Insanity!

So this week (on Tuesday to be exact), I decided to start the Insanity 60 day challenge. Problem is, that I didn't really look into it before beginning the program, so when I began with the "Max Interval Circuit" video (which it turns out you're not supposed to use until day 40), I made it not even 10 minutes in before giving up. I thought to myself "Wow! They weren't joking when they called it Insanity, this stuff is HARD!" I really thought I was done with that program, until I discovered my blunder, and decided to try again the right way!

Today, I started with the Fit Test (as you should) and well it still wasn't easy, it was much more on my level. The thing about Insanity is that there's a lot of cardio involved. I'm talking about jumping up and down until you think that your legs might fall off. When I'm done, my heart is pounding so hard that I'm sure you can see it beating, and my stomach has turned over so many times that I'm fighting the urge to puke! 

I much prefer Jillian Michaels' method of "3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs" to the 30-60 minutes of "go, go, go cardio" that Insanity has to offer. However, that's probably just because cardio's my weakness (hence, why I despise running), so I'm not exactly the ideal candidate for Insanity. I guess I kind of dived into this one. 

So I don't know if I'll continue on with the rest of the 59 days, I definitely would love to be able to say to myself that I finished it, but knowing me, I might get bored and start P90X by day 15. I just don't know that I could do it every day for 2 months, especially since I'm leaving for vacation at the end of the week and won't have access to a T.V. to watch it on. It'll be interesting to see where this goes... 

In the defense of Insanity, the results don't lie, people are doing much better in their fit tests the second and third time around, and the before and after pictures are shocking! It would be nice to go back to school with a rockin' bod, wouldn't you agree? 

Well, I'll let you know whether I keep up with Insanity, or switch to a different program. Here's hoping for the best!

Now it's your turn: Have you ever done a program like Ripped in 30, Insanity, P90X,...? Did you finish the whole 30, 60 or 90 days of it? <-- If so, kudos to you! What did you like/dislike about those workouts? And most importantly, did they show results? 

"You're so skinny"

"You're so skinny!" <- That's something I've been hearing my whole life, so it never really bothered me. But after a while it gets really annoying. I would never go up to somebody and say "You're so fat!" so why is the opposite okay? Maybe I'm being irrational, but it really bothers me all of a sudden. I know that the people who say it mean well, and they probably even mean it as a compliment, but it just makes me uncomfortable. 

It makes it even worse when they make one of those jokes like "You're so skinny! You need to eat more (insert junk food type here)". It's like I eat plenty, I'm healthy, and I'm in a proper weight range for my height. I've always been a little petite, so get over it. If it's not bothering me, why is it on other people's minds all the time?

I mean, obviously if it was a cause for concern and people were worrying about me, then that would be a different story all together. But that's not the case, so there's really no reason for it. 

And the worst thing you can say is "You're so skinny, I hate you!" I mean I know you don't actually hate me, but it doesn't make sense. Again if someone ever said "You're so fat, I hate you!" that would be obviously rude, so I still don't get why someone would say that about a skinny person. There's kind of a double standard here.

I could rant about this forever, but I'll stop now. Anyways, do you think I'm being unreasonable? Or do you agree that this double standard is unfair? 

Fitness Fashion: Gym Bags

When going to the gym, you've got to pack up your gym clothes, shoes, iPod, toiletries... the list can go on and on. Hence, the gym bag. The awesome thing, is that because it's 2012 and fitness and fashion have finally merged, the gym bag can actually be cute!

I scoured in store and online selections of gym bags and in my opinion, the winner is the bliss bag by Lululemon...

At $128, it comes in menthol (above), dune and black. It's got great reviews, it has a million pockets for anything you could possibly need (phone, keys, emergency chocolate...) and it's adorable! 

There's also Adidas by Stella McCartney products, like this carry on bag at $150...

And if yoga is your thing, check out oGorgeous bags for your yoga mat.

There's the Beverly Bowtie Yoga Bag in creme ($129)...

The Sweetheart Yoga Bag in Peacock ($126)...

And the Pleated Pocket Yoga Bag in Silver Sparkle ($110)...

However, a handy gym bag doesn't have to break the bank. Check out these more affordable options. 

From American Apparel - Diagonal Strap Gym Bag (shown in light vintage denim/ natural) ($52)

Also from American Apparel -Nylon Pack Cloth Gym Bag (shown in hot pink/ silver) ($23)...

And finally, from Forever 21 -Large Canvas Tote in Neon Orange ($12.80)...

Which one is your favourite? What do you look for when buying a gym bag? Let me know in the comments!

Chef Inspiration: Jamie Oliver

You might know him as the guy who entered the food industry with the provocative title of "The Naked Chef", but Jamie Oliver has come so far since then. Jamie started his own show called "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" where he headed off to Huntington, West Virginia, and as you may have guessed by the title, revolutionized the way people in the town ate, especially taking action in schools. You would be shocked to hear that some kids didn't even know what tomatoes were, but were very familiar with tomato ketchup. By the end of the season, Jamie had turned that town around. So many people on the show were inspired, and I'm sure a lot of viewers were too. I for one, have a tiny Jamie angel sitting on my shoulder constantly reminding me to be aware of what's on the ingredient list.

One of the reasons I really wanted to post about Jamie, was because Food Revolution Day was last week, and I was so proud of how huge it had become. People around the world were celebrating real food together. In a perfect world, everyday we would eat like it was food revolution day.

If you want another example of how Jamie is changing the way we eat worldwide, check out this blog          ( http://neverseconds.blogspot.com.es/ ) by a nine year old girl in Scotland, who got her school to change their menu, and include more vegetables. The influence of Jamie is present in many posts.

And finally, Jamie's pretty easy on the eyes, why wouldn't I decide to post about him? Haha, how about you? Do you have a chef/ chefs that you look to for food inspiration, or do you like to let inspiration find you? Let me know in the comments section!

8 minute workout videos

Okay, I get it. You're busy. You have school/ work/ family/ chores/ tumblr occupying all your time, and think you don't have time to exercise.

I don't know who said it, but there's a great quote "if you don't have enough time, stop watching tv." Or if you don't think you can give up Criminal Minds, these 8 minute exercise videos should be quick enough to fit into your schedule.

Jamie Brenkus, leads you in "8 minute arms", "8 minute legs", "8 minute abs", and "8 minute buns". There's 16 moves for 30 seconds each, so you don't get bored but you will feel the burn.

Now, let me warn you, although I love doing these videos, they are very outdated. There's even mention of shoulder pads in the arms video. But I urge you to check them out anyways.

You can buy the whole set on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Minute-Fitness-Buns-Arms-Legs/dp/B00008DDTJ/ref=pd_cp_mov_1

Or you can check them out on YouTube:
Arms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSby1UUhyts
Legs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIfN-31Bgs&feature=related
Abs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5IVDUwofDU&feature=related
Buns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnBhn7YSsnM&feature=related

The only problem I do have is that there's no cardio, so try to get some of that in as well. A couple minutes of jump rope will get your heart rate nice and high. And don't forget to drink water!

The Freshman 15 (and how I avoided it)

I think my biggest fear going into university, was the worry of gaining the Freshman 15. I had heard countless stories of people who had gained an extra 15 (or 20 or 25) pounds during their first year of university/ college. However, now that first year is officially over, I can proudly announce that I did not gain the Freshman 15! In fact, I actually lost a few pounds (not very many, but it was never my goal to lose weight). 

I think one of the biggest reasons that I didn't gain the weight was the fact that I didn't live on residence. Many residences require you to purchase a meal plan, and so you're obliged to eat food that's incredibly high in sodium and who knows what else. But living at home, I had much more control over what I ate, and tried to keep it as healthy as possible. 

Another reason a lot of people do gain the Freshman 15, is the convenience of buying fast food, especially when you think you don't have time to make yourself lunch in the morning. I decided to try to avoid the lure of fast food, and I brought a homemade lunch to school about 99% of the time (there's  an amazing shawarma place right across from one of my classes where I spent the other 1%). It doesn't have to be an extravagant lunch either - peanut butter on wheat, with a banana and yogurt on the side can be a great meal, and takes only a couple minutes.

Finally, the University of Toronto campus is fairly large, and there were a couple back to back classes I had on opposite ends of the campus, so I did a fair amount of sprinting. To be honest, I planned to make use of the school gym, which I only stepped into once, and didn't even work out. However, I did get around to doing a lot of walking, whether it was walking between classes, or going on an hour long walk during a long break, I did a lot of it, which I think helped a little bit. 

So how about you, are you heading off to higher education, with dreams of bettering yourself mentally and physically? Are you in university/ college, with tips about exam period snacking? Or are your school days over, and are you full of advice? I'd love to hear from you, so please comment! :)