I effing hate Rachel Ray, like throw her into a venomous pit of snakes and laugh while I shake my fist hate. However; if we excuse her for her general person and overuse of her repulsive acronym E.V.O.O. sister makes a point. Extra virgin olive oil is the shit no matter how you say it. Extra virgin (if only) has a less acidic quality than regular old olive oil and its loaded with antioxidants as well as omega 3-6-9 fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats . Olive oil can prevent a whole string of diseases and ailments, when you’re shopping for olive oil it usually goes the better the quality the better the benefits.

When cooking with olive oil watch the temperature, olive oil has a relatively high smoking point of 410 ºF or 210ºF, but if it goes above this the molecular structure breaks down and it all goes to hell and everything gets all carcinogenic and bitter. Not cute. If you’re looking for a snack try steaming vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, asparagus, the green stuff and lightly coating them with olive oil and sesame seeds. Totally healthy,and relatively low in fat/calories. In most savoury recipes olive oil can even be a substitute for butter. Or try doing half and half, the oil will also stop the butter from burning.

If you’re still in knots over that fancy olive oil, remember its not just for eats. Skin, hair, nails, olive oil helps them all and by using an organic extra virgin you also have the advantage of all those antioxidants.

So when it comes to the good oil drizzle, put it in salad dressing, saute, rub, marinate, roast, moisturize, poach, whatever, jus use it!.

Check out Princess Margaret Hospital’s”Increase Your Odds” video, and go to their site for more info.

and for more info on Vlatos olive oil go to their website.

Understanding Olive Oil

In our quest for the ultimate trip in healthy living, we caught up with super-hippy and off the charts health nut, Nicola to find out what the benefits of Juice Fasting are, and how one eases into such a crazy trip.

There’s no quick fix for health,  sad but true and we all know it. But short bursts can often have as much effect on your health as long tumultuous processes. Want to wean yourself from unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, and caffeine addiction? Want to shed stubborn body fat, clear up your skin, sleep better and increase your overall disposition towards life, then you should definitely consider a  juice fast!

A juice fast isn’t a cure-all, but over time and with regular sessions it can drastically improve your health and motivate you towards healthier habits. Juice fasting is a form of detox diet where only fresh fruit and vegetable juices are consumed for a certain extended period of time this gives the body a chance to take a break and do a little spring cleaning, and what better time than right before bikini season? Juice is the most concentrated form of a fruit or vegetables vitamins, minerals and natural enzymes, made with the right ingredients the right juice can be a miracle elixir.

Choosing the length of your first juice fast can be crazy difficult.  If you’re a heavy meat eater or are caning it at the clubs six nights a week and want to mix it up by throwing something healthy down the hatch, try starting with one day (possibly one day a month). If you’re a vegan, I-ride-my-bike-everywhere, yoga type, try up to five. Most importantly though, listen to your body. But don’t give up when the going gets tough either, juice fasting is totally worth it and has a powerful detoxifying effect! The more you continue with a regular a fasting regimen the more doors will open. And please remember a juice fast does not mean buy out the frozen concentrated minute maid juice, you want fresh as possible.

Personally, I’ve done a LOT of cleansing, from strict vegan diet with weekly juice cleanses to 10 day water only fasts. and so searching for a new way, I’m taking it to the next level. A deep calling has led me to embark on a 28 day juice cleanse, but not for physical rejuvenation, for spiritual ecstasy. If you’re think “Ecstasy- that was back in my rave days…” We mean a different form of  ecstasy, it’s deep inside you and waiting to be discovered. Essentially, intense purification allows you to raise your body’s vibration so that you can experience heightened levels of consciousness. Quite literally, out of this 3rd dimensional world experiences.

Right now I’m purifying in preparation for my journey to Peru next month, where I will be venturing deep into the Amazon to meet with Shamans in order to drink a cosmic brew called Ayuhuasca.  Ayahuasca, or the vine of the soul, is the product of boiling the leaves of a shrub called Chacruna with Ayahuasca to make a brew by the same name. Giving this sacred drink a psychoactive character that is consumed in a ritual ceremony leading to reflection, cleansing and amplified states of consciousness. This heightened state allows you to see that what you see in this world is not all you get; there’s a lot more than meets the eye, but you’ve got to have a clear body, mind and spirit to play there.

Who ever thought that drinking your greens could be such a trip!

(Note that certain people should NOT attempt fasting and that checking with a holistic health practitioner before commencing any type of cleanse is recommended.)

Above is my favorite concoction – spinach, celery, cucumber, broccoli, carrot and lime juice (Waaaaaaay better than it sounds)

Nicola is a Wellness Consultant and Spiritual Teacher specializing in nutrition, yoga, and meditation. She currently resides in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

Hell hath no fury like outdoor Booty Camp.

Admittedly, I’ve been faring pretty well since I started Booty Camp at the beginning of April, but things got kicked up to another level when we moved outdoors.

First, the rain.

Oh God, the rain. While I can appreciate the sentiments being evoked from the G.I. Jane-esque doing-pushups-in-the-rain that we’ve had going on–it’s brutal. Trying not to break your ankle while running on wet cement had better translate to looking sweet in a bikini once the weather gets nicer.

Secondly, the cold.

Nothing is more of a deterrent than doing push-ups and sit-ups on cold cement. Worse, is during the “cool down” portion of the night when all you’re thinking is how badly you want a cold shower to stave off the pneumonia you are definitely going to come down with.

I digress. I’m sure it’ll be really nice once the weather improves for each class. So far, no luck.

Seriously.

“The activities I do with you are meant for elite athletes,” said the instructor. “But, obviously if I tell you that you won’t do it, so I’ll just keep pushing you until you do them.” We then proceeded to run up and down a hill for ten minutes straight.

FML.

The thing that’s fuelling me lately is my desire to kick Anna Von’s butt in the Pink Mafia Health Month Challenge–aka, “who can lose the most inches.” The answer, I hope, is me. Though, after ten days of eating garbage on a road trip, I’ve had a pretty significant set-back.

I’ve really been trying to step it up for the last couple weeks of Booty Camp. Between biking to work, adding an extra Booty Camp class to my already twice weekly regime (I had to miss last week due to my MOST FUN EVER: North of 60 trip) and trying to do the DVD workouts whenever my legs can handle more exercise…I’m spent.

The girls running the Booty Camp Fitness twitter account have been AMAZING, however. Not to mention Sammie Kennedy herself, who answers questions and problems her recruits are having. I feel like I’m being encouraged to try new things and take different measures to ensure I see some success in this program.

I’m trying to eat better, too. While I realize I have definitely been doing a lot more exercise, eating healthy is really where I’m faltering. I had really wanted to try Sammie’s “Challenge” that she put out to recruits, but I missed the deadline.

I think it’s something I’m going to take on after this experience. What seems to be clutch to busting the belly fat is eliminating our favourite things like processed sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Sigh.

What I’m trying instead is eating smaller, more nutritious meals, avoiding late night snacking, and I’m drinking Green Monster smoothie’s like a mo’ fo while stepping up the protein to meet my (hopefully) increasing lean muscle weight.

YEAH ANNA VON HOW DO YOU LIKE MY FITNESS LINGO, HUH?!

Needless to say, we’re getting pretty competitive around here with this little challenge.

If you want more up-to-the-minute updates of my booty camp experience, you can follow me on twitter.

It’s been four days and I can hardly walk;

Anything involving stairs makes me cringe;

Walks longer than from one end of the house to the other make my legs burn;

Welcome to the world of Booty Camp Fitness.

I was initially expecting some kind of throwing up-while-vomiting-scenario, so I guess having sore legs is definitely not the worst you can experience. The first week is going to be the toughest. I had no idea how absolutely out of shape I was until I had to go back to class on Thursday night.

In theory, this should get easier every time I go to class.

Our instructor explained the way booty camp works:

• You start with exercises that get your heart moving and muscles stretched;
• Then, you create cardio and core drills that can be adapted for any level of fitness: so, whether you’re a first time camper like myself, or a seasoned veteran, you can feel challenged and avoid the “plateau”;
• You’re encouraged to do your take home DVD (which, BTW is amazing) at least once a week to really help yourself see results;
• Lastly, try to watch what you eat. Just because you’re burning up to 500 calories in one class doesn’t mean you can eat pizza all week.

Sounds simple enough, right?

I’ve been thinking about the kinds of girls who might be attracted to take this kind of class. Everyone I’ve talked to has been pretty shocked when I tell them I’m taking it. Am I that lazy that it’s impossible to conceive I would do this? Does it go “against” my personality? What’s the deal?

Looking around my class, I noticed a few things:

1. Most recruits are between the ages of 25-32
2. A good portion of them are girls about to get married, or be in a wedding
3. Most of them have tried “everything” to get into shape
4. They wear a lot of Lululemon

So far, I’m not any of the above things. What’s important is that I’m already noticing some change in myself from doing the class. I feel like my posture has improved (when I’m not hunched over in pain); I’m more motivated to exercise on my own; and I feel really energized after a class, or any physical activity.

So, is this actually going to translate to success with the program? Let’s hope.

Here are the measurements* I started with on my first class (at weeks 4 and 8 you have them taken again):

Total inches (upper arms, chest, waist, hips, butt, upper thighs): 232.75

Age: 22

Body Fat: 25.5%

* I took some of them out for your viewing pleasure

If you want to read more up-to-the-minute info. on my booty camp session, you can follow me on twitter.

100% sodium free and 50 Cent approved, vitaminwater puts the hyphie in hydration.  To get you through a spin class or just plain out of bed, the lovely people at Glaceau have developed a booster drink with attitude.

Delicious, nutritious, and great on the road, it’s the pop you need to get the job done well.  Each variety is equipped with a unique recipe to a suit all of your lifestyle needs.  Get a blast of caffeine from ‘energy’ or lose the morning shakes with ‘restore’, no matter which you choose every moods wins.

All natural in colour and flavour and with 9 varieties to choose from, your hangover and english paper will both thank you.  Working around the clock, vitaminwater puts health and well-being into the foreground of active living.

Here’s a breakdown of the flavours:

for health: mega c (dragonfruit) vitamins c + b vitamins

for clarity: focus (kiwi strawberry) vitamin a + lutien

for vitality: essential (orange orange) vitamin c + calcium

for extra energy: energy (tropical citrus) b vitamins + caffeine

for key nutrients: multi-v (lemonade) vitamins a-zinc

for fuel: formula 50 (grape) vitamins b+c+e

for recovery: restore (fruit punch) b vitamins + potassium

for immune support: defense (raspberry apple) vitamin c + zinc

for healing: xxx (acai, blueberry pomegranate) vitamin c

For fun? Try all nine and find out which one works best for you. they all hydrate, they all taste great, and they will all make you look cool just by holding one. try it.

We’re giving away a gift bag filled with health at the end of the month that will include all 9 flavors of vitaminwater. ENTER TO WIN HERE

A few weeks ago I signed up for “booty camp” as an experiment to see if being in an all-women’s class where I get yelled at until I exercise would be beneficial to overhauling my sorry-self. After four years of health & nutrition torture that I’d like to call “completing my undergrad,” I felt the gruelling, crawling-home-in-pain that can only be provided by an all-women’s fitness camp might just do the trick.

Let me say this: Booty Camp Fitness is so much more than being yelled at.

As Canada’s most popular (and largest) chain of booty camp classes, you could not ask for a more positive environment for accomplishing your health & nutrition goals. They provide you with nutritional support (recipe of the day, e-cookbook), an at-home DVD, and a book to track your progress over your 4-8 week course.

Well done, Sammie Kennedy. She’s created a program where for 4-8 weeks (depending how long you sign up for), you come to two classes weekly for one-hour each. During this time, you do drills, cardio exercise and strength training with approximately 12-15 other women. In addition to this, you’re expected to do the DVD at home at least once a week to get even better “results.”

Admittedly, the entire thing is kind of terrifying experience. So here’s how the first class went down:

Booty Camp Session #1: intro

I arrived 45 minutes prior to the start of the class; on your first day you’re required to have your measurements done, so be prepared for seeing your health in actual numbers.

This, in and of itself, is scary. They measure all the parts of you that you never want to know about: your thighs, your arms, your belly–they even use a caliper to measure how fatty your under arms are. They also weigh you.

Once all the “recruits” are measured, our instructor introduced herself to us and explained her role, her background and how the class was going to work. Despite being decked out almost head-to-toe in pink camo and wearing a whistle around her neck–she isn’t as scary as you think.

The class was a series of drills resting entirely on your body’s strength: squats, push-ups, sit-ups, kick-boxing and jumping jacks are just a few of the things you can expect to do.

I nearly died during the first class. Mid-squat I could feel my legs convulsing. I never realized how out of shape I was until I had to hold positions that I simply am not strong enough, or fit enough, to hold. For those of us who had never done a course before, it was really challenging.

Despite the fact that it’s now two days later and I can hardly move (and I have to go to class again tonight!) I’m really motivated to keep going. Between the goal-setting and positive encouragement, this “booty camp” might be the most positive space I’ve ever exercised in.

I’d like to think that as the classes progress (yes, they get progressively more challenging–ideally, you need to keep challenging your body to see results, otherwise you plateau) that I will, if nothing else, get stronger and gain more stamina.

The goal of the class is to decrease your body fat percentage (which you have to calculate), and to increase your lean muscle weight (which you also calculate). Even if you don’t lose weight, you should at least be able to make your butt look super hot in the jeans you’re going to reward yourself with when you finish.

That’s right. They tell you to set a goal and pick a reward that you’ll actually give yourself if you meet your goal.

Personally, I could afford to drop some pounds and get a new pair of mocassins, so I guess that’s my motivation.

Want more up-to-the-minute booty camp updates? Follow me on twitter where I regularly post (whine) about my experience.