Celebrate Earth Month by planting some Trees!

Celebrate Earth Month by joining me, my family and friends plant 2000 trees in Downsview Park this Sunday April 25th.

Admission is FREE! Lots of activities for the kids!

Tree planting begins at 11 a.m., all other activities and exhibits begin at 9 a.m.

Let's all teach the next generations by setting this example.

Join in the effort to plant 2000 trees this Earth Day.

For more information: call or email Downsview Park:

416-952-2222 or info@downsviewpark.ca

Date: Sunday, April 25, 2010

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Location: Downsview Park

Address: 35 Carl Hall Road Toronto, ON

There will also be recycling collection so if you have old tires, batteries or other items you'd like to save from a landfill, bring it with you to Downsview Park!

RAIN or SHINE, look forward to seeing everyone there,

Nadia

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

Let’s celebrate Earth Month!

Did you know that in a typical city of 100,000 people, approximately 170 TONS of household cleaners go down the drain each year, contaminating our soil and lakes, not to mention our household environment?

Do you want to save:

• Billions of bottles from the landfills?
• Thousands of dollars from your pocket?
• Help regenerate our lakes?
• Help nourish the soil our food is grown in?

Do you want to learn:

• How to make small changes to your day to day life which will help our planet?
• How to make a difference in the world while cleaning up your own environment?
• Contribute to tree planting activities around the GTA and the world?

Attend Earth Day Extravaganza at the International Centre, Lyra Room in Mississauga, Ontario (6900 Airport Road) on THURSDAY APRIL 15, 7:30 P.M. and you will have the answers to all these questions.

There will be green product giveaways, prizes and a raffle draw for a trip for 2!

FREE Admission FREE Parking

We are expecting a full room so arrive early!

Look forward to seeing everyone there,

Nadia

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

Eating Green - not the colour! It’s good for YOU and the Environment

Personal accountability is essential to achieving a healthy weight. The same goes for protecting and sustaining a healthy environment. You may not realize it, but your food choices and the way you shop for, prepare, and serve food can negatively impact the environment. So in honour of Earth Day this year, make small, meaningful and "greener" changes to your eating habits. Here are some great "eating green" tips to help you get started.

Make a Shopping List– Take inventory of everything you need for preparing healthy meals at home before you head out the door. This will prevent the need to make multiple trips back and forth to the store. You’ll not only save on fuel, but reduce the wear and tear on your car and your nervous system.

Got Canvas?– Neither paper nor plastic bags are a very good choice for the environment. It takes gallons of crude oil to make plastic bags, and many trees are sacrificed to make paper bags. Instead of using paper or plastic bags, invest in reusable canvas shopping bags. Most stores make them available for purchase near the checkout stand.

Say Goodbye to Plastic Water Bottles – North Americans buy billions of plastic water bottles every year, and every year those same billions of empty bottles get thrown in the garbage. Break the habit and use a neoprene bottle instead. If you think your tap water tastes "yucky" use a water-filtering system.

Buy Local and Organic– Buying locally grown food at a farmer’s market cuts down on the environmental costs associated with transporting produce to your community from great distances. Eating organically grown fruit and vegetables is also a good way to not only reduce your exposure to pesticides but help reduce the runoff and pollutants from "toxic" farming that can contaminate our water, soil, and air.

Eat Less Meat– The resources needed to raise livestock (e.g. feed, water, land, and fossil fuels) is significantly greater than those required for growing vegetables and grains. Try swapping out at least one meat dish a week for a vegetarian plate. If you do eat meat, buy free range, organically raised meat and poultry. It’s also the healthier choice!

Start a Veggie Garden–It doesn’t take much to start your own vegetable garden. If space is limited, start small with a planter box, nutrient rich soil, and a few seeds of your favourite veggies. Another benefit to gardening is that it will also make you appreciate the hard day to day work of farmers.

Cook and Clean Up Efficiently– Save energy and speed up cooking times by covering pots. The lid will keep the heat in and bring what you’re cooking to the right temperature faster. When it’s time to clean up, make sure the dishwasher is "full" before you run it. If you have a small number of dirty dishes, think about doing them the old-fashioned way: by hand, using a full basin of water (no running water) and a biodegradable dish detergent.

So make the small changes to be personally accountable to yourself and to your environment this Earth Month and every month going forward!

My colleagues, friends and family are involved in many events this month to celebrate Earth Day.

Two of these events are open to anyone and admission if FREE!

Earth Day Extravaganza at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on April 15th, 7:30 p.m. Join us in the Lyra room at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Road and learn about the problem and the pollution solution. Admission is FREE but you have an opportunity to make a $2 donation toward the planting of trees through “LEAF” - an incorporated non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of urban forests in the Toronto area. For each LEAF donation ticket purchased, your name will be entered in a DRAW for door prizes including an EXCITING GETAWAY!

Tree Planting Earth Day Weekend in Downsview Park on April 25th, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The goal is to plant 2000 trees from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Downsview Park, 35 Carl Hall Road, Toronto, Ontario. Lots of other activities available for the kids, starting at 9 a.m. For more information, call 416-952-2222 or email info@downsviewpark.ca

Hope to see you there!

To your health,
Nadia
Your weight loss partner
1-877-405-4471
healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com
www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

What's baking?

This week’s blog post we wanted to pass on a few recipes which we hope you’ll enjoy.

Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon fillet (cut into 4 pieces)

2 T chopped shallots

¼ C white wine or vermouth

2 T light mayonnaise

2 T light sour cream

2 t fresh lemon juice

2 t horseradish, freshly chopped or prepared, drained

2 t drained capers (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare a shallow roasting pan or baking dish with non-stick pan spray. Place salmon fillets, skin side down in the pan. Sprinkle the shallots over the fish, pour wine evenly over all. Bake 6-8

minutes or just until the fish is opaque.

While fish is cooking, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, horseradish and capers, if desire, into a small bowl and mix well. Transfer the salmon and shallots to warm serving plates. Top each with a heaping tablespoon of horseradish mayonnaise. Garnish with capers, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Calories: 269/serving

Nutritional information per serving:

23.67g protein

4.42g carbohydrates

14g fat

195 mg sodium

72 mg cholesterol

0g fiber

Fudge Brownies - This recipe makes about thirty-five 2x2 inch brownies

Ingredients:

1 C whole-wheat flour

1/2 C wheat germ

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 C apple juice concentrate

1/2 C butter

6 T unsweetened cocoa

1/2 C low fat buttermilk

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 C coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, wheat germ, and baking soda in a large bowl.

Combine the juice concentrate, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Bring to a bowl, stirring frequently. Add to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk, egg, egg whites, and vanilla extract and beat just until mixed. Gently fold in walnuts.

Pour the batter into a floured and greased 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes our clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool before cutting.

3 brownies = 1 whole grain serving!

Carob Brownies - For those who want the brownie without the chocolate!

Makes about thirty-two 1x2 inch brownies

Ingredients:

3 T butter

1/2 C plus 1 T apple juice concentrate

2/3 C raisins

1 t vanilla extract

2/3 C whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/4 C unsweetened carob powder

1/2 C chopped walnuts

vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

Combine the butter, juice concentrate and raisins in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, carob powder and walnuts in a medium sized bowl. Add the juice mixture and blend quickly but thoroughly.

Pour the batter into an 8-inch square pan that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about minutes. Let cool in the pan, then cut into squares.

Happy baking and ENJOY!

To your health,

Nadia

Your weight loss partner

1-877-405-4471

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

But I don’t have time to exercise!

I often hear, “I just don’t have the time to work out!” However, if you stop and look at your day, I’m sure you can find 20 minutes here and there which you can easily add some form of activity to your day.

I know we are all busy. Between getting to and from work, balancing responsibilities and having time for yourself, there's little time left over for workouts.

Escape the lack of time reasoning with three easy steps:

Step One: Schedule Your Workouts: If you treat your exercise time with the same importance as a work meeting then you'd never skip a workout. So mark 3 to 4 dates in your calendar right now and commit to these as if they are important business meetings. But, DON’T start something you know you won’t or can’t commit to. This applies to the dates and times, but also to the activity itself. If you don’t like step aerobics, then DON’T sign up for it! Do an activity you enjoy, this will help you to commit to the plan.

Step Two: Get the Most from Each Minute: You don’t need to spend 2 hours at the Gym for an effective workout. A great workout can take place in under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise.

To help make every minute count, use the following three tips:

1. Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage your muscles to stabilize. You can do this with an exercise ball, a balance board or a balance disk.

2. Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises.

3. Use Intervals: Interval training is a tool for creating short and effective workouts. All this means is alternating between different short activities.

For example, if you’d like to focus on your legs and abdominal muscles, you can do the following:

• Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 repetitions

• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

• Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 repetitions

• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

• Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 repetitions

• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

• Leg raises off the end of an exercise bench, 15-20 repetitions

Step Three: Get Better Results in Less Time: What if I told you that I have a proven way to deliver twice the fitness results in half the time? It's simple really...

When you attempt to get to your ideal healthy weight on your own, the odds are stacked against you. Sure, you could do it over time – but it's a long and lonely road. A road lined with temptations and insecurities that threaten to undermine your progress.

When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. You have me in your corner, coaching you every step of the way, keeping you accountable and giving you the daily encouragement you need. And I'll be the one congratulating you when your goal is met.

Call or email today to get started. If you start on our weight loss program before the end of March, and stick to the program for 3 consecutive months you will receive your FOURTH MONTH FREE!

As always, I’d like to end my blog post with a quote which I hope will inspire you to go for it: "Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you're ready or not, to put it into action." Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, Author

To your health,

Nadia

Your weight loss partner

1-877-405-4471

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

Let’s shake this weight off once and for all!

This week’s blog post concludes our 5 part blog on the 5 questions YOU need to ask yourselves when it comes to what is standing in your way of a healthy weight. We’ve covered the first 4 questions so far: Why? When? What? and Where?. And today we’ll cover How do we eat? I hope this has helped you to determine your challenges and empowers you to overcome them on your path to a healthy weight!

So, How do you eat? Are you always eating on the run? Is lack of time your reason for rushing through your meal? Are you eating at your desk while working, or in the car, or while walking to work? Although you may not think this makes a difference to your healthy weight, it actually does! Consider preparing your lunch and snacks the night before. Pack yourself a container of cucumbers, celery and radishes, these are all negative calorie vegetables. What I mean by negative calorie is that your body burns more calories to digest these veggies than the caloric intake of them, at the same time they tide your over to your next meal!

To most of us, eating right means eating more fruit and vegetables; whole-grain breads and cereals; leaner cuts of meat; and cutting back on high-sugar, high fat foods that provide empty calories.

But the truth of the matter is that eating right means much more. How you eat is equally as important as what you eat. It means eating mindfully—relying a little more on our intuition and eating with increased awareness. Not just awareness of the foods on our plate, but awareness of the entire eating experience. Eating with increased awareness is especially important for anyone trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

Choosing to eat mindfully means you're giving your full attention to both food and eating. It means you don't eat and watch TV or sit at the computer at the same time. It means you don't eat while you're driving, while you're working, or while you're talking on the phone. People who eat and multitask tend to eat too fast, take in excess calories, miss the subtle signs of fullness, and don't enjoy their food as much. Mindful eating makes it possible for you to fully experience your food so you can actually eat less but feel more satisfied.

Although eating mindfully with increased awareness may be different for every person, try embracing the following strategies:

• Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're comfortable.

• Don't wait until you're starving to eat. If you do, you’ll overeat

• Select foods satisfying for your body and your mind and eat them

in moderation.

• Savor the flavor, appearance, and aroma.

• Slow down, don't chew too fast. Chew your food 30 to 50 times

before swallowing.

• Just eat. Don't do anything else. Don't eat while watching TV,

sitting at the computer or in your car, driving, or while working.

Remember, eating right is not just about mindlessly gobbling up carrots and celery. It’s about giving eating and your body the attention they both deserve! So start practicing mindful eating strategies and you’ll begin to savour your food, find eating more pleasurable and get greater satisfaction from eating smaller quantities of food that, in turn, can help you achieve your healthy weight goals.

I’d like to close with the following quote:

"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."

Albert Einstein

I hope you devote yourselves to achieving your healthy weight goals.

To your health,

Nadia

Your weight loss partner

1-877-405-4471

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com

Fast Food, Restaurant or Home-cooked?

Continuing with the answers to five questions to help you understand the challenges you face in attaining a healthy weight, this week we are addressing the answer to the question “Where?”.

Where do you eat? The obvious concern is for those who are eating at fast food establishments or even restaurants. Don’t get me wrong eating out is okay but you need to keep it to a minimum or really ask what is in the meal being prepared for you. Remember it is more socially acceptable nowadays to request a meal be made for you in a specific way. Don’t be shy to ask for your chicken to be made with cold pressed extra virgin olive oil instead of margarine or butter, for instance.

The problem is that frequent visits to your favourite restaurant can present big challenges to your weight control efforts. But with some pre-planning and pre-thinking, you can change this.

Where You Go - If you decide where to eat on the spur of the moment, you're more likely to run into trouble. Give it some thought ahead of time and choose a place that has a varied menu with lots of options; skip the "all you can eat"-type places.

Before You Go - Look up the restaurant's menu on the Internet. Deciding what you will order before you get there can reduce temptation once you're there. Making reservations reduces waiting time, so you won't be starving when seated.

When You Get Seated - Just say no to the bread basket and the chip bowl - don't even allow them to be placed on the table. The same holds for the dessert and fancy drink menus - return them to your server as well. And remember to order water and start sipping; that will help ward off hunger.

What to Order - Be the first to order so you won't be tempted to change your mind. Order à la carte to keep overall portion sizes down. And don't be afraid to ask for substitutes like a salad instead of fries. Ask for a "half-order," choose an appetizer as your entrée, or share an entrée with your dining partner. Ask for sauces, dressings, and gravies "on the side."

When Your Food Arrives - How you eat is just as important as what you eat. Slow it down and enjoy the experience. Eat the lowest-calorie stuff first (for example, the salad or the steamed vegetables). After you've eaten half your meal, ask yourself if you're still truly hungry. If you feel "comfortable," guess what? You're done. Stop and ask for a doggie bag.

Then There's Dessert - Be cautious about playing mind games (like rewarding yourself with a piece of gooey chocolate cake because you've had such a healthy dinner). However, if you must indulge, make sure you are truly biologically hungry. Again, don't devour your dessert just because it's there; save some for later. Fresh fruit, or even a small serving of sorbet, is always a good option. Angel food cake is another possibility, if you must.

After You Eat - If you do indulge in that cake, or if you're just feeling like you ate a little too much, try taking a brisk walk around your neighbourhood. Or exercise a little longer or eat a little less the next day.

Stay tuned to next week’s blog when we discuss the answer to the question “How?”.

I’d like to close with the following quote which I hope will inspire you to get to your healthy weight!:

"You gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. You must do that which we think we cannot." Eleanor Roosevelt

To your health,

Nadia

Your weight loss partner

1-877-405-4471

healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com

www.healthyweightdancingfeet.blogspot.com