Isabel's Adventures in Exercise & Healthy Eating

I've moved to my own website!

2012-01-21T08:18:00.001-08:00

hey there...you might notice that I haven't updated this in a while. That's because now I'm in a new "home"....come visit me at www.trainerisa.com

see ya there!

Vacation is over--Time to detox

2011-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Oh man, what a wonderful vacation my husband and I had in Costa Rica to celebrate our upcoming 20th anniversary and my upcoming *cough* 40th birthday *cough*.

I feel so blessed to have my health and fitness to have been able to hike up and down Costa Rica. I did indulge and I feel that I need to clean up and get back on track.

What better way that to join this six week challenge below. It started on May 1st but there is still time to join. Why not join me? I'm excited about this and I've got my big smoothie jug ready for tomorrow. I love the wonderful advise that both Teresa and the Green Smoothie Queen have provided in the past and the two of them together should be fabulous.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-24T17:59:00.001-08:00

I know...the month is almost over and it's been a while.

Things have been quite hectic, I haven't fully committed to my "resolutions" and I'm beating myself up!

How are you doing? Spill the beans...let it all out. I'm here for ya.

On another note, check out this cool giveaway on my friend's blog
She eats like me and has some interesting posts.

Take care of yourself!

lovely, colourful food

2010-11-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

i've just finished one week of a 30 day raw food program and i'm loving the adventure. i've been eating almost 100% raw and it's pretty good.

today i just HAD to take a picture of the wonderful food i had for dinner

tabouli with hemp instead of bulgar
red pepper and almond dip

i made enough to share but doesn't it just look so colourful?

mmmmm more hummus

2010-11-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

so i made the spinach and artichoke hummus but i swapped lime juice for the lemon juice and i added 1 tsp of cumin and a generous splash of chipotle hot sauce

it was awesome!!!

almost tasted the same as guacamole

and i finally found sugar snap peas in my local grocery store

have you ever tried them? great to eat raw

healing with the angels cards

2010-11-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

ok so i'm still new to EFT and i really need to look for my handout again because i NEED to get back on that train

but another thing i find that helps me before i go to sleep is my healing with the angels cards.

it a deck of beautiful cards and each has a different word

i shuffle, pick three then read the description for each

they are all positive and they remind me that i'm loved and that all is well

ahhhh they're like a breathe of fresh air

what do you do to help settle your mind before bed?

memories of safety harbor hummus

2010-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

or really you can call this artichoke and spinach hummus

i haven't really eaten much of any spinach and artichoke dips because this became popular after i started eat to live and gave up dairy...most are laden with cheese and icky stuff that makes me cringe so i think i may have taken a little taste of one once but didn't ever think that you could make a hummus with spinach and artichoke

after many years i find myself in safety harbor florida for the t-tapp retreat and my wonderful room-mate and fellow t-tapp trainer jen had stocked the fridge we had by accident with lots of fresh fruit and veggies in addition to an artichoke and spinach hummus

wow...was i amazed at how good it tasted...we ate it with fresh veggies and were actually the envy of some who saw us walk into a meeting with a plate full of cruditees and this awesome hummus.

i left the retreat and knew that i needed to make up my own version with no added oil or added salt...i'm a eat to live groupie or nutritarian...are you surprised?

well i finally got around to it and as promised in my previous post, here is the recipe...

artichoke and spinach hummus

3 cups chick peas, cooked
half a pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed well
2 gloves of garlic
juice of one lemon
1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
1/4c water to get 'er going

i threw this all into the vitamix and blended until it was pureed. if you prefer it a bit chunky then pureed the chickpeas, garlic,lemon juice and water first then add the artichokes and spinach and blend to the desired consistency

awesome and oh so tasty

i gave my husband a bit to taste and he said i should probably hide it because my older son will be more than willing to help me eat it all up

this is my new favourite hummus

nori wraps

2010-11-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

i'm truly in heaven

i just finished eating some wraps that i made for lunch.

originally i was going to make artichoke and spinach hummus and eat it in some romaine lettuce leaves with some extra veggies and sprouts...super tasty as is

on our way from a two hour hike with lots of dips and climbs i needed sprouts and happened to walk by nori in the store and *ding* a light bulb went off. why take some extra time to wash the lettuce (i still had to get home and make the hummus too) when i could roll it all into some nori sheets and have awesome wraps

i saw this idea once on someone's website and it stuck with me but i never tried it

boy am i glad i did

i made the hummus (recipe in the next post) then i lay a thin layer on the nori, topped it with some baby spinach leaves then added some fresh carrot slaw mix from the produce section and topped it off with sprouts.

i filled them a little too much but by working quickly i could gently squeeze the filling and pull the nori...very gently!

i ended up with some fantastic wraps and i'm thrilled it was so good

the hummus was so good it deserves it's own post

the key thing to note when working with nori is that it is dry and brittle until you add a moist ingredient...then it is soft and kind of stretchy. if you don't fill them too much you can actually roll it completely and the hummus will help it stick together into a "burrito" of goodness.

my camera and video camera batteries were both dead so i got my phone because this was worth documenting

the possibilities are endless...i hope you give this a try and let me know what you made!!

mmm i made the soup

2010-11-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

as you know...based on my previous post...i was craving soup

it is a longer process than any other soup i've ever made but it was soooo worth it

here's the final recipe with a few more mods

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
•1 butternut squash – cut, remove seeds and roast (cut side up) 45-60 min at 350
• 1 bulb of garlic – roast for 45 min
Saute the following until the onion is caramelized
• 1 onion diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 leek, sliced
Add 10 cups water
• 4 potatoes cubed (soaked and drained)
• 1 large yam cubed (soaked and drained)
• 1 can chickpeas (drained and soaked)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1.5 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Puree once you add the roasted squash and garlic and everything is soft.

Add some hot sauce or lemon juice when serving to jazz it up

it's cold...i want soup

2010-11-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm coming off a raw fruit and vegetable detox and the biggest irritation has been feeling cold the whole time.

I'm craving a warm soup and I've got the perfect recipe to start off with.

I found it here

They forgot to mention the garlic in the ingredients. By omitting the salt and oil it should pretty much be perfect for me. I won't bother with vegetable stock...I'll just add some carrots and celery to the onion and leek mix to give it more flavour.

Oh and I'll probably add a bay leaf and skip the maple syrup and cinnamon...hahahaha. There's a reason I said it was the perfect recipe to start off with.

I also hate recipes with long instructions...c'mon it's soup not brain surgery.

Here is my modified recipe

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
•1 butternut squash – cut, remove seeds and roast (cut side down) 45 min at 350
• 1 bulb of garlic – roast for 30 min
Saute the following until the onion is caramelized
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1 or 2 carrots diced
• 1 leek
Add 10 cups water & 1 bay leaf if using curry
• 4 large red potatoes cubed (soaked and drained)
• 1 large yam cubed (soaked and drained)
• 1 can chickpeas (drained and soaked)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon or curry powder (depends on mood)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Puree once you add the roasted squash and garlic and everything is soft.

I'm going to try a raw detox

2010-10-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Since the retreat I have been eating very clean and have really focused on improvements I need to make to kick up my eating and health up a notch.

I came across this website and I signed up...why?

why not?

I met Lisa, a new T-Tapp trainer, at the retreat this year and she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. She went high raw and she looks and feels fabulous.

She has inspired me to try eating raw for a little while. It can't be too difficult for me since I already eat two meals a day raw. I think the extra focus will help me clear out the coffee I let sneak back into my life.

Tommorrow is day 1 of the 5 day prep BEFORE the detox. I'm thinking that this weekend will be a good time to drop my daily coffee and deal with any headaches.

This is exciting!

I'm enjoying my recent exercise buddy

2010-10-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

This week my youngest son announced that he was going to exercise daily - run, pushups and sit ups.

On Monday I casually asked him if he wanted to join me as I did T-Tapp. Imagine my surprise when he said yes. This from the guy who 5 years ago told me that T-Tapp was the worst thing that ever happened in his life...I wanted them to workout for me one month...as my birthday gift...no one lasted more than two weeks..he quit after a week.

Tuesday and Wednesday he joined me again. Today he made very healthy choices for dinner. I'm impressed.

I know I shouldn't get my hopes up high but I'm enjoying the company and the funky handshake, high five, finger wiggle combo we ended our workout with today.

How do you encourage your kids to increase their physical activity other than what they do at school?

T-Tapp Retreat

2010-10-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

This year was my fifth retreat in a row. One retreat and I was hooked.

I love the atmosphere, the friends I've made over the years and of course getting my butt kicked and learning new things.

This was my first year at a retreat at a trainer too. Last year I certified near the end of the retreat/certification combo. It was very nice to be completely relaxed.

I learned lots of new things and the retreat gave me the motivation to push towards my final goal as mentioned a few posts down. On a side note I've eaten very clean since Thursday...skipped junk at the amusement park, skipped ice cream when celebrating a late Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and family and skipped chocolate too!

Casey is recapping all the retreat days one by one so no use reinventing the wheel.

Check out her awesome blog here for a recap of day 1 and here for day 2's recap.

Take care of yourself!

EFT quick summary

2010-10-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

At the 2010 T-Tapp retreat we had a great seminar with Lisa and Renee to teach us EFT.

I had heard about this before and I did it about two years ago to help me deal with a difficult situation I was having then I kind of forgot to use it after that.

This is great for people dealing with emotional issues and even pain. I am going to try this again for periods where I am stressed, emotional or craving something.

They went through the process and gave us a great handout to summarize the technique.

While I don't have a scanned copy of their handout, I found this one that explains what EFT is and it has the sequence. In our seminar we did steps 1, 2 and 3.

Have a read, try it out and let me know what you think.

Is T-Tapp worth it?

2010-10-15T21:18:00.001-07:00

Here is an awesome post from Charlotte, an amazing woman and a T-Tapp trainer who has had lots of success with her transformation.

http://charlottesiems.com/worth

Fit and Fabulous and 40...my next project

2010-10-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, how many of us start something, get cocky and don't really finish it?

You know, you look good, you get compliments and you start to indulge here and there because you've done such a good job you can splurge a little and relax.

Been there, done that...and I'm tired.

I surpassed my original goal when I started Eat to Live many years ago and I felt great, looked great and it looks like I've relaxed too much to the point that although I know I have more to lose I keep staying stuck.

Well, I'm done!

So I'm putting it out here for all to see. In 30 weeks I will be 40 and I want to finish what I started and clean up the loose ends that are compromising my final stretch.

This past year has been a disaster however I'm ready to forgive myself and move on.

The T-Tapp retreat was my kick start into this next project which was officially supposed to start the day after my 39th birthday but that didn't happen.

No more splurges or indulgences...I know I have to work on some issues and get past them rather than turning to food to dull whatever I'm feeling. I learned about EFT at the retreat and I plan on using that.

Wish me luck and follow along for the ride!

Forget Counting Calories--Make the Quality of the Calories Count

2010-08-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

I got this message from Dr. Fuhrman today and it is absolutely the best way to summarize the way I eat.

I hope you enjoy it and are encouraged to adopt a more plant-based diet.

Health and Weight Loss Basics

My nutritarian food pyramid illustrates the principles of my Health Equation: Health = Nutrients / Calories (H = N / C) which defines how health is impacted by the micronutrient per calorie density of the diet. In other words, the future of your health can be predicted by the quality of the calories you consume. Micronutrient per calorie density is important in devising and recommending menu plans and dietary suggestions that are the most effective for tackling weight loss and for preventing and reversing disease.

The base of my nutriarian food pyramid – the foundation of the diet - are the foods with the highest ratios of nutrients to calories (highest ANDI scores). The large majority of your daily diet should be made up of nutrient rich plant foods, whose calories are accompanied by health-promoting phytochemicals: green and other non-starchy vegetables; fresh fruits; beans and legumes; raw nuts,seeds, and avocados; starchy vegetables; and whole grains.

Even though processed foods, and concentrated sweets are included on the pyramid as foods to be used in minor amounts, it is certainly a health advantage to reduce these foods to special occasions or not at all. Animal products should also be limited to the condiment level, and certainly under 10 percent of total calories.

It is not merely that these foods are not micronutrient rich and displace protective foods off our plate, but also that too much animal protein is linked to higher levels of IgF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) increasing risk of breast and prostate cancer. By keeping these low nutrient foods to a minimum and striving to eat at least 90% of calories from unrefined plant foods you construct a health-promoting, disease-preventing diet that has tremendous potential.

My experience in the last 20 years of medical practice is that individuals following this type of diet have transformed their health, and are living well in their 80’s and 90’s without the diseases plaguing other Americans. I call those who strive to follow a high nutrient eating style for its disease-protective properties, nutritarians.

Nutritional science has demonstrated that colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, most of which still remain unnamed. Only by eating an assortment of nutrient-rich natural foods can we access these protective compounds and prevent the common diseases that afflict Americans.

Learn more:

• Become a nutritarian

• Best foods for weight-loss and disease protection

• Compare it to the USDA MyPyramid

By following the guidelines of my nutritarian food pyramid and eating an abundance of high nutrient foods you can obtain superior health, lose weight, and recover from chronic illnesses such as headaches, indigestion, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

~Dr. Fuhrman

my husband lost 14lbs so far!

2010-04-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my husband was told by the dr. that he needed to lose weight. He wasn't feeling well, had some pains, another kidney stone developing and apparently he had lots of fat around his organs.

If you've seen my husband you'd know that he isn't huge but depending on the season his mid-section expands and contracts. He is active, runs on average 10km and even participates in races BUT he loves food and at times it is more apparent than others.

Well...this time I told him he was going to do things my way. So I started him on an Eat to Live kind of plan. He isn't perfect and when we have parties or get-togethers he's on no plan what-so-ever.

I'm happy to announce that he's lost 14lbs so far. He has been feeling better and it's fun to have someone else in the house who eats like me on a bit more than a casual basis.

The best thing is that he is, surprising to him, "not starving"! I have known this for years and it's one thing I love about being a nutritarian...no shaky, weak hunger at all!

So...he needed to get a warning from the dr. and I needed to put my foot down.

What do you need to get you going?

What three things have you done today to get closer to your goals?

2010-04-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

We all have ideas or dreams about what we want. I want to weigh ### lbs, I want to fit into a size X, I want to ride my bike through the whole course without getting off once, etc etc etc.

Are yours written down?
Do you see them daily?
Do you remind yourself what you need to do today in order to reach the final destination?

I suggest posting them anywhere you spend more than 30 minutes at a time. Your desk at work, your computer at home, your bathroom, your car. Nothing wrong with having them in more than one place.

Put a calendar beside them in one spot and put a check mark each day that you read them out loud. At the end of the day put a check mark beside that day when you did 3 things that day in order to reach your goals.

Try it and let me know if it worked.

Take care!

A Sedentary Lifestyle is not good!

2010-04-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

If you're feeling glorious because you fit in your daily workout faithfully every morning but then you're sedentary the whole day and night then please pay attention!

You must increase your activity throughout the day too!

People who are sedentary most of the time are still at risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues. It might also help you gain weight in your thighs too!

I can help you analyse your daily habits and sneak in ways to add some activity in spurts to help combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

T-Tapp's hoe-downs are a great way to break up a long period of sitting at your desk.

Here's a little video that explains how to do it...

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Quick guide to reading food labels

2010-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

This little video will help you determine if something is a good choice pretty quickly.

I'd cut the sodium guideline to half the number of calories but this is still a good video.

Don't forget that the best foods are in the produce aisle and you don't have to worry about labels there :)

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Spring is here and I'm craving salads

2010-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

The sun has been shining all weekend and I saw a fennel bulb in the grocery store with my name on it.

I love this easy salad that I make which is crisp, sweet and reminds me of spring and summer. You might want to try it when you want something other than your regular repetoire of salads.

Fennel & Orange salad

1 fennel bulb, sliced
1/4 red onion sliced, very thin
2 oranges
fresh crushed black pepper
red wine vinegar

Place the fennel and onion into a bowl. Cut the peel off the oranges making sure that you cut into the flesh and have no white pith on the orange. Do this over the bowl to catch any juice that may drip. Supreme the orange segments so no membrane is on the segments. Squeeze the remaining orange after you've placed all the segments in the bowl.

Add as much black pepper and red wine vinegar as you'd like.

That's it! The orange juice and vinegar are enough to dress this salad and the fennel has a wonder crisp anise taste.

Another salad that I love is bean salad. We have this popular recipe that was passed down throughout my family for ages but it includes oil, salt, sugar etc etc.

Over the years I cut a little here and removed a little there and now all I do to dress the salad is mix a little agave syrup (just a few spoons) with white vinegar and it's done. The key is to let it marinate for a while.

This week's version has lots and lots of green and yellow beans, some red kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans, green pepper, red onion and some black pepper.

Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew

2010-03-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

I love trying new recipes...especially fast, easy and nutritarian ones.

I googled Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew after reading an article regarding male vegans or "hegans". I found this one that wasn't too complicated and was easily modified to fit into my whole food, plant based way of eating without added oil or salt.

All I did differently was I used no oil and water sauteed the onion instead. I also did not add salt.

It was so fast and easy and I love how the sweet potato balances the subtle yet spicy taste of the chipotle.

You HAVE to try this recipe no matter what your typical fare is. Trust me...it's great. I think it would be a wonderful filling for burritos too!

I'm pretty sure that those who resist healthy cooking would like this.

I've been eating it for lunch over a bunch of kale or steamed broccoli but some brown rice would be great too.

Let me know if you try it and whether or not you liked it as much as I did.

I love success stories

2010-03-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

I find success stories so inspiring because they provide examples of real people who have been there/done that.

Here are two of my favourite success stories for both Eat to Live for Health and T-Tapp

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Charlotte is so inspiring because she has 12 kids, homeschools and still found the time to put herself first. I had the pleasure of being her room-mate at a T-Tapp retreat when she was in the midst of her transformation and it has been amazing to follow her progress. She shatters the excuse "I don't have time to exercise". If Charlotte could do it in as little as 15 minutes a day then anyone can!

I had the pleasure of meeting Emily last year. What a wonderful adventure to meet her and Dr. Fuhrman. Not only has she transformed into a radiant and vibrant woman but she is helping to spread the message of good health through eating a whole food, plant based diet like me...hooray for nutritarian living. One thing that is really inspiring is that Emily was faced with very difficult times in her journey and she chose to continue rather than throw her arms up in the air and giving up. Life is hard--healthy living helps you cope.

I hope you find both success stories as inspiring as I do.

Let me know how I can help you become the next success story. Click here to contact me and let's get the party started!

February Blues? What are you eating?

2010-02-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about you but I’m tired of winter already…and we’ve had it pretty good so far this season. No huge snowfalls but still too dull, grey and cold for my taste. I love the carefree days of spring and summer. This time of year seems to bring out sad feelings in even the most chipper people I know. Although many don’t suffer from depression we might all get a mild case of the blues by the time February rolls in.

This too shall pass but I do want to highlight some interesting information about how your eating can help or hinder you right now. I know from personal experience if my eating, exercise or sleeping is off then I feel less “with it”. In order to perform my best I need all three. Right now I’m a little sleep deprived and I can feel it.

If you’ve embarked on a new diet or you’re still celebrating like it’s the holidays then you need to make sure that your diet is as whole, unprocessed and nutrient rich as possible. If you have a tendency to get sad or depressed check out this quote:

Three recent studies document that consumption of processed foods increase odds of depression, and not only that, but those high protein, high fat diets (high in animal products) are also linked with more depression.

You can get the full story here

I often tell my kids that when they get their first car they are going to be so proud and so careful. They won’t pour just anything into the tank; they’ll want high-quality fuel to ensure their new baby will run smoothly. Why do we treat our bodies with lower standards? (Note to self: Remember this when a strong Doritos craving hits)

I highly recommend Eat for Health or Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman as a mini nutrition education. You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn about the relationship between eating and your health.

Take care of yourself....if you don't, who will?

the whole family wants to eat healthy?...that's an adventure!!

2010-01-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

Many times over the past seven years many have asked me if my whole family eats like me and sadly many times I have said..."No, not regularly." Over the years we have modified a lot...we have no cookies, chips, ice-cream, juice boxes, pudding cups, snacky-type things in the house for regular consumption. However, the guys still have lots of opportunities to eat stuff that I don't eat.

I eat a diet based primarily on fruits, veggies, beans and nuts with a few whole grains thrown in for good measure. Low sodium and no added oils too! I learned about this way of eating from Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book Eat to Live. His most recent book Eat for Health is also very good and provides a more gradual approach to eating this way....more on that another day.

I have tried to share my knowledge with them over the years in a non-threatening way but I don't want to sugar-coat the facts. Well on Saturday night I told my son (mr. picky) that many kids his age (12) have the start of heart disease and he quickly exclaimed "I don't!" and when I said that chances are he does he was shocked.

When I advised the boys that daddy was considering eating better and that they would all have to no one seemed too bothered by the news. Folks...I'm trying not to get too excited...this has happened before.

So I quickly tried to figure out what to make on Sunday so that they'd start off the week enjoying the predominantly plant-based diet I had planned for them. What did I make? Here's what I made and what I had planned for it.

Ful Mesdames is a lovely fava bean dip/spread that goes well with pitas, served with veggie sticks or even in a tortilla wrap. I made a batch of this for lunches.

I made a carrot/chickpea salad for me - 4 big carrots grated or in thin match sticks, 1 can of chick peas (drained and rinsed) 1 tsp cumin, a few shakes of freshly ground pepper and juice of 1 1/2 lemons. I'll probably eat this with some of the fava beans on the side. I had some today with some left over coleslow too.

I threw together a soup with crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, mixed beans, celery, carrots, mushrooms, a pkg of frozen spinach....kind of like an ad hoc minestrone soup. This will be dinner on Wednesday and maybe Thursday along with a huge salad.

Black bean, corn and sweet potato burritos - Stir two cans of black beans, a can of corn and your favourite jar of salsa along with 1 to 2 tsp of chili powder. Set this aside. Steam and mash 3 large sweet pototoes. When they're done spread onto a whole wheat tortilla along with the bean mix. Roll it...Enclose it...or fold in half and put it under the broiler like a quessadila...everyone loved this for dinner after our 32 oz romaine lettuce salad.

Dinner for today and tomorrow for the guys was a Vegan Lasagne...it was shaped like one so I'm calling it that.

Isa's Vegan Lasagne

Saute - 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 3 cloves of garlic chopped. When it's getting soft....

Add - 1 big zucchini chopped, 1 big carrot chopped, 4 or 5 mushrooms chopped (I love my Pampered Chef Chopper). Stir it around a bit then...

Add - 1 cup dried red lentils and 2 cups water.
Cook until the lentils are soft and mushy. The key here was to give the filling a kind of creamy texture that would give it some body rather than being just veggies.

When that's ready add a large can of your favourite spaghetti sauce or add a large can of crushed tomatoes along with one pkg of defrosted frozen, chopped spinach....or add it frozen...it's up to you.

Simmer this and add basil, oregano, rosemary, chili sauce or pepper depending on your preference. I added more garlic and some onion powder to make it tasty without added salt.

Cook a box of whole wheat lasagne noodles. I used 16 in total.

Then assemble like you would a regular lasagne with 3 layers of filling.

I baked it in the oven covered for about 20 mins then let it cool because we were planning on baking it a bit more today.

This was served with another huge salad and everyone was satisfied with one or two pieces...hence the leftovers will be for dinner tomorrow.

My dinner was just salad. I don't eat processed grains very often but I'm trying to make it as enjoyable as possible while increasing their veggie intake and decreasing their animal product intake.

If you're still with me...let me know what Eat to Live or Eat for Health type foods your family enjoys.

Soooo…how’s it going?

2010-01-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Can you believe January is almost done? Time certainly flew by.

What goals did you set for yourself this year? How are they coming along?

Have you forgotten what they were?

Here’s a little trick that will help you remember them AND follow through with them.

Create a calendar for each month and in each day add two little boxes. This is what you do each day…

1) Read your goals out loud and think of what three things you can do to get closer to achieving those goals. Put a check mark in the first box for the day.

2) Through-out the day take the three steps mentioned above.

3) At the end of the day review the goals and if you took the three steps put a check mark in the second box.

That’s it!

Would you believe it’s that simple?

Make sure to put the calendar in a spot that you see each morning and each night. For example, try a bathroom mirror, door or your bedroom door. The key is to have it visible.

Let me know how you’re doing and if you need help or more tricks I’d be happy to share.

Take care of yourself!

Happy New Year! Let's work together to make it a fantastic year!

2010-01-03T15:09:00.001-08:00

Wow...the holidays flew by. I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you're ready to hit the ground running.

Are you feeling a little bloated, disappointed and beating yourself up or are you ready to put the food indiscretions behind you and excited to get going on a new action plan to make this your healthiest, fittest and most fabulous year ever?

I'm not beating myself up...I had a great holiday and even though I planned some splurges I also had a few unplanned ones as well...hey...no one's perfect and I certainly am the first to admit it.

I am so excited about kicking things up a notch this year not only with myself but with you too. I know how great it feels to get everything lined up...eating, exercise and sleeping....let's work on this together so that we can really make it a fantastic year.

Check out the updated class and clinic schedule often and if a date or time doesn't work let me know and we can work something out.

Take care of yourself...if you don't who will?

It's never too late to start and exercise keeps you young!!!!

2009-12-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

That's a good reason to celebrate if you regularly include exercise into your life.

Check out this blog entry if you need more proof.

T-Tapp is a smart way to exercise because you get your cardio, strength training and flexibility all in one neat package....more bang for your exercise time indeed!

It's also been touted as an anti-aging workout. This quote pretty much sums it up...

Our obsession with strenuous over-exercising produces free radicals that actually encourage the aging process. T-Tapp provides the perfect antidote. This program is quick, easy, efficient, places no stress on the joints and, most important, it is effective. The T-Tapp system is the ideal anti-aging workout. Highly recommended! -- Nicholas Perricone, M.D., New York Times best selling author of The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet.

Not bad eh? Get slim and trim and get younger too!

Let me help you plan your next steps for a fabulous new you. You deserve it.

The Holidaze is coming...Are you ready?

2009-12-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

You know the feeling...parties, visits, special treats...awww who cares, I'll start a diet in the New Year. I'm sure lots of us have been there, done that. I sure did! Mondays were always good days to start a diet and so was January 1st.

It's easy to get caught up in the holiday treats and not to exercise because we're too busy. I'm guilty of this too if I lose track and get too busy and too tired. Hey...I never said I was perfect!

If you're planning on making a change...make it now instead of waiting. I used to go nuts eating everything I craved because I wasn't going to eat it for a long time and most likely if I didn't freak out like that I probably would have five pounds less to lose by January 1st.

What do I do differently now? I plan. I plan for a week or a weekend so I'm not caught off guard and so I have the option to try something I really want. It is the holiday season after all and since I no longer eat like every day is a holiday I do taste something here and there sometimes.

Notice I said TASTE. If its a nice looking dessert I'll take one bite, maybe two. When eating dessert the best tastes are the first and last so why bother with all those bites in between? Most times everything is too sweet and I couldn't handle a whole piece anyway.

I also might choose to have just salad or veggies for dinner rather than a huge meal at a party so I can compensate for some of the other things I might taste. I might actually bring my own dish to eat and share so I'm sure there is an option for me.

When it comes to exercise I'll look ahead and plan my workouts so I can fit regular exercise into my schedule.

The good thing about these tactics is that the holidays come and go and I'm not in a constant brain fog from all the extra rich goodies that seem to be everywhere and I don't feel gross by January 1st.

Let's not forget that the holidays are about spending time with others and if you're greatful for the work they've put into entertaining you and appreciate the time you spend with them then you'll still have fun and won't need new pants before January 1st.

Let me know if you're taking the bull by the horns and making changes now rather than waiting. What are some of the things you'll do to survive the holidays while still eating nutrient rich foods and exercising...share!!

Today I had a COOL Exercise Buddy

2009-11-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

C. comes to visit me every once in a while and each time she asks me if I'm going to do "that exercise". I love doing T-Tapp and she loves to do it too! I taught her the basic workout and we have fun doing it together.

Sometimes A. joins us as well. He is her brother. I have a great time watching them do the moves and we sneak in a few giggles each time I say "bend it, tuck it, lift it". T-Tapp is a great bonus for our muscles and it makes us all feel good too. Everyone is really mellow after our workout.

Today we did something a little different. C and I did "Hit the Floor" and as I write this I think our legs and tummies are still feeling like jello. C's favourite part was organs in place and the tucks. She is a pro and it was her first time doing it. I'm glad we had enough space so we could follow along on the DVD and not kick each other in the head.

My favourite part is that C is 6 years old and she's learning all about exercise and how good it is for your body and muscles. I think she needs her own T-Tapp DVD and Tapp Core should be just right.

Tapp Core is a series of moves that can be done individually or you can pick and choose a few to do here and there when you have time.

Exercising is fun with a six year old buddy and I hope she comes to visit again soon so that we can do more T-Tapp together.

You need healthy fuel!

2009-11-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

In order to lose weight you shouldn't starve yourself. You need to eat well and feed your body the right foods so you're strong, healthy and ready to take on the world.

As you incorporate more nutrient dense food you'll feel better and have more energy too!

Another thing I hear often is that it takes too much work to eat healthy. I have a bunch of fast and easy things that I put together for my meals and I've just come across another fast and easy recipe that I made in my crock pot.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

I made it exactly like the recipe except I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced, I used red lentils and near the end I added two packages of frozen chopped spinach to add more green to it.

This tasted good for lunch today over a bunch of steamed garlic...mmm mmm good for a cool fall day.

Give it a try!

Why wait for the new year to start your transformation?

2009-11-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

Are you dreading the festivities because you don't like anything in your closet? Have you gone out to buy this year's party outfit only to find that you had to settle for something "ok" because nothing else looked right? I remember that time...I hated the outfit I ended up with!

By the time December rolled around I was depressed and didn't really want to go anywhere. That was my lowest and that's when I decided to make a change...in the new year. That was when Eat to Live was coming out so I had a great excuse to keep eating and eating until the big day.

What is your excuse? Why are you waiting?

You could get a great head start on your transformation and actually feel better about yourself by Christmas morning!

Want a great place to start? Try following these suggestions which will help you get there...

1) Eat at least 3 pieces of fruit each day!
2) Eat a huge salad each day...load it up with lots of colourful veggies!
3) Eat up to one pound of cooked veggies a day...aim for dark, leafy greens too!
4) Move your body each day!

For more great information I'd love to discuss T-Tapp and Eat to Live or Eat for Health with you. There is a great new package set up for Eat Right America which features Eat for Health on ShopNBC and I'm actually in the promo :o)

Check it out here

A great little interview clip that explains T-Tapp

2009-11-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

Kirsten Tucker, Senior T-Tapp Trainer, is featured in this spot. Keep watching past the first discussion on resveratrol and you'll be glad you did.

This short and sweet clip will make it clear and you can see some of the ladies performing the moves.

Enjoy !!

Take pictures as you progress!!

2009-11-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

I love pictures...now I do. I didn't like them so much in the past but I'm glad I managed to have a few before my journey because everyone needs a few "Before Pics".

I can't stress how valuable keeping pictures along my journey has been for me personally. I'm very visual and many times looking back on my pictures have helped remind me that I've come a long way.

Here's a movie I made last year of a collection of my pictures along this transformation.

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If you are considering changing your lifestyle for the better take pictures, make notes of your journey and you'll be thankful for the feedback you can refer to in the future to see what worked and what didn't work!

What do I have in common with Alanis Morissette?

2009-11-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

The beginning of my transformation journey began with a wonderful book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Once I began eating according to the advice he offered in his book I was thrilled to have lost 19lbs in the first 6 weeks. I happily ate this way because I knew I was getting healthy and losing weight at the same time.

That is a big change from other "diets" where you starve, eat very little or remove complete macro-nutrient categories in order to quickly reach your goal but then struggle to keep it off once you start to eat normally.

Dr. Fuhrman's advice helped to me to have a more normal relationship with food and to learn what was best for my body. One big thing that I also did not do was I did not set any deadlines for the weight loss. I let myself relax and trusted that my body would do what it needed to do in order to lose weight. No crazy 20lbs in 20 days schedule...just eat and let my body do it's thing.

Well I'm not the only one who eats this way...Alanis Morissette does too!

Check out her article in People Magazine's November 9th issue. I've attached a link at the bottom.

Pretty neat!

Eating this way gave me the energy and the desire to move my body and a few years later I added T-Tapp to my life and BOOM it was like magic.

Eat to Live and T-Tapp are my magic formula!

Dr. Fuhrman has another book that breaks things down and makes it even easier to follow. Eat for Health is a two book set. One teaches you why you should eat this way and the other is a recipe book.

I highly recommend that everyone increase fruits and veggies in their daily diet as a first step. When was the last time you ate kale or collard greens?

Take care of yourself!

Here's the link to the article http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/People_Mag_Nov-09_Alanis_Morissette.pdf

Hooray for Charlotte!! The power of T-Tapp

2009-10-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Charlotte and I were room-mates at the T-Tapp retreat in 2007. It was a pleasure to get to know Charlotte and to see her transform over the years. We both certified for T-Tapp this year as well!

I'm pleased to share a link to woman's day where she is featured (just scroll down a bit)

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/Diet-Nutrition/10-Incredible-Weight-Loss-Transformations.html

Oklahoma is lucky to have such a wonderful T-Tapp trainer!

Here is another link if you want to read more about Charlotte and her journey http://www.t-tapp.com/success/charlotte/default.html

If you think you have no time....I've got the solution

2009-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Yes...we're all busy and trying to do several things at once or trying to squeeze in too much into one day. By the time we get home from work or we've had a full day with the kids it feels like there is no time to exercise or even muster up the courage to put on those runners and do something active.

This is another reason why I love T-Tapp. You don't need a lot of time!

Who wants to drive to the gym, look for parking, change into workout wear, find the machines, wait for the machines, wait for the class, get changed, go home, get stuck in traffic...get my drift? Or who wants to flail about with no real purpose other than to get your heart rate up then on another day do some weights...don't forget the flexibility compnent.

T-Tapp is the solution...no monthly fees, no hassles with other people at the gym, you don't need to workout one or two hours every day.

With T-Tapp you can get results in as little as 15 minutes a day. How good is that?

AND you get your strength, cardio and flexibility training all in one.

What's not to love?

Do you think it looks too easy? Think again. It will get you sweating and the best thing is that no matter what your fitness level it will keep challenging you...that means you never have to do more than 8 reps or keep adding minutes to your workout.

Sweet isn't it.

Give me a call, let's analyze your needs and get you started.

Believe in yourself!

2009-10-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

You can choose to reside in a place of fear, a place where you doubt who you are and what you are capable of, or you can choose to believe in the best version of yourself.

I saw this quote and I had to make a note of it. It struck a chord with me because I lived in a place of fear and doubt for a very long time.

I had no self-confidence and I didn’t want to face the world. Getting ready for a party or dinner out was a chore. I didn’t like the clothes I had and I knew that people would look me up and down and I’d imagine what they’d be thinking. Some were even bold enough to tell me to my face what they thought.

Fast forward to now. I still have times where I fear and doubt that I can maintain my current size. I still worry that this is all a dream and I’ll wake up back where I was. Then I snap out of it. I have found the best tools for me to keep improving my health and wellness. That was the ticket for me and all along the journey I felt great and the shrinking was a bonus.

The biggest difference in this journey has been to focus on health and wellness rather than an ideal weight or an ideal size. Each day that I eat healthy and each week that I achieve my exercise goals I know I’ve done the best I can do for myself. I’m working on the best version of myself. I am a work in progress and I am not perfect.

One key thing I notice whenever I’m with other T-Tappers is that we’re all different sizes and shapes but we’ve all come to respect our uniqueness and even celebrate the wonderful machines that we are. We all believe in our best version of ourselves and we trust that our choices will get us there.

I'm ready to help you be the best version of yourself...are you ready?

Yeah but what is T-Tapp?

2009-10-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I guess it's not enough to just say it's an awesome workout and I love it?

I'm all about working smarter not harder so here's a great link to the T-Tapp website where you can learn all about it. http://www.t-tapp.com/faq/what-is-ttapp.html#

If you're interested scoop up the basic or total workout and catch my November 1st class where we'll go into the Basic workout in detail. By then you should have your workout dvd and you'll be ready to kick it into high gear!

The holidays are coming...don't you want to feel great BEFORE the parties start rather than waiting until January 1st to get started?

7 Easy Fat-Burning Exercises | Lifescript.com

2009-10-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

Check out these moves in a great article featuring Teresa Tapp, the creator of T-Tapp.

It's amazing how you can fit some of these moves and techniques into your daily life and benefit from them tremendously.

7 Easy Fat-Burning Exercises Lifescript.com

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Ontario's First T-Tapp Trainer!

2009-10-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Isabel and I'm thrilled to be the first T-Tapp trainer in Ontario!

I am so excited to work with you so you can achieve your goals faster and be the best that you can be. I am a certified personal trainer with Can-Fit-Pro in Canada and became a T-Tapp trainer in order to share in my passion for such a wonderful workout and to help others empower themselves and feel much better. I have seen the amazing results that T-Tapp delivers and have experienced them first hand. I used to be a couch potato and watched my kids from the sidelines because I had no energy to run around and was too embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. Honestly, I didn't even want to socialize because I didn't want people to see me.

I started T-Tapp in 2005 and have loved it ever since. I heard about T-Tapp from a forum that I belong to for healthy eating and it seemed like the ideal workout for a busy mom who wasn't really into the gym scene and wanted something fast and effective. I wanted the most bang for my workout time and this certainly was the perfect and smartest workout for me. I was amazed at the results I was getting and was ecstatic when T-Tapp helped me become leaner and stronger without jumping around. To this day I am still amazed at how smart this workout is and how it keeps challenging me after all these years. The benefits are more than just external...weight loss and getting slim and trim are great but this workout helps you with so much more.

I have had issues with my weight for as long as I can remember. After finally finding a way of eating that helped me lose weight I knew that I also needed to incorporate regular exercise into my life. I struggled with back pain since my teenage years due a diving accident and could not do exercise that involved lots of jumping around or took too long due to working full time and having a busy household. After combining T-Tapp with healthy and clean eating, my body changed dramatically and I rarely am unable to enjoy life because of my back pain. T-Tapp was the perfect solution for me and I'm so happy and honored to be part of the T-Tapp family in order to share the benefits of this workout program and help you see for yourself how wonderful this program can be for you!

I know what it feels like to be overweight, embarrassed to face the world and depressed about letting things get to a hopeless point. I know how it feels to have no energy or confidence to try yet another thing that might finally be what transforms you. If that's the point you're at then take the plunge and let's get you going with T-Tapp. If you're already a T-Tapper and you feel you're not doing it right I'd love to help you improve your form and most of all I can't wait to be a part of your success story! It's time to put yourself first and take care of yourself. T-Tapp is not just a business, it is a cause and we're like a family...we can help you become the radiant, confident and healthy person you deserve to be.

If you're still wondering if this is for you, what are you waiting for? E-mail me at isabel@t-tapp.com and let's get the party started!!