Top Five Fitness Myths

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1. As long as you’re moving your body, you’re burning fat
First off, if you’re moving as fast as a slug, you are guaranteed to be burning zero body fat. Push yourself with interval training where you vary in between high and low intensities and be prepared to sweat.

2. Morning is the best time to get results
Are you a professional athlete training two to three times a day? If not, the timing of your workout hardly matters. What does matter is finding a time in your schedule when you can be consistent with your training. Listening to your body and knowing when you perform the best will help you decide if, in fact, mornings, afternoons or evening workouts are when you have the most energy. Energy and mindset are so important when it comes to having great workouts. Listen to your body’s internal clock and train when you feel the strongest.

3. Women should only lift light weights
This is some of the most ridiculous information you will hear! Weight training is essential in preventing osteoporosis, developing lean muscle mass, building strength and kicking up your metabolism. Besides, how are you going to sculpt those glutes and chisel your abs with only 3 pound weights? Restricting your heavy strength training is just holding your body back from the wonderful benefits of strength training. And it’s not just limited to women — men: get moving with those heavy weights too!

4. You can target specific areas of the body
Don’t buy into the myth that exercising specific body parts will work to reduce fat in that area. While it’s true that strength training exercises will target specific muscles — for example, bicep curls will strengthen the biceps — exercise targets the body as a whole. For the greatest results, work on exercises that engage large muscle groups like squats and lunges to get the best bang for your buck!

5. You need to exercise for at least an hour to get results
No way! It all depends on the type of workout you’re doing and your goals. If you’re doing a high intensity interval training workout also known as “HIIT”, you can achieve your goals in 20 minutes. Tabata training: eight sets of 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of rest, is only four minutes long but an awesome high impact workout. You can even download a free App for Tabata onto your phone for simplicity and motivation. Overall, to truly get results, it’s more important to focus on what you’re doing, the intensity you train at and the overall structure of your training plan.

Get moving! Much love!

Olivia:)

Quinoa Greek Salad

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Gluten free and simple to cook, quinoa is a must have superfood ingredient to have on hand. This nutrient dense, high protein recipe will help to curb cravings and sustain your energy levels throughout the day.

Ingredients:

1 cup                      Quinoa, rinsed
½ cup                     Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
2 sprigs                  Green Onion, chopped
¼ cup                     Red Onion, chopped
½ cup                     Green and/or Yellow Peppers, chopped
¼ cup                     Kalamta Olives (water cured), chopped
¼ cup                     Feta Cheese (Lactose Free: substitute with goat cheese), crumbled
2tbs                        Lemon Juice
2 tbs                       Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbs                       Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbs                       Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tsp                       Basil, Oregano, and Black Pepper

Preparation:

  • Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water in a saucepan
  • Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer
  • Cook on low heat for 15 minutes
  • Fluff quinoa gently with a fork
  • Place in fridge to cool completely
  • Combine lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, and oregano. Whisk and set aside
  • Combine cooled quinoa, chopped vegetables, feta cheese
  • Drizzle with dressing
  • Season with parsley and black pepper

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Fit Tip:This salad stores great in the refrigerator for about 4-6 days. Be sure to prepare large portions of this recipe at one time and enjoy as a snack or meal when you are stuck for time.

Love,

Olivia :)

When you don’t find balance, the world finds it for you!

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We have all heard the saying “what goes up, must come down.”

This is definitely the case with many extremes in life; especially our bodies.  Just look at what a night of heavy drinking can do to you the following day, what a poor diet can do to your weight, and how sleep deprivation can largely affect your mood.

Which leads me to one of my favourite sayings of all time…” if you don’t find balance, the world finds it for you.”

Lifestyle imbalance of our modern, fast paced, consumer driven society has its consequences. Undoubtedly, when we don’t find balance in our lives, the world works hard to present it for us. Weight gain, disease, illness, injury, allergies, low libido, insomnia, and depression are just a few ways it manifests in our bodies. This is why it is so important to not only address symptoms, but more importantly, root sources of problems.

For years now, we have known that the body cannot heal from fatigue, stress or illness unless it has the opportunity to rest. Yet, a long period of bed rest is not realistic for most people, nor is it necessarily fixing the underlying issues.

The particular kind of rest we need from the stress of our 21st century lifestyles is not just from lying down, but rather from standing up for ourselves and taking responsibility, eliminating toxic thoughts and people, and living life with purpose and passion. For when we are out of balance, feeling purposeless and unhappy, we find ourselves suffering mentally, emotionally, and eventually physically.

For example, try taking 100% responsibility for ONE day of everything in your life; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It truly is remarkable how much better you will feel about yourself and everything that happens to you:)

The thoughts we feed our mind and the beliefs we base our life on may have the biggest overall impact on our health and happiness when compared to the usual focus of this blog; exercise and nutrition. As the foundation of our life philosophy and the sense of purpose we create, or neglect to create, can either empower us, or create helplessness, the most debilitating and stress inducing emotion that exists.

At the end of the day, it is empowering to remember that you can do most of what is necessary to gain control and balance of your health and life at any moment and you always have the choice…..always!

With massive love,

Olivia:)

Green Smoothie with YOUNG and RAW

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What comes to mind when you think of the name “Young and Raw”?

The truth is, Young and Raw is a health conscious, loving community co-founded by Sheleana Breakell & Caleb Jennings as a place to learn, share and inspire on the benefits of natural living through a high raw, plant based lifestyle. This powerful duo, amongst changing lives and kicking ass, have just recently created a 3 month raw food program called “How To Go Raw, Not Crazy,” in order to help newcomers integrate more raw foods into their lifestyles without getting overwhelmed.

Watch below to see how having just one green smoothie a day can add a huge amount of RAWSOMESNESS to your life! 

For more on Young and Raw please check out their amazing site at www.youngandraw.com.

Enjoy,

-Olivia

The Juicy Genuises Interview

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I had the pleasure of connecting and being interviewed by The Juicy Geniuses themselves a few weeks back.

So what is a Juicy Genius you may be wondering and how did all of this awesomeness come about? Check out our video below to find out all about it.

This Juicy Genius interview will help you to learn more about:

  • Why consistency is key, no matter what your goal is!
  • How stepping outside of you comfort zone at least once/week will skyrocket your success.
  • The importance of surrounding yourself with uplifting, inspiring people.
  • Why you NEED to start following your intuition to be truly happy.

To find out more about the Juicy Geniuses and the wonderful things they do, check them out here.

“A Juicy Genius isn’t born. She’s made.” -Juicy Geniuses

So much love,

Olivia Xx

Heavenly Hummus with Hayley

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When I think of the word “Nourish,” good food and good company come to mind.  Nourish Bistro, located amoungst the most breathtaking scenery of Glendale Gardens in Victoria, BC is exactly that; a blissful atmosphere that nourishes the body and soul.

Hayley Rosenburg, owner and founder of Nourish has been busy at work getting ready for their opening April 7, 2012.  Upon meeting Hayley, it was evident that she has an overflowing passion and talent for helping others live and eat well through whole, real foods that heal the body and soul. She is truly an amazing women on a mission to help us all live more fulfilling lives.     

Watch below to see how to make Hayley’s hearty, healthy, delicious hummus. The perfect snack to keep that blood sugar stable and your energy levels high.

Thanks Hayley!

 

To check out more on Nourish and what they have to offer, visit: http://www.nourishinsight.com/

Enjoy,

Olivia:)

Sugar in Fake Health Foods

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It is shocking and disturbing to know how much sugar is really in the foods that are labeled to look and seem “healthy” in our grocery stores. Watch below to become aware of the top 5 fake health foods and their healthier alternatives.

If you are every in doubt, read your labels and watch out for misleading advertising, especially when it comes to sugar. Besides, it only takes about 3 teaspoons of sugar to suppress the immune system for up to 6 hours.

Sugar= BOOOOO!!! No thanks!:)

Love,

Olivia

 

Shake it Baby!

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So it happened…..I had to:)

I took the shake weight to the streets of Victoria, BC to see what the locals thought about this late night infomercial “toning” gadget. With ambitious claims of having “amazing results in just 6 minutes a day” or “7 times the results,” not to mention the $40 million in sales, it can be an interesting, sometimes hilarious job determining the effectiveness of products these days.

I have always believed exercise performance to be clean and simple. Weight train, do cardio, be consistent, have fun, and don’t be afraid to sweat! The shake weight, on the other hand……..well, watch this video to get an unbiased opinion of what your local, first-time “shakers” thought!

  

Let me know what you think, or if you have one and are using it?

Lots of LOVE,

Olivia

Guilt Free Delish Chocolate Pudding

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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, chocolate and sugary snacks seem unavoidable; especially for us chocolate lovers. Curbing your sweet tooth and preventing energy crashes with proper nutrition is essential in keeping you on track with your health and fitness goals – especially during another holiday season.

To keep overindulgence at bay, try this super healthy and delicious pudding that’s jam packed with protein, good fat and complex carbohydrates. Enjoy all the goodness, 100% guilt free!

Ingredients:
1 tin pure pumpkin
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup cocoa powder
2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
stevia or agave nectar to sweeten
sprinkle of cinnamon

Preparation:
Melt coconut oil on the stove. Mix all ingredients together. Feel free to top with fruit, nuts, or unsweetened coconut.

Fit Tip:
Enjoy this delicious, healthy treat as a snack or for dessert to curb those cravings and keep that body toned!

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 7 minutes

This is one of my all time favourite recipes:) Let me know how you make out.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cheers,

Olivia:)

10 ways to stay SUPER motivated

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Follow these 10 simple tips to help you get more of what you want:

1) Get excited! In terms of your goals, I cannot stress this enough. If your goal doesn’t sound exciting before you even begin, find a different one that does. For instance, if you hate going to the gym, don’t go. Find something that you would love to do for YOU.

2) Plan your attack. Have a plan with a deadline of exactly what you will do and when you will do it.

3) Post it. Whether you post your goal in big letters on your fridge, or declare it on your facebook wall, reminders will keep you accountable and focused.

4) Get Inspired. Spend time with like minded, motivated people who will support and encourage you along the way.

5) Think about the PERKS, not the difficulties. Instead of focusing on how much work is involved, fall in love with how you are going to look and feel instead.

6) Visualize it daily. See it as if it has already happened.

7) Track your progress. Pictures, measurements, writing in your journal, and workout challenges are all great ways to measure progress and keep you moving forward.

8)  Remove toxic thoughts and people. You are who you surround yourself with. Make sure to spend the least amount of time with negative, energy sucking thoughts and people.

9) Less is more. There will be days where you simply need to rest. Taking rest days will help your body recover and give you the energy you need to keep going.

10) Celebrate mini victories. There are unlimited things you can do to reward yourself along the way.  Go for lunch with a friend, get yourself a new workout outfit, or plan a fun trip! Whatever is exciting to YOU, go do it!

Keep your eye on the prize and take it one day at a time:)

Finally, one of my favourite quotes to sum this all up: “Wellness is too important to be pursued grimly. Whatever your choices, make sure you’re having fun.” – Donald Ardell

Enough said,

Olivia:)