I woke up to something today that got me thinking … it was a Facebook status of someone who was clearly hurt by some event that took place in their life.  I could see from their words that their expectations set them up for disappointment (more on that in a future blog) but what got me was their words.

This individual was speaking from their wounds – letting the hurt consume them so much that it began choosing their words, and probably their actions too.  This is absolutely inspiring to me!  I thought to myself “Wow! We are so blessed to have the ability to heal so that we can speak from our hearts and let our wounds dissolve into the earth!”

How amazing is it that we can be truly healed, with no baggage, no anger … we can go through life with fresh eyes and no fear?  This was a gorgeous reminder of how far I’ve come and is making me even more excited about where I’m about to go.  Does this ever happen to you?  What stimulates you to do something?  What gives you the push?

“I can’t really say right now,” he replied.  “I’m pretty moment to moment.”  For a second, I felt judged.  I questioned myself – am I a bad friend for not being able to drop everything to see him?  I mean it’s not every day he’s in town, and I do love him so!  But I thought about his comment “I’m pretty moment to moment.”  What does that even mean?

To me, being “in the moment” isn’t the absence of schedule (which is how I perceived his response).  It means being physically and mentally present where you are, doing what you’re doing – without judgement or expectation of an outcome.  If you’re cooking dinner, being in the moment is enjoying the process of creating the meal – feeling fresh veggies as you chop them, seeing the texture of your sauces, listening to it all bubble in the pot, smelling and tasting the finished product.  If you’re hanging with a friend, being in the moment is not checking your phone every two seconds for another email (which is what I would have been doing if I did drop everything to see him) – it’s fully immersing yourself in their presence and enjoying every second of it.

When I put my definition of “in the moment” into perspective, my feelings of being judged quickly dissolved.  I know he is truly living “in the moment” based on his definition.  But what happens when two people have different definitions of something and neither of them know how it’s defined to the other?  I really do want to share a moment with him but I know at this point, I’m busy with work and other commitments – I’m not putting a value on any of them, but I know that it would be more honest to our friendship if our moment happens and we’re both physically and mentally “there.”

Five years – or one thousand, eight hundred, and twenty-six days … WOW. A rough calculation says that translates to 32,859 cigarettes NOT smoked, for a savings of $10,515.05! And that’s not including all the price increases since I’ve ditched the stick and opted for a more healthy lifestyle.

How has my body changed? Well for one, I put on weight – I’m not going to lie. I went from 132 lbs to 146 lbs – a very welcomed weight gain. Most of it is muscle with just the right amount of jelly in the rump. The food cravings increased, of course – but I was hungry for REAL food like fresh vegetables, whole grains, and there was a period where I wanted nothing more than green olives.

The choice to become a healthy non-smoker was my choice. I tried quitting many times in the 10 years I was a smoker – two months here, nine months there, yeah it was great – but I wasn’t doing it for me. I quit because I almost died of pneumonia, but started as soon as I was off antibiotics. I quit because someone suggested it, then I started once we I stopped seeing them on a regular basis. My BFFs birthday was around the corner and she wanted me to take better care of myself, so I went on Zyban a few weeks before her party – didn’t last long. I snuck a drag while she belted out a tune at the karaoke bar. I always did it for some other reason than for me.

I’ll always remember the day I decided I’d do it – my heart was in pieces and I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. Miserable. Sad. Unhealthy. I had a vision of my future self – I was walking down the street carrying a fabulous bag, wearing designer sunglasses, and smiling this bright smile. I meditated on that vision for a while and noticed something was missing. Nowhere in my vision was there a pack of cigarettes … there weren’t even any butts on the sidewalk I was strutting down. That’s when I knew it was time.

Weeks passed – I read Allen Carr’s book, I wrote out my affirmations, I told everyone and anyone who’d listen “Hi, I’m Paul, and I’m a fabulous, healthy non-smoker!” I never looked at it as quitting – I always looked at it as gaining something more … my health, my clarity, and my fabulosity! It’s a state of mind – are you a quitter, or are you changing? Is it a chore, or a celebration?

It works the same for anything – if something in your life changes … whether you ready for it or not … are you going to embrace it and take control? Or are you going to sit around and hope it goes back to the old way, without taking action? Things happen for a reason – I always knew I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. It turns out I needed to get my heart broken so I could quit smoking which lead to me joining a gym where I hired a personal trainer who helped me fall in love with fitness so much that I wanted to spread the joy, and that lead me to become a personal trainer and then fitness instructor which has now developed into my making a business out of it. Wow – after typing that, I just realized how busy I’ve been in the last five years! But I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I’ve come a long way in the last five years – I’ve met some amazing people, had many fantastic experiences, and I’m ready to go wherever these five years will take me. It has always been one day at a time – now eighteen hundred and change after and I’m still going strong.

Now I spent the last seven days eating pretty much every hour on the hour, with a break between 5pm and 8pm so I could fill up at the delicious a la carte restaurants.  To make the transition easy, I’m preparing batches of healthy snacks to graze on during the day to make it feel like I’m still at the Royal Decameron in Panama (minus the heat and the beach).  Here’s a nice, light salad from foodnetwork.ca that is simple and tasty.  Add a nice lean protein to this deliciousness and you’ve got yourself a light meal that will have me forgetting about the buffets in no time!  Now the beach … well that’s another story.

Lean Green Salad

Ingredients

• 8 cups loosely packed mixed greens
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• Handful of fresh Thai basil leaves (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (45 ml)
• 3 tablespoons apple juice (as little sugar as possible)(45 ml)
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (gluten free if needed) (10 ml)
• 2 teaspoons organic honey (10 ml)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (10 ml)
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add both types of basil to salad greens.
2. To make the dressing, add lime juice, wine vinegar, apple juice, soy sauce, honey, Dijon and salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add dressing to bowl of greens and toss to combine. Serve.  ***Note from Paul – if you’re going to graze on this through out the day, keep the dressing separate and add to salad just before eating.***

So what’s up with frog squats?  Well Colin introduced them to me yesterday during our last session – looked easy, but my @ss is reminding me about them today!  The benefits?  My butt with be nice and lifted in my speedo next week!  Friday is our last session before I leave – gonna work hard for this one.  I have a few buffets to hit up next week!

Honey Almond Sunflower Loaf

Ingredients:

- 1 cup almond meal

- 3/4 cup buckwheat flour

- 1 1/4 cups quinoa flour

- 3 tsp baking powder

- 1 egg

- 2 egg whites

- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or skim milk or unsweetened almond or rice milk)

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- 2 tbsp raw organic honey

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds (raw or toasted), divided

- olive oil cooking spray

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together meal, flours and baking powder.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, milk, oil, honey and 1/4 cup seeds.

3.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.  Do not over-mix.

4.  Mist a 9 or 10 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Pour better into pan and sprinkle remaining 1 tbsp sunflower seeds over top of loaf.  Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool bread before slicing.

***This bread can also be made into muffins for an on-the-go snack.  Reduce baking time to 15 to 20 minutes for a standard muffin pan.

So raise your glass on this beautiful day and make a toast – to all the beauty that comes with Spring!  May there be a Spring Equinox in your life that brings you health, happiness, joy, and abundance in every form.

When I see my trainer tomorrow, I’m going to make him add 10lbs to everything we do!  There, I typed it – now I have to do it!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium can corn, drained
• Juice of 2-3 limes
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 tomato, diced
• 4-5 green onions, diced
• 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together. Let sit for about one hour to marinate and soak up the flavors. Service with baked tortilla chips or tostadas.

The Truth about Your Heart

By Colin Hillock

————————————————————–

Heart Health isn’t just for one month, but for a LIFETIME!

Our hearts should be our most prized possession, yet we tend to malnourish, and neglect it to no end. Lets take a step in the right direction, and treat our bodies the way they deserve.

Interesting Heart Facts:

——Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation 2010——

“In a lifetime, the heart pumps about one million barrels of blood”

“Heart disease is the number one killer of adults in the U.S.”

Be heart SMART

——Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation 2010——

– Stop smoking! It’s one of the best things you can do for your heart – not to mention the rest of your body.

– Maintain a healthy weight. Eat a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

– Activity is important. Get regular exercise to strengthen your heart.

– Reduce stress. Life’s too short to worry about everything.

–Maintain regular physicals.

Take the time this month to really review your own health. Keep track of your blood pressure, take your resting heart rate, pick lower cholesterol foods, and begin an active lifestyle.

Blood Pressure:

120/80 is an average blood pressure reading for a healthy Canadian! Someone with pre-hypertension, hypertension, or even hypo tension is at risk for cardiovascular complications. Just keeping track of your own blood pressure can increase the chance of becoming diagnosed with one of these problems before they take your life.

Resting Heart Rate:

72 bpm is the average resting heart rate for a healthy Canadian. An abnormally low/high resting heart rate can be a sign of cardiovascular disease. In order to ensure you take a good measurement try taking your resting heart rate, within 5 minutes of waking up. Take it for a continuous 7 days and divide by 7 to come up with an average! This way you can keep track of how hard your heart is actually working to circulate blood to your surrounding tissues.

Cholesterol Healthy Foods:

All cholesterol is not bad! Our body needs these blood fats in order to remain healthy, but only at a moderate level. Choose your meals and snacks accordingly, in order to keep a keen homeostasis within your blood.

Ground flax seed can significantly decrease both total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Keep in mind that two tablespoons is the maximum intake for the body to digest and use properly!

Healthy fats can also aid in lowering LDL! Foods such as peanuts, almonds, avocado’s, and even vegetable oils can help in lowering any cholesterol issues! Keep in mind that too much of these healthy fats can still put you overboard in calories, so choose wisely and eat them moderately!

Active Lifestyle:

Although a fitness club is a great addition to your daily routine, it is not necessarily needed! Find something you enjoy, walking, mountain biking, running, hockey, skating…etc. I try to tell my clients that fitness doesn’t end at the door on their way out of the gym. This is a lifestyle change, and in order to stay fit and healthy, you need to take it into every aspect of your life! Make a healthy change, and have fun doing it!