercise is an important component of any plan to help individuals  lose, gain or maintain their weight.