So it’s been a LONG time since I’ve done a video blo post.  I think I actually only have ONE vlog on my YouTube page.

I’ve always found it weird to sit and talk to the camera, trying to imagine it’s you, my readers, but I’m giving it another try.  I hope you like. Please comment and let me know what you think about it and whether I should be doing more of these along with the workout and cooking videos I do already.

Hope you all have a great day!

S.

I’ve lived all over Canada. I was born and raised in Prince Edward Island. I went to college in New Brunswick, I got my first web design job in Ottawa, Ontario and spent a small amount of time living Gatineau Quebec. I spent eight years in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I even did a short a four month stint in London, England as well.

But with all of the moving and living and traveling I’ve done in the last 13 years, I never pictured myself living in the Arctic, which is where I’m writing to you from today. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to be specific.

Northern Lights Photo: David Watson

I try to live a very healthy and active lifestyle. I never want to be that guy in my “before” picture again, so eating well and being active are a necessity for me. When I moved to Yellowknife this past June, I didn’t realize that it was going to be as difficult as it has been to eat well, eat healthy and eat clean foods.

Because we are so north and remote, and there isn’t much in the way of farming up here, there’s an issue when it comes to getting fresh produce and sometimes even something as simple as chicken breasts. I’m not even talking organic, free range or grass fed, I’m talking about your every day fruits and vegetables and meat. If you want to go organic, if you can find it, you’re going to pay for it. Two small grass-fed steaks cost me $30 the other day. A dozen organic eggs runs about $7.

Earlier this year, I walked in to the grocery store and the produce shelves were completely empty. It was a scary sight.

The winters are pretty crazy here. I’ve seen it as low as -42 C without the wind and the coldest I’ve seen it so far with the wind was -48 C. People keep telling me this is a mild winter but I’m hoping I don’t see it dip in to the -50s this year.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how it’s hard to be motivated with the cold and then when you throw in the fact that we only get 3 hours of daylight… It can get you down. The city tries to keep us active and we have some very nice facilities in Yellowknife for sports. There’s volleyball, a great multi-plex hockey rink with an Olympic sized ice surface. We have a swimming pool. A curling club. And we even have two indoor turf fields for football and soccer. There’s lots of opportunity to be active, but who the hell wants to leave their how when it’s -40 C outside and it’s been dark all day?

Now the flip side to the cold, dark, crappy winters… We have STUNNING summers here. With 20+ hours of sunlight each day and more lakes than you can count (and I lived in the city called the “City of Lakes”) and when the temperature hits 25C, it’s a great place to be. There’s beach volleyball. Softball. Hiking. Swimming. Fishing. Boating. We even have a golf course that is all sand and you carry a mat around with you and hit off of it. It really is “God’s country” up here in the summer.

There aren’t many fancy restaurants or big name stores in Yellowknife and the closest city is a 16 hour drive away. But what Yellowknife lacks in amenities, it more than makes up for in character.  If you ever get a chance to come see the Norhtern Lights, do it!

I love Under Armour. I’m not shy about saying that all the time.  They make fantastic gear to train in and recently I had some amazing customer service from Under Armour, not just once, but twice.

Check out my review.

As you know, I currently live in the Northern Arctic Tundra.  Right now it’s cold, dark and snowy.  My motivation to exercise is low as I’m a big fan of exercising outside and also a big fan of being able to leave my house when it’s not -40C outside.

The closest city to Yellowknife is Edmonton, Alberta, which is about an 18-hour drive away (1,500km) so this means we don’t get out of town much.  In fact, we haven’t been out of YK since the day we arrived on June 2^nd and with all of the cold and darkness lately, we needed to change this.

We booked our flights to Vancouver, British Columbia a few weeks ago, a nice five-day trip out of the arctic and in “the big city”.  We had never been to Vancouver and we were both very excited to do some shopping and eat some amazing ethnic foods that we can’t get here.

I knew we were going to love it in Vancouver, but I didn’t realize that I would FALL in love with it.  Mountains. The Pacific Ocean. Farmers Markets. Restaurant after restaurant. A GNC. A Brewery.  It has everything we don’t have in Yellowknife.

It was a great trip and I’m going to stop talking now and let my picutres tell you the rest of the story.

I’m having a really hard time getting motivated to train lately. It’s not that I’m not actually motivated to get in shape, be fit, be healthy and be happy, it’s because where I live (Yellowknife, NWT) we currently only have 2 hours of daylight a day and it’s SO cold here (averaging about -38 to -48 C with the windchill), so it’s hard to get and stay motivated.

It doesn’t help that I don’t like my gym that much because it’s very small and it doesn’t have the space in it for me to be doing any Crossfit, kettlebell or HIIT training, which is how I prefer to train, and I don’t have the space or the equipment to workout at home like that either.  I’ve started doing the Insanity DVDs, which are great, but a lot of the movements in it aggravate my existing and old injuries and plus I prefer to be lifting weights a couple times of week as well.  I know these all sound like excuses, but I assure you, they’re not! I just needed to vent more than anything and give myself a bitch-slap at the same time.

Recently I wrote about how I’m stepping up my game in the gym and how I wanted to see 4 of my 6 abs by my 31st birthday in March.  As much as I love this goal, saying “I want abs” isn’t enough to get me motivated, I need to set something with an end date and something to attain by that end date.  I’m still killing the burpee challenge, today is day 19 which means 34 burpees, but I think I need something else as a goal.  I’ve been wondering if I should start training for a run again? Last year I trained for 5 months for a 10K but didn’t get to run it due to a sprained ankle, so that’s still on my bucket list.  Should I aim for a new personal best bench press or squat? Maybe I’ll start swinging a kettlebell again and try to do a personal best consecutive “double-handed swings”. I’m not sure, but I need an end goal and I need it now.

The other thing that’s holding me back a bit is that I’m quite injured.  I bruised my tailbone playing football last week, which has also aggravated my hip injuries from my motorcycle accident, the knee I had surgery on has been bothering me for about two months and so have my shoulders.  Oh, and in case you didn’t know, I’m a walking sports injury.

Now, again. I know all of these sound like excuses but you know what the best part is, since writing my last post, I’m down 3 lbs and I can tell I’m down some inches as I’m now between belt loops (one my pants fall down, the other cut off the circulation to a very important area), I just feel that I need and want to push myself a bit more.  I know I can do this and I know I can take it to the next level.

What do you do to motivate yourself and what goals do you have set right now?

Three of the best overall exercises that exist are the flat-bench bench press, deadlifts and squats and when you combine them in to one workout, you’re on route for some serious success.

These three workouts get three of the biggest muscles and muscle groups in your body and help build muscle in other parts of your body as well.  The flat-bench bench press works the entire chest region, the front shoulders, and the triceps.  Squats work the entire lower body and some of your upper body like back, abdominals, and shoulders because it’s stabilizing your body and the weight you are holding while you’re moving.  The deadlift works your entire body from your shoulders, down your arms, through your grip in to your back, down your glutes, in to your hamstrings and down to your feet.  Not to mention using your core/abs like crazy so you don’t fall over.  The deadlift is known to some as the king of workouts.  I’m also throwing in the Olympic Clean and Press for those of you who are enthusiastic. It’s my favorite full body exercise but not one to be attempted if you don’t know what you’re doing.

• Flat-Bench Bench Press: Preform 3-5 sets starting with a weight that you can push 10-12 times and finishing with a weight that you can push 4-6 times.
• Barbell Squat: Preform 3-5 sets starting with a weight that you can push 10-12 times and finishing with a weight that you can push 4-6 times.
  
• Deadlift: Preform 3-5 sets starting with a weight that you can push 10-12 times and finishing with a weight that you can push 4-6 times.
• Olympic Clean and Press: Preform 3-5 sets starting with a weight that you can push 10-12 times and finishing with a weight that you can push 4-6 times.

Make sure you do a good stretch after this workout, you’re going to need it (especially you’re lower back and hamstrings!)

Start your day off right with a shot of spinach and avocado.

2 cups of Spinach (I use frozen spinach)
1/2 cup of OJ
1/2 of an avocado
1/2 banana and ice
1/2 cup of ice (I use frozen spinach so I don’t use ice)

Put all ingredients in to a blender and blend until smooth.

How are your burpees going?  Are you feeling it yet? Feeling stronger in your arms, legs and shoulders? How about those abs? How are they feeling? Bet  you’re surprised they’re sore, eh!?

Last night was 25 burpees for me and I struggled to get through them.  Last time I did the challenge I wasn’t doing much working out besides my burpees because I was using them to get back on track, so it wasn’t that difficult, but right now I’m busting my ass on the cardio train doing Insanity 3 times week and lifting weights at least twice a week and still playing volleyball and football, so I’m feeling it. But it’s all worth it.

I wanted to share a little inspiration from an awesome guy I follow on Twitter, @mercerboy, who is doing the challenge and posted a video of himself doing his burpees and he’s KILLING it!

How are YOU doing with your challenge?

30 second plank

Rest 1 minute and repeat 4 more times.

So out of nowhere I have a pretty big belly.  I’ve still got a half decent chiseled chest and definition in my arms and shoulders, but because for most of December I didn’t workout much and because I started to eat and drink anything and everything I could get my hands on the week before Christmas and on to New Year’s Day, I now have this freaking monster of a belly that has appeared.

I knew I was going to put on a few pounds over Christmas because I figured “it was that time of year” and I’m not one who says, “don’t indulge over the holidays” but I think I may have gone a bit too far this year.  I’m up about 4 lbs, which would not be that big of a deal, but I’d say I lost some muscle mass at the same time which would probably put the total of fat I put on around 8 lbs to 10 lbs and it’s ALL around my abdomen.  This actually pisses me off…

I’m sharing this with you right now so you know that I’m not always on the ball and I’m not always eating perfectly or working out.  I also think it’s sometimes good for a rude awakening or to fall off the wagon a bit or to hit rock bottom, which is how I’m feeling right now.  But if you know me at all or read my blog at all, you also know that I always come back with a vengeance.

Since January 2, 2012 I’ve been doing the 30 Day No Excuses Burpee Challenge and killing my workouts on top of that.  I’m doing Insanity as my cardio and also hitting the gym and lifting weights.  I’ve done some kettlebell training, some TRX training and even gave ViPR a try and really liked it.  Volleyball started back up last night and football starts on Friday and my plan is to keep at it like this HARD until March 11, 2012, my 31^st birthday.  By the time I turn 31, I want to be able to see my top 4 abs again because it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen them, and I miss them.

This morning I took my measurements around my arms, chest, stomach at my naval, hips and legs and I’m going to bust my ass until I see some results and then I’m going to bust it even more

So, what do you do when you hit rock bottom? Do you give up? Do you seek help? Do you start over? Do you get pissed off?

No matter what, all you need to know is that you’re not alone in this and please, share your stories, because I could use the support too!

Here’s to an AWESOME 2012.

PS, No that’s NOT my actually belly in the picture above… It’s not THAT gross… yet…

Rest 1 minute and repeat 4 more times.

IIIIITTTTTT’SSSS BAAAAAAACCKKK!

I’m not one for New Years resolutions but I’m going to need a kick in the ass to start the new year, so starting January 2^nd, the 30 Day No Excuses Burpee Challenge is ON for a month.

For those of you who don’t know what the “30 Day No Excuses Burpee Challenge” is, back in Mid-October I decided I needed to stop making excuses and challenge myself and to a fitness goal and burpees for 30 days was it.

After getting a HUGE initial response from the challenge, I realized that besides helping people get healthy by creating this physical challenge, I could also help kids who are less fortunate and not able to play sports, get the opportunity to play sports and also get healthy and active.  You’re probably wondering how? Well let me tell you.

I’m the Northern Canadian Community Leader for Be The Game™ Sportswear Inc. Be The Game is a national, community driven organization whose mission is to encourage children and individuals to give back and make a difference within their community and beyond through the sale of cool, cutting edge merchandise. The belief that life is always richer when you give back is a personal philosophy that BTG founder, Joe Drexler, has made and this, in turn, is the driving force behind the company’s culture.  Together we designed a T-Shirt that shows your dedication to the challenge and helps get kids healthy and in to sports.

Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadian families are unable to provide their children with the life changing opportunity to play organized sports?  I was floored when I heard that statistic too! So with BTG, we’re releasing the kick-ass shirt for sale and 10% of ALL PROFITS are going to help get kids in to sports.  You get active by participating, you get a KICK-ASS shirt and kids get to be active and have the chance to do something they otherwise wouldn’t have.  It’s a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!!!!

Now on to the challenge itself…

You may be sitting there saying “what the hell is a burpee?” so here’s my best explanation:

The burpee is a full body exercise used in strength training and as aerobic exercise. It is performed in five steps:

1. Begin in a standing position.
2. Drop into a squat position with your hands on the ground.
3. Kick your feet back to put yourself in to a pushup position
4. Now reverse the movement by returning your feet back towards your hands to the squat position while
5. Stand back up. That’s 1 burpee.

There are many variations and I’ll talk about them in the video, so check them out.

THE CHALLENGE

Depneding on your fitness level, start with the determined amount of burpees for your level and increase that amount by one burpee each day for 30 days. There are three levels of difficulty and a few different variations of the burpee you can try so find which one works for you.

Beginner:
If you are a beginner to fitness or exercise, this may be a good place for you to start. Your goal is to do 1 burpee on your first day. You can do a standard burpee as described above if you’d like or any variation that you need to, but do 1 burpee today. Tomorrow you’re going to do 2 burpees and on day three you’re going to do 3 burpees. Increase the amount of burpees you do by 1 each day so by day 30 you should be doing 30 burpees a day.

Intermediate:
The intermediate challenge is for someone who’s fitness levels are pretty good. You may not have done a burpee before but you could pull off 3-5 without stopping. Your challenge is to start at 8 burpees and you’re doing at least a standard burpee or one of the harder variations. Again, you’re to add 1 burpee a day for 30 days.

Advanced:
You may be at the same fitness levels as the intermediate (or more advanced) but you’re like me and always want to push yourself harder and further. Your challenge is to do 15 burpees today. Yup, 15! And if you’re up for it, you’re going for 15 burpees in a row. OH, and did I mention you’re doing the more advanced burpee with a jump and a clap in it too? That’s right. You’re gunna cry! And as the other levels, you’re adding a burpee a day to your total amount and I’d love to see if you can end up doing 45 burpees in a row without stopping by the end of day 30.

There you have it, the No Excuses 30 Day Burpee Challenge. Please feel free to ask any questions. Post any comments and PLEASE share your experiences with everyone. Comment on this post to let me know you’re in, post on my Facebook Page and please use the #NoExcusesYIS on Twitter.

The Shirt

We are offering the shirt in white or black in both Mens and Womens styles.  Sizes are S, M. L, XL, XXL.

COST: $25 + HST is $28.25 plus $8 S/H for a total of $36.25
We will also throw in a free BE THE GAME vehicle decal so you can show your support for what we are doing.

PAYMENT: There are three payment options.

1. PayPal – You do not need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal. You can safely and securly use your Credit Card if you wish but of course if you do have a PayPal account you can use it too.  Use bethegame1972@gmail.com as the payment email and add to the message/memo “Be The Burpee T-Shirt” with your
colour, size and style.

2. You can also send the money via email money transfer through your online banking to bethegame1972@gmail.com putting “Be The Burpee T-Shirt” in the memo with your colour, size and style.

3. Good old fashion snail mail to the following address:

BE THE GAME Sportswear & Fundraising Inc.
118 Westminster Dr.
Oakville, ON Canada
L6L 4H6

Cheques to made payable to BE THE GAME Sportswear & Fundraising.

These are some of my fav high protein pancakes… from the “Eat Clean Diet” cookbook!

Ingredients:
6 egg whites, beaten until fluffy
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (1% MF)
1 scoop protein powder (plain or vanilla)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flax
1tsp baking powder
1tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
cooking spray
optional: 1 cup blueberries or berries of your choice

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients (except beaten egg whites) in food processor  and blend until mixture is combined.
2. Pour blended ingredients into a bowl and fold in beaten egg whites.  Fold until just blended. (If using berries, add at this time)
3. Spray griddle/pan with cooking spray. Ladle pancake mixture onto  griddle and cook until both sides are golden brown.
4. Top with your favorite healthy ingredients–fruit, nut butters,  maple syrup, yogurt, unsweetened applesauce…..

Makes 6 pancakes

Nutrition Info:
Per 2 pancake serving 283calories, 10.5g fat, 21g protein, 4.5g fibre, 0.3g sugar, 198mg sodium

Enjoy!
Krista

The other day I wrote a post about what it means to be FitFluential and right now I want to grow on that a little.

We as a group were asked to write a post that will help inspire someone that is potentially just started a fitness journey.  And just like the last post I wrote, I couldn’t just jump in like others did and get a post done.  These last two posts have really made me think and reflect about my own journey and how I got here today and how it’s made me a better person.

This emotional feelings crap is really starting to get on my nerves, but at the same time, I feel like it’s helping me grow as a person and I’m HOPING it helps at least one other person out there.

So without further ado… My 7 Steps To Getting Healthy. I’m going to get some of my manhood back and go find a polar bear to wrestle.

1. Realize You Need Help and Get It
   It took me nearly 6 years to realize that I needed to get healthy. I was completely oblivious as to how unhealthy I had become from the age of 19 to the age of 25.  I went from a 155 lbs kid that played sports every day to a 265 lbs man who drank and smoked every day.  It took 5 years for me to get the help I needed and that’s 5 years I won’t get back.
2. Start Small; Sweat The Small Stuff
   I lost my first 10 lbs by switching my large double double (it’s a Canadian thing, it means large coffee with two cream and two sugar) to a large 1 milk and 1 Splenda. Make small changes in your diet in increments.
3. Don’t Worry About the Scale
   I have issues with the scale because it lies.  There are so many factors that come in to play when losing weight that you can’t just count on the scale.  Take some before and after pictures. Take some measurements in key areas on your body like your stomach, legs, arms and chest.  Another great way to to measure your progress is by how your clothes are fitting. Don’t only rely on a scale.
4. Set Attainable Goals and Share Them
   Setting goals is the key to success but setting goals that are out of reach is what usually sets people up to fail. I know you may be excited to get started and shooting for the stars may seem like the way to go, but setting small attainable goals and sharing them with people that you know will help you be more successful.
5. Find Activities You Like and Do Them
   If you hate running, don’t try and do a half marathon. If you hate lifting weights, why force yourself in to the weight room?  If you’re just starting with the whole fitness thing, working out may not be fun for you and you may need to force yourself to go, but go and do something you like. Take a class. Jump on the bike. Pick up a sport. Go for a walk. Do kart-wheels… Just do something!  Once you get started, the rest will come.
6. Become an Expert
   When you start working out, you’re going to start getting advice from people you didn’t ask for it from.  It may be the meat head beside you at the gym, it may be the dude at the supplement store who’s buying the creatine, it may be the hot yoga girl who’s ass you just got caught checking out.  Regardless, when it comes to healthy living, knowledge is power.  Don’t believe everything you read, everywhere, but knowing what you are doing and what you are talking about when it comes to you and your goals, will help you attain them.
7. Learn To Forgive…
   If you mess up or fall off the wagon, don’t beat yourself up about it.  Forgive yourself and move on.   It’s not worth it at all and you can’t use it as an excuse. I use the term “burn the wagon down” a lot, feel free to steal it.

FitFluential is a nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline via multiple social media platforms. FitFluential is also a social media agency that creates unique contextual marketing campaigns for brands interested in connecting with fitness enthusiasts.

Sounds pretty cool, eh?  Well I’m excited to say that since late September of 2011, I am a FitFluential Ambassador.  Not only am I pumped to be a FitFluential Ambassador, but I’m proud to say that I was one of the first Canadians asked to join FitFluential as well as one of the first men to join FitFluential as an Ambassador.

This week on the FitFluential Blog, we were asked “What Does FitFluential Mean to You?”.  It took me a long time to come up with something and not because I didn’t have any idea what FitFluential was or what it represented, but because of the overwhelming flow of answers I had in asking myself that question.

My first and immediate response was “FitFluential means that I’m healthy and fit” but that answer just didn’t cut it for me.  Then I had the thought process where I thought I might answer this question with “I’m influential because I help people get healthy”, but again, it didn’t 100% convey what I wanted to say.  I struggled long and hard with how I wanted to answer this and I actually refused to read other ambassador’s answers because I wanted to make sure I got how I feel down on paper first.

To get what I needed from this, I actually changed the question a bit.  I changed the question from “What does FitFluential Mean to You” to “I’m FitFluential Because…” and what I got for an answer actually got me a bit emotional.

I am FitFluential because I know it’s not just about how many reps I can do or how much weight I can squat in the gym. I’m FitFluential because I know it’s not just about dieting 24/7 or starving myself.  I’m FitFluential because I know that it’s not about how far I can run or how many marathons I’ve done.  I am FitFluential because I know it’s about how I treat my mind and body. I’m FitFluential because I know that it’s about loving myself for who I am and what I know can do, every day.  I’m FitFluential because I know that I can inspire others and help people overcome the same things that I have overcome in my life.  I’m FitFluential because I have a great group of people to support me, good or bad, no matter what.  I’m FitFluential because I know you can have the same things that I have…

Are you FitFluential?

It’s officially December and that means that Movember has come to an end. Right now I actually still have my Mo going as the Movember Galla Party for my area isn’t until Saturday night, so I’m sporting it until then.

I didn’t hit my goal of raising $500 this year and even though I’m a bit disappointed, I’m so unbelievably floored by the amount of Movember participation that I saw this year and by how much money has been raised to date, that it put a giant smile on my face.

This was my 3rd year participating in Movember and I had a lot of fun this year with my funraising.  I bought some mustache cookie cutters from Fuzzy Inc and decided to do a small bake/cookie sale to raise my funds.  The funny thing is that I’ve never baked before in my life. It was definitely a learning experience and I knew it was going to be, so for your viewing pleasure I decided to record my baking efforts and upload it to my YouTube page.

The cookies ended up turning out nicely and tasting great and I raised $203.50 with the bake sale and $135.00 on top of that for a total of $349.50.  Not too shabby at all.  Even though it is December, you can still donate to my Movember campaign.

I love Movember and everything it stands for and even though some of you don’t like the mustaches or how us men look with them, you should support Movember as well if for no other reasons than these:

• There are 177,800 new cases of cancer and 75,000 cancer deaths expected in Canada in 2011.
• In 2011 there will be more cases of prostate cancer diagnosed than breast cancer.
• After prostate cancer lung is the most common cancer in Canada.
• 5% more men will develop cancer during their lifetimes in Canada than women.
• Incident rates of cancer are highest in the Maritime provinces and Quebec.
• After cancer the leading cause of death in men is heart disease.
• Approximately 93,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with cancer, and an estimated 39,900 men will die of cancer.
• On average, 11 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every day.
• Testicular Cancer is the most common cancer in young men in Canada between the ages of 15-29.

I’m having a bake sale!

That’s right, you heard me; I’m going to be baking cookies to help support my Mo.

In support of Movember I ordered a set of Mustache cookie cutters from Fuzzy Ink who are donating a cool $5 directly to Movember for every item sold, so how could I NOT buy these bitchin’ cookie cutters.

I love to cook and when it comes to the stove top and the grill, I consider myself a master, but my experience as a baker is limited, so this is me stepping up to the plate (pun intended) and putting my kitchen skills to the test.

If I had of had more time I would have set up an online bake sale but because I just got the cookie cutters this week, unfortunately, it’s only going to be a local bake sale.  But because I don’t bake, the big problem I have is that I don’t have any cookie recipes.  So, if you could share your cookie and baked good recipes with me, that’d be awesome.  Give me everything you’ve got.  Gluten-Free. Healthy. Nut-Free. Sugary- Chocolately-Awesomy-Goodness.  They don’t have to be just cookie recipes, so hand ‘em all over.

For those of you who are local and in Yellowknife, the bake sale will be Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at the Centre Square Mall at 11:45am until 1pm.

And for those of you who can’t buy any cookies but still want to donate to my Movember cause, you can do so on my Mo Space (http://mobro.co/yourinnerskinny) and if you absolutely need or want some cookies, we may be able to set up an online ordering system of some sort and I’ll mail them to you.  I promise you they’re going to be AWESOME!

Also, if you could take 10 seconds and vote for my Mo as I’m in a contest for the best mustache and the winner gets $500 donated to their Movember campaign in their name.  I’m 10 votes out of 3rd and about 400 votes out of first so if you could vote, like, tweet and share my page, that’d be great.  http://www.storwell.com/movember/sleek-and-sexy

Christmas is coming…

I know, I know… SHUT UP!  But in reality, Christmas is just over a month away, and that means lots of turkey, a lot of sweets and a lot of gravy, in THAT and any other order I want to eat them.

So what I’ve decided to do this year is prepare for Christmas BEFORE it hits, that way I’m I don’t feel guilty for the few days I gorge during the Holidays and that way I’m not buried in the New Year, trying to make some stupid resolution about getting back to the gym.

During the 30 Day Burpee Challenge, I haven’t been hitting the gym much and my diet on the weekends has been worse than normal, but starting yesterday, I’m kicking it up a notch or two and getting my sorry ass to the gym and not eating any cheeseburgers on Sundays while I watch football.  There are lots of healthy alternatives to my favorite junk foods and I’m going to start eating them.

I have a kick-ass healthy nacho recipe, a bitchin’ ground turkey burger recipe and a homemade pizza recipe that will make you come up with your own curse word to describe it.  These are the little tricks I’m going to use to help me not cave on the weekends and help keep shitty McDonalds cheeseburgers and lame Dominos pizza out of my mouth.  These “healthy” alternatives aren’t my every day meals, they’re simply how I’ll cope with the weekend and not cave in to unhealthy fast food.

If you’re interested in what I’m going to be eating, you can follow my diet on Livestrong.com as I plan on logging my food diary and if you’re looking for workout ideas, I’ll be posting my workouts daily under the category “Workouts – A Month of Workouts”.

This is going to be a lot of work, but I’m VERY excited to get my ass in gear and get back to a place where I’m happy with myself.

How do you prepare for the Holidays?  Do you watch what you eat over Christmas? Do you do New Years resolutions?

Here we are, just a few days past the halfway mark of the “No Excuses 30 Day Burpee Challenge” and I have to say, this is tougher than I thought it was going to be.

I’m not going to lie, I thought I was going to blow through this challenge without much effort, but last night was 31 burpees and today I can really feel it in my abs, chest, shoulders and quads.  I’ve always known burpees were a great workout, but have never felt it like this before and I’m still not 100% sure if I’ll make 45 burpees non-stop, but I’m sure as hell going to try.

I also thought that doing my burpees every day wasn’t going to be a challenge, but sometimes life just gets in the way and even if you don’t have an excuse, sometimes you just can’t get everything on your “to do list” done.  If you miss a day or two, don’t bail on this challenge, just get them done.  I didn’t get mine done last Saturday and Sunday, so I did them ALL on Monday in three sets; 28 + 29 + 30 = 87 and have kept on going from there, doing that day’s amount each day.

It’s not too late to join

It seems like there are people joining the challenge every day.  Not everyone is on the same number as me and people are doing different variations, so if you haven’t joined and want to or have fellen off the wagon, get goin’ and join in, it’s not too late or start again.  The reason I started this challenge was to get people to push themselves a bit more than they normally do and to stick to a program of 30 days of consistent exercise.

No Excuses/Be The Burpee T-Shirts

Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadian families are unable to provide their children with the life changing opportunity to play organized sports?  I was floored when I heard that statistic too!

I’ve partnered up with BE THE GAME and designed a kick-ass shirt for everyone participating in the challenge.  10% of ALL PROFITS are going to help get kids in to sports.  By participating in the challenge and buying a shirt you get active, you get a KICK-ASS shirt and kids get to be active and have the chance to do something they otherwise wouldn’t have.  It’s WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!!!!

Click the image to enlarge

We’re waiting to get 25 shirts ordered before starting to print them and we’re at about 10, so please get your orders in today!  Find out how to order here.

Lastly

I’d love to know if you’re participating in the challenge and how you’re making out, so please, post a comment here and let me know what day you’re on, if you’ve been consistent with your burpees and how much you love/hate me right now.

It’s Movember, the month formerly known as November, which is dedicated to growing moustaches and raising awareness and funds for men’s health. I have joined the movement and will be donating my upper lip to the cause for 30 days. My Mo will spark conversations, and no doubt generate some laughs; all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds prostate cancer.  This is my third year being a part of Movember and I am a strong supporter of this cause and a strong believer in that we need to bring more awareness to how severe Prostate Cancer is.

Why am I so passionate about men’s health?

• On average men live 4-5 years less than women
• 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
• 25,500 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year in Canada

I invite you to support me by donating to me http://mobro.co/yourinnerskinny

You can even go old school and write a cheque payable to “Movember Canada”, reference my name and Registration Number 324394 and send it to: Movember Canada, 119 Spadina Avenue, PO Box 65, Toronto, ON M5T 2T2

All donations are tax deductible.

We only have a month to grow Mos and raise awareness and fund, so please come along for the ride.
Funds raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others. Through the Movember Foundation and their men’s health partner, the Prostate Cancer Canada, Movember is funding world class awareness, research, educational and support programs which would otherwise not be possible.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click on the links below:

About Movember
Prostate Cancer Foundation research
Global Action Plan

Please donate here – http://mobro.co/yourinnerskinny

Thank you in advance for helping me change the face of men’s health. Go the Mo!

Scott Thomson

Moustache Season. Now Open.