Lululemon announces SeaWheeze half marathon

Happy New Year's Everyone!

If you haven't already heard, I'm excited to let you know that Lululemon is hosting the first ever SeaWheeze half marathon in Vancouver this August. The half marathon is a celebration of Vancouver's beauty and in true Vancouverite form, the route travels our breathtaking sea wall and ends at the new Convention Centre.

Lululemon locations will also be hosting running clinics to help train for the big event. The entry price is $130.00) and the race promises an exclusive technical t-shirt and unique race day entertainment and events.
This race takes place just three months after the infamous BMO marathon/half marathon, and may just be the perfect event to keep Vancouver inspired to keep training through the summer. This race has a very casual feel which many people may find more appealing than the intimidating BMO event. I also appreciate that, unlike most races, this event takes place on a Saturday, allowing Sunday to recover before the week starts.
I urge you all to look into this race if you're looking for something to train for.
Check out the event website at: www.seawheeze.com

7 foods that should be avoided

Prevention magazine recently wrote an article on seven common foods that everyone should avoid due to their damage to our health and/or the environment.

Prevention interviewed scientists and other professionals to get the scoop on the top foods they determine to be unsafe to eat. Thankfully, there are alternatives to these black-listed foods.

The 7 foods that should be avoided include:
1. Canned tomatoes
2. Corn-fed beef
3. Microwave popcorn
4. Nonorganic potatoes
5. Farmed salmon
6. Milk produced with artificial hormones
7. Conventional apples

I was probably most upset to see microwave popcorn on this list due to the chemicals in the lining of the bag. However, it does provide an excuse to buy one of those vintage-y popcorn poppers I've had my eyes on.

 

To view the full article and the recommended alternatives to these foods that should be avoided, click here.

Water: Fad or Fitness?

These days it seems like everyone has a water bottle within a 10 foot radius of themselves. From the gym to the shopping mall, so many people seem to be toting a water bottle it's almost like it's become a fashion accessory. Water companies seem to be doing a great job of mixing people's physiological needs with savvy marketing. As this resource, which is free and unlimited in most parts of the world, becomes more of a trend than a basic thirst quencher - researchers and scientists are bound to start challenging it's reputation.
I've always been a big promoter of drinking water and have always lived by the "8 glasses of water a day" rule. However, this rule has come under question by today's modern scientists, who now say the appropriate amount of water you drink depends on your size, diet, and body chemistry.
Either way, modern science will still tell you that drinking a good amount of water every day has its health benefits. For example, drinking water helps with metabolism, decreases fluid retention, prevents muscle dehydration which helps to tone muscles, helps ward off disease, and helps to rid the body of waste.
Although I'm constantly refilling my water bottle throughout the day, I never really know exactly how much water I'm drinking. That's why I was so excited when I came home recently and my husband surprised me with a new water bottle that fills exactly to 8 glasses of water (it's the little things that I appreciate :) ).

This bottle is called H20 On the Go and I love it! I fill it up once a day and know exactly when I've reached my water quota. It's not the most fashionable or sleek but it does the job. It's also BPA free! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's trying to make a habit of drinking more water - they're available at most large shopping centres or you can order online here.

Vancouver Health Show

Hi Everyone,

If you're in or near Vancouver this weekend and looking for something to do, check out the Vancouver Health Show happening at the Vancouver Convention Centre Sat Oct 29 and Sun Oct 30.
The event has over 100 exhibitors providing new, reliable and practical diet, exercise and lifestyle tips to promote healthier living. There will also be daily seminars from Canada's leading health experts, not to mention appearances from one of my favourite tv personalities, Tommy Europe, host of "The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp."

You can spend a day at this event tasting a variety of health food, learning about the latest health products, services and techniques and shopping for the latest sport trends.
Enjoy!

100 Year old man completes Toronto Marathon

I've been meaning to post this incredibly inspiring story of a man named Fauja Singh, 100 years old, who completed the Toronto Marathon a couple of weeks ago. Singh, a British Citizen, is the first centurian to ever run this distance, completing the race in 8 hours and 11 minutes.

This is Singh's eighth marathon.

His Secret? Apparently it's a diet of mainly tea, toast and curry.

This story reminded me how powerful one's determination and willpower can be when it comes to accomplishing a goal.

Hopefully it helps inspire you to run your goal distance!

Read the article from CBC news here.

"I'll Run it Off Later..."

If you're anything like me you've justified eating pizza or a bag of chips with the "I'll run it off later" rationale.

I was inspired to write this post after my recent weekend getaway. After a full day of work and a long drive up to Whistler, my husband and I were famished and neither of us felt like cooking. After debating between the various take-out foods we knew we would pass on the drive up, we decided to grab something quick and easy from the grocery store up in Whistler.

After a quick tour of the grocery aisles, nothing really inspired us and our hunger pains were definitely winning the war against our will-power. We settled on the most filling and easiest to prepare meal we could find - a couple bags of cheese perogies from the frozen food aisle.

As we sat down to a heaping plate of cheese-y and dough-ey goodness topped with onions (that's a vegetable right??), I recited the familiar "it's okay, I'll run this off tomorrow" excuse.

Later in the week I found myself in need of a sugar kick before the gym. On my way out the door I succumbed to the chocolate chips sitting in our fridge. I grabbed a small handful as I headed out and didn't really think anything of it as I was heading to the gym to burn it off.

After considering I had used this excuse twice in just one week I began wondering if my thought process was accurate or if I was just leading myself into a state of disillusion.

I found out that it takes much longer to work off my guilty pleasures than I thought. Check out what I found out from various sports and health magazines/websites, below. The below calculations may vary on your body type but it gives you a good idea:

Guilty Pleasure: Can of Coca Cola Classic
Time running at 10-12min mile: 12 min

Guilty Pleasure: Bag of plain salted potato chips
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 1 hour 50 min

Guilty Pleasure: McDonald's Big Mac
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 50 min

Guilty Pleasure: Two slices of Pizza Hut cheese pizza 
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 58 min

Guilty Pleasure: One 12-ounce beer
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 16 min

Guilty Pleasure: Two pancakes with butter syrup
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 70 min

Guilty Pleasure:Starbucks mocha frappuccino 16 ounces
Time running at 10-12 min mile: 31 min

Now I don't plan on starting a routine of counting calories or denying myself the opportunity to indulge once in a while, but I do plan to be more cognizant of the foods I eat, relative to the amount of activity I get. After all, the purpose of exercising is so that I can enjoy foods that I love after, but it shouldn't be the reverse.

I hope this information doesn't make anyone feel too guilty! Does anyone else find themself using this excuse once in a while?

In my next posts, I look forward to passing on the info I found out about the "super-foods" that actually burn more calories than they're worth -  yes, they actually exist!

Happy Running!

The Sports Bra Debacle

Is running in only a sports bra during the summer month’s taboo? I realize this topic may be a bit off season but it’s one that I’m constantly debating in the hot summer months and one that I’ll be considering during my upcoming honeymoon in Hawaii.

I’m comfortable with my body and I wouldn’t think twice if I saw a woman running outside in a sports bra but for some reason I’m always a bit nervous to do so.

I decided to take a quick look around the web to investigate what other people had to say about this subject:

“Personally, I hate the feel of sweaty shirts clinging to my back while I run (and, after all, guys feel free to run without shirts all the time)” – Yahoo answers


"Call me old fashioned, but in my eyes, since the word "bra" is still in the sports bra's name, it is considered a bra when all is said and done." - www.lovelyish.com

"I love the feeling of freedom I get running around in a sports bra and pants :)" - Twitter

During one of the few scorching hot summer days we had this year I decided to give it a try. I drenched myself in waterproof sunscreen strutted down my hallway and out the door, determined to be comfortable running in only my shorts and sports bra. As soon as I stepped outside, the confidence I had in my apartment quickly evaporated and I threw on the tank top I had brought with me for emergency purposes. 
 

The particular route I ran this day took me through some back country-like roads that I figure see about 1-2 vehicles pass by every half hour. At this point I figured it was okay to strip off my top again – why not get a tan and some exercise at the same time? 

Just as I was starting to feel okay about my new running apparel (or lack thereof), a middle-aged woman in an SUV came to a crawl beside me. I started to give her a polite wave thinking she was being extra cautious while passing me, until I realized she was glaring and shaking her head and waving her finger at me because of the way I was dressed. I was mortified. I threw my top back on and ran to my Mom’s house (my planned end destination) as fast as I could.

As I was running my embarrassment turned to anger with every step. Why would this woman shake her head at me? Would she have done the same if she saw a man running with his shirt off?

I broached the topic with my mom as soon as I got to her house. Turns out she’s of the opinion that running in the summer sans shirt is no big deal (this coming from a woman who could find a turtleneck too revealing). Either way, that was the end of my risqué running for the rest of the summer. 

I don’t imagine I’ll get any weird looks if I run without a shirt in Hawaii – in fact, I bet it’s the norm. So is it our average weather temperatures that create this stigma around running without a shirt? Does it depend on the runner? Or maybe it’s just me?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!