7 Skinny Rules from Biggest Loser's Trainer Bob Harper's Book: Skinny Rules

One of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday is cozied up in a Chapters with a big giant pile of books. I just love reading, learning and the endless number of amazing, interesting ideas there are out there.

I picked up Bob Harper's book, Skinny Rules, last weekend and not only could I not put it down, but I was just going bananas with my highlighter. While the tips are habits I'd already built a few years ago, the value I found in this book was that it is such a great guide for someone who is just looking for a clear, detailed place to start.

1. "End the day with preparation for a good start to the next: put a large, full glass of water on your bedstand every night and drink it when you wake up, every morning." 

How much of a babe is this guy,
I mean really??!
 Source: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images North America 

-- LOVE this! We sweat while we sleep and of course, that leads to slight dehydration. When you wake up in the morning, your body is just screaming for a big juicy glass of H20 and downing a full litre first thing in the AM will set your bod on "smooth sailing" mode for the rest of the day.

2. "Net carbs are, in short, digestible carbs - the carbs that cause weight gain. The figure is arrived at by subtracting grams of fibre from total grams of carbohydrate. A piece of whole-wheat bread might weigh in at 25 grams of carbs, but when you take out the 10 grams of fibre, you've got 15 net carbs. I'll take fewer carbs any way I can get them." 

3. "Just how much protein is enough? ... If you're 200 pounds, try to get at least 100 grams. I'm not saying it's 100 percent scientific, but more and more research shows that consumption of a high-protein diet with reduced high-carb foods results in better weight control metabolism. I'm saying it works. For me. For my clients, my contestants, and for you." 
While it will vary for each individual, I personally aim for around 125 grams per day with my clients, but I think as a starting point, 100 grams per day is a fantastic goal.

4. "Eat 30 to 50 grams of fibre a day. ...Eating fibre in the amounts I'm advocating is looking more and more promising as a way to prevent type 2 (diabetes). And I am talking fibre from food, not from supplements."
I used to work with a guy who was overweight, and would always go on about how "I start my diet Monday. Yup, just this one more Wendy's meal then I'm goin' hard. I did an hour of running on my treadmill last night." He would talk a lot about how he had so much trouble going to the washroom but would down a glass of Metamucil and "how much better he would feel."  Ya, Metamucil does not work the same way as eating a diet high in naturally-occuring fibre. Don't be like that guy. :-)

5. "We are, as humans, hardwired to seek sweetness. It is a powerful, deeply rooted inclination. We even have specialized taste buds for it on our tongue. Think about it: in evolutionary terms, sweetness, as in berries and wild fruits, signalled something that was safe and edible and high in energy - what cavement and -women needed to run all day. We don't need to run all day. That's why I want you to get away from all added sweeteners." 

6. "For many modern eaters, it's hard to imagine a time when fast foods... were a rare treat, but they were. ... But that is how it was - fast-food scarcity! - until three things happened: 

(1.) The government encouraged overplanting of crops like corn and soy (to sell to global markets). 
(2.) Food companies used low-priced corn to make less expensive sugars, allowing them to sell supersized portions cheaply.
(3.) A new-style American family emerged, with two parents working and no time to cook."
Think: High Fructose Corn Syrup, soy based protein bars, I challenge you to go check any box of cereal in your pantry and count how many of the ingredients are corn-based.

7. "Harper's Way is not easy. I told you that when we started. The old easy way got you here! If you want to change your life, and not just your lifestyle, you've got to do things differently. Or say fat. Period." 
Yes, yes, yes! Amen, Bobby!!!

All of these excerpts have been taken directly from Bob Harper's Skinny Rules and truly only give you a teeny tiny taste of all the awesomeness he's wrangled together in this read. His book, along with a million other tools, are available on his website http://www.mytrainerbob.com/. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a very easy to understand manual for how to make small changes in your daily life that will lead you to BIG results with your energy levels, your self esteem, your body size and shape, and your health! And really... what a fantastic Christmas present! How awesome is it to be able to give someone a gift that really means something this Holiday season - something that could be that tool they have been looking for, that really just flicks the switch inside of them - and allows them to find their greatness?

Dare ya to try it, I can definitely say it's one of the most empowering and awesome feelings I've ever found!

Tonight's inspiration is absolutely one of my favorite all time quotes ever to be found. You know that feeling you get when you see fireworks? It kinda makes me feel like that, but in my heart. Love this.

"It's never too late to be what you could have been." - George Eliot

Yours in strength and stretchiness,

- Brooke

xox

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Mmmmmmm... Minty Macaroons: Clean Christmas Goodies

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning! Only 6 days till Christmas! My gosh, how did time fly so quickly?! 

The recipe I've got this morning is seriously so delish it is well worth using up a few of those precious  right-before-Christmas hours! While the recipe explains to make them in "bars" or "sticks" I also poured the chocolate mixture into mini muffin liners and made some mini minty macaroon cups - and both ways turned out fantastic!

Minty Macaroons
6 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp almond butter
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
pinch of salt
1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 c pecans

Fill a medium sized pot with 1-2'' water, and sit a medium sized metal mixing bowl on top of it to create a double boiler. Add coconut oil, cocoa powder, almond butter, honey, vanilla, peppermint and salt to the bowl and allow the mixture to melt, stirring gently, 5 to 10 minutes until ingredients are combined.

In a magic bullet or food processor, chop the pecans up into tiny pieces.

Add the chopped Pecans and shredded coconut to the melted chocolate mixture and stir together to combine.

Pour into a 7 x 5'' dish lined with parchment paper.

Freeze until chocolate is set then cut into sticks. Store in an airtight container in freezer. Recipe from www.livinghealthywithchocolate.com

Enjoy! :-)

And to wrap things up... of course! My quote of the day. I really love this one because it shines a light on one of the true keys to success, especially in health and fitness - consistency and dedication.

"Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something.... hours and days and weeks and months of constant work and dedication." - Roger Staubach

Yours in Strength and Stretchiness,

- Brooke
xoxo

Keeping it Clean + Lean: The Starbucks Strategy (Part 1)

Now, while I definitely do recommend that in search of finding that balanced, happy, healthy life, there are certain habits that will have to go out the window; but I also feel that there are some that are non-negotiables. And Starbucks is one of them - for me anyways! Ha ha :-)

Today, I share a few of my tips + tricks for keeping my Starbucks trips in check! Enjoy :-)

Rule #1 - A Single Indulgence is Still An Indulgence
We have all heard that moderation is key - but what does that really mean on a day-by-day basis? One of the rules I've found that really works in the long term is that it's fine to enjoy life and indulge a little - but I like to keep it so a "Single Indulgence" instead of a "Double"!

What this means is that if I am going to treat myself, I choose either a drink or a 'pastry' as an indulgence - never both. 

If I can't stop dreaming about Gingerbread Lattes  (Mmmmmm) I recognize that the sugary-sweet coffee is my treat - and save the goodies from the 'snack bar' for another time. (I am getting my sugar + calories from my coffee, and minimizing/eliminating extra calories from food).

If instead, I decide that to treat myself to piece of my fav Reduced-Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, I'll order just a normal brewed coffee with just a splash of soy milk + honey. (I am getting my sugar + calories from the banana cake, and minimizing the sugar/calories in my drink).

Rule #2 - Say No to Portion Distortion 
During my Business Degree, I got to spend a semester studying and living in Copenhagen and my gosh, I've got to say - what an eye-opener! It's funny, but I never truly realized how incredibly super-sized the whole world of North American food really is until I got to see how other people in the world live. Other beautiful, fit, trim, active, healthy people, that is... ha! (I'm not joking - everyone in Scandinavia looks like a walking supermodel and when you peek inside homes they really do look like a page from an Ikea magazine ha ha :))

So what's their secret?? Their portion sizes aren't distorted like ours! Denmark's "jumbo" sized coffee is the size of our Grande (medium)! Venti cups literally don't exist. I'm pretty sure if you showed a Dane the container that 7-11's "Big Gulp" comes in, they'd think they were on an episode of Punk'd.

My solution to our problem of "Portion Distortion" is simple - Starbucks' Venti, Second Cup's large and Tim Hortons' Large & Extra Large sizes, do not exist.  They are not even an option.

To really make this make sense - keep in mind that the average stomach is the size of a clenched fist -- doesn't it seem a like a bit of overkill to consume something that is about 2-3x that volume? I mean, really? If we actually take a moment to think about this, do we really need a LITRE of coffee?  Or do we just order that size because we have created a habit that we are so used to, we don't even think twice about it?

This brings me back to a point I have brought up many times before. When I talk about sustained weight loss - dropping the pounds and inches you want to drop - then actually keeping them off, it really is about re-inventing your set of "eating rules" and replacing unhealthy, destructive habits with happy, healthy ones.

By making the choice to remove the "Venti" size from your mind, you are creating a new way of thinking and I promise you, this truly is one of the secrets to a long, happy, healthy life!

Rule #3 - Your New Favorite Word: Mod
"Mod" is the hospitality industry's lingo for "to modify" - or to request a few changes to the menu item you're ordering. In general, the way I look at it is how can I cut calories, sugar and fat from my favorite drinks without having to doom myself to very sad life of never ever tasting another Gingerbread Latte? (ha! Can you tell I've got a weakness for GBL's? lol)

You've probably heard of the whole "half-sweet" idea before - and this one is GREAT! Ordering your latte "half-sweet" means that instead of putting 4 pumps of Gingerbread syrup into your Grande, they only put 2. Yes, it will taste a little different at first, especially if you are used to the 4 pumps, but back to my earlier point - to be successful with health and fitness in the long term we must be willing to change some of our habits and find a way to enjoy our new way of thinking. For example, try telling yourself the Half-Sweet Gingerbread Latte tastes better than the full-sweet version, and focusing on how sneaky you are for cutting all those extra calories and sugar from your diet - and trust me - before you know it, you won't even be able to taste the difference!

Another great little option that I love is the Americano Misto. I like to call this one my secret little weapon. This one's a great little replacement for a Cafe Latte - the only difference is it replaces 1/2 of the milk with water - saving you half the calories and carbs. (Awesome.)

And in closing, of course, my wise words for the day: 

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed)"  - Dr. Seuss 

Yours in strength and stretchiness,

- Brooke
xoxo

Bikini Bod Snacking: My 6 Current Snacking Obsessions (all around 200 cals!)

Well helloooo there beautiful!

After a week or so of being MIA, dont you worry, don't you worry child -- I'm BACK ;-) Wonder what I was up to? Ohhh just dancing the weekend away under the sunshine and stars at the very best jamboree there is... BMan.. there's just something about hearing your very favorite songs, live, in a big open field with a beer in your hand (yes, even us bikini athletes have to find a way to find balance in life and not forget to enjoy the little things! ;) I will note: this weekend's Bud Light Lime was my FIRST beer of the whole summer!!! Balance, balance, balance. 

Anyways, I've been meaning to put this post together forever now, and am so excited to share some of my absolute fav foods at the mo. These are all super easy, super simple and nice + balanced snack ideas that are great little ideas to have up your sleeve. Short + sweet post for today. Enjoy. 

1 cup 1% cottage cheese topped with ½  cup sliced red grapes

Nutrition: 260 cals | 32g protein | 3g fat | 29g carbs

Why's this snack brilliant? Well... first of all because it  (in a really weird way) kinda reminds me of cheesecake... and well.. come on, we all know that's just awesome! Something about the savory/salty flavor of the cheese, and the sweetness and crunchiness of the grapes.. i just love it! Instead of just eating a full cup of grapes, which are super sweet and pretty high carb, I balance this snack out by adding some protein and 'volume' with the cottage cheese. 

A sliced apple topped with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural almond butter + a sprinkle of cinnamon

MMMM... apples + cinnamon = 

Nutrition: 180 cals | 3g protein | 8g fat | 26g carbs

Why's this snack brilliant? Adding cinnamon to this high-carb snack actually helps slows down the whole digestion process. The benefits? Your blood sugar levels jump less than they would have by eating the apple sans cinnamon and you feel full longer :) score!  

2 tomato-basil rice cakes with ½ cup 1% cottage cheese

Nutrition:  200 cals | 18g protein | 5.5g fat | 25g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? This is another one of those "reminds me of" snacks. And it kinda "reminds me of" pizza! Seriously delish... just so very delish. 

2 plain rice cakes topped with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural chocolate almond butter + ½ a banana (if you really want a sweet tooth fix, sub the 2 plain cakes for 1 chocolate chip caramel rice cake! ;) hehe)

Nutrition: 215 cals | 5g protein | 9g fat | 32g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? Hollywood has it's power couples, and the world of food has almond butter. Ha ha. Yes, it's really THAT good for you! Not only is it a super-healthy fat, it's also packed with 7g of protein per serving. Protein being a bit more complex than the simple carbs (the rice cakes) takes longer for our body to digest, which is another bonus. Are you noticing a trend here? ha ha! Slow digesting foods are your friend. ;-) 

2 cups watermelon cubes dipped in ½ cup vanilla-flavored greek yogurt 

Nutrition:  215 cals | 12g protein | 2g fat | 38g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? Oh my goodness... my mouth is watering just thinking about this one! Gotta make this explanation quick. Greek yogurt is higher in protein than just regular yogurt, which helps prevent muscle loss, and fills you up. Also, watermelon is a superfood and the vanilla with the melon-y goodness is just unreal... seriously. Schwiiiing! (FYI: nutrition info listed is for Oikos 0%)

A banana sliced down the middle and spread with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural almond butter

Nutrition:  145 cals | 3g protein | 8g fat | 18g carbs

Bonus: Pretty much just an upgrade to the classic PB and banana combo... but there's just something so irresistible about the more mild, but creamier flavor of almond butter. Try it try it, try it! You gonna like it. ;) #OBSESSED.

I've got just some regular PB with my banana
here but this picture's from a few months ago.
Although PB and banana is unreal, I
am just absolutely in LOVE with almond butter
right now so I switch the 2 up :) 

Now THAT was a good meal! My little
tomato-basil rice cake thrown into a
dinner... yes. I like it THAT much!

There's definitely plenty of other great, smart options out there that are easily searched up on pinterest, fitness magazine websites like fitnessrxwomen (my fav) and blogs. A healthy, happy lifestyle starts with small changes that become habits, so for the next 7 days, I challenge you all to focus on one small change: commit to yourself to snacking smarter! :-)

Until next time, remember "commitment is staying loyal to what you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in has left you".  

Have a happy, healthy, fit and fabulous week! 

xo Brooke 

Power Up: 7 Ways to Amp Up The Energy and Focus in Your Workout Routine

1.     Switch up your workout schedule. If you’re stuck in a rut, and your gym life feels repetitive instead of exciting, you need to change something and this is one of my favs. Do you  normally hit the after-work rush at the gym? Do you set your alarm for 5 AM for a morning pump? Whatever it is... do the opposite. Ha! You are breaking your routine so you are already telling your brain “this workout isn’t going to be like every other workout” even if it’s just by changing something as little as your schedule.

The vibe in the gym is different at different times of day and believe it or not, this has more effect on your workout than you realize! The jazzercise junkies and stay-at-home moms that workout from 9-11 AM will (not always! but generally) be doing lower-intensity workouts and bring a different energy to the space than the hardcore bodybuilders and younger crowd that usually fills the gym after work. Sometimes just seeing someone else banging out some sprints on the stairmill or killing a set of walking lunges is enough to inspire you to push just a little harder. And lastly.. my secret confessional reason behind this one... I get distracted by sexy sweaty athletic men!!! Ha ha ha! I notice some days when I am at the gym between 5-9, I find myself spending maybe a bit too much time checking out babes, which takes away from my focus. Switching my workout to 11 or 1 works really well for me because the gym is almost empty and I am free from distractions!!! (Seriously though... some days I wonder how many times I’m gonna have to stare RIGHT AT my gymcrush for prolonged periods of time before he gets the hint... lol!!)

2. You Rock. Remember that.
Before your workout, find somewhere that you can go sit down and write without distraction. Take 5 minutes to reflect on 3 things that you have accomplished that make you go “Wow, I am badass.” Write them out, in detail, on a blank sheet of paper. What are 3 of your biggest proudest accomplishments? I like to keep mine related to fitness, but it can be something in your personal life too! These were mine for this week:

- I hit my sales goal yesterday and got my bonus 2 days before month’s end. Badass.

- I visualized one of the hardest workouts from my last contest prep (a killer crossfit sesh that involved lots of rowing, 100 burpees and 2 x 1 km long sprint where I kept up to the elite hockey guys that were there that night). I literally thought I was going to die in that gym.... but I  made it!! Badass.

- I looked at a few pictures from a year or two ago. The difference is hard to believe. Badass.

Taking the time to write these things out reminds you that you ARE awesome and you CAN accomplish amazing things and if you did it then, you can do it now! Now lace 'em up and grind one out!
 

3. P-WO POW! While I’m not really a fan of the long-term, everyday use of Pre-Workout, caffeine supplements and fat burners, I do think they are valuable at the right time and place. When you’ve had a long day at work, have a tougher than usual workout ahead, or just need that extra boost... Go for it!!! Monday was one of those days for me. Lol. So I doubled up... down the hatch: a Lipo-6 Ultra Concentrate (black) and a scoop of BSA’s No-Xplode in blue razz. In my pink Magnum Shaker Cup. That I LOVE!!! Scored this one at the last show I did from Magnum Sponsored Bikini Athlete, Emily Adams (IG: @emmybikini). It makes me happy... :) Thx MAGNUM and Emmy!!!

4.     Tick Tock. 
If you are doing Strength Training, set a timer.  I first started doing this when I noticed some of my workouts were taking me up to 90 mins -- and that's just for the weight training part of it! Some days, I'll still have another 30-90 minutes of cardio on top of that so you can see how the time would easily add up. I would say that in general, a 40-60 minute strength training workout is a pretty good range to aim for. When you end up taking much longer than that, your rest intervals are off, so the intensity and effectiveness of your workout will also be off.  Try this one out and I'll bet you'll be trying to beat your last workout time before you know it! ;-)

5. Burn, Baby, Burn! During your cardio sesh, try switching your focus from total minutes logged to total calories burned.  Remember, endless hours of steady state cardio are not necessary, and not effective or sustainable in the long run, so try looking at things differently and focusing on intensity instead. For example, if you normally do 30 minutes of cardio on a crosstrainer and burn 300 calories, try adding in a few high intensity intervals to torch calories quicker and aim to complete your workout in 28 minutes instead of 30. You are still getting the same net effect of a 300 calorie burn, but your workout becomes more challenging, engaging and efficient! (Bonus!)


Try a workout sans specs...
even if they match your outfit! ;)

I like to make it a bit of a game for myself - if I normally burn 300 calories in a 30 minute workout, I should be at about 50 calories after 5 minutes, 100 calories after 10 mins and so on. So, I would try to put myself ahead of the "expected burn" right off the bat - and try to get to 60 or 70 calories by 5 mins in. I mix in intervals of steady state (at around 140 BPM) for maybe 5 minutes in a row just to zone out for a bit then refocus on playing the "calorie game" and racing the clock. This changes the goal, mindset and pace of your workout and when you feel like you have a new  and exciting challenge ahead, you are able to tackle it with a new energy and focus! ;-)
 

6.      Take It Off! I get that some of you actually need glasses or contacts to see, but as long as you can see where you’re going, try a work out sans specs.  This goes back to the distraction thing and trust me.. I am easily distracted! Every time my mind wanders even just a tiny bit, I obviously am not focusing on what I'm trying to achieve in my workout and end up losing intensity and drawing out my workout. The gym can turn into a zoo at some hours of the day - lots of different people to look at, lots of different workouts going on - so  if you can't physically see all of these micro distractions, you're able to more easily block them out and focus solely on what's in front of you; the iron.

7.      Go hard on Monday. Monday being the first, fresh new day of the week, getting off to a good start and accomplishing something puts you ahead of the game for the whole week. It’s the same kinda thing as sitting up in bed, wide awake, an hour before your alarm goes off in the morning.  #winning

Remember, the body can not go where the mind does not take it.

Have a fantastic, fit and focused day!!

xo,

Brooke