by Fawn | Oct 28, 2019 | Uncategorized
It can be a bit intimidating to try out a new class, especially one that you’re not even sure how to pronounce. Pilates (pronounced puh-la-teez) is a low-impact form of exercise that will work your entire body, efficiently and effectively. Before you begin pilates, here are 5 things you should know. #1. It will greatly improve your overall health. Not only will you enjoy the visual benefits of a flatter stomach and tighter muscles, but you will also be rewarded with increased flexibility, joint mobility and a stronger core. Pilates improves your posture and your bones density. It also a fantastic stress reliever and helps build great mind-body awareness. My clients often refer to Pilates as the Fountain of Youth. #2. No shoes required. Pilates does not need any fancy shoes or exercise gear. Most exercises are done seated or lying down so all you need is a mat, comfortable workout gear and socks to keep your feet warm. #3. You will leave feeling taller. Pilates greatly improves your posture. Pilates teaches proper spinal alignment which is imperative for overall health. This is done by strengthening your back and abdominal muscles through specific mobility exercises. Many people leave mat class feeling taller. #4. Your muscles will shake. Pilates doesn’t focus on just one muscle group. Not only will you be working your core, but you will be working your hips, legs, shoulders and back as well. Thats another fantastic thing about pilates….it’s an overall workout. #5. Pilates works every single muscle group. A pilates mat class is very different than high intensity fitness classes but that doesn’t mean you... by Fawn | Oct 6, 2018 | blog, diet, Healthy Eating, Recipe, Uncategorized
Turkey and dressing and gravy…oh my! Oh, how I do love a great stuffing. Err….Thanksgiving stuffing that is;) Like most of us, I tend to overeat at Thanksgiving and then end up feeling guilty and try to make up for it by working out extra hard the next day or two. How smart would it be if instead of repeating that pattern (or making the same decisions over and over as I’ve written about previously), we create new patterns? Let’s focus on enjoying Thanksgiving dinner WITHOUT overeating and feeling guilty? I’ve devised some simple tips we can all utilize right away. Tip #1. Stay hydrated. Simple, right? One would think. A great way to not overindulge in food is to simply drink more water the day before the dinner and the day of. Often we overeat simply because we are actually thirsty. I know that sounds weird but our body can mix up the ‘thirsty’ and ‘hungry’ signals causing us to eat more when what we actually need is more water. So drink up! Water, that is. And remember, if you’re drinking alcohol, to counter the dehydrating effects you need a 2:1 ratio….2 glasses water for 1 glass of booze (not the other way around;) Tip #2. Plan a big workout the day after. This works like a charm around any big ‘eating’ event. Organize a hike or workout or a barre workout class the morning AFTER the eating event. And then, book it in with a friend as well. A friend that won’t cancel on you. Don’t pick the wishy-washy friend….maybe find your die-hard friend and organize something with them.... by Fawn | Sep 8, 2018 | blog, Exercise, Healthy Eating, Life, Life Coaching, Uncategorized
Okay, people…..the kids are back at school and settled, summer is clearly over and so now that leaves you. It is time to get your shit together and set up your fall fitness & health routine. Those of you who know me know that I LOVE September. Not for the weather or the changing colours and all that other poetic stuff people wax on about. Yes, the leaves are pretty, I’ll give you that but I am perfectly happy with summer weather all year round. I LOVE September because, for me, it’s OPPORTUNITY! September signals new and fresh. It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s when I feel most creative and productive. Yes, January is the actual ‘new year’ but September has always been more of the new year to me than January. This September is especially exciting for me because I moved from where I lived for 18 years to the city. I took a leap of faith and literally jumped from the pond to the ocean. And I’m super excited about it. (Sometimes I feel nauseous about it too but mainly excited;) Anywho….after a summer of no routine, alcoholic beverages (hello Nudes!), yummy BBQs, chips, chilling & beaching it, it is time for us to get our shit together! Have you registered for fitness classes yet? Or have figured out in your schedule where you can fit fitness in? Have you hired a personal trainer yet? Or a life coach? What are you doing to work toward your health & fitness goals this fall season? If you want to be really successful with your fitness &... by Fawn | Jun 29, 2018 | blog, diet, Healthy Eating, Recipe, Uncategorized
Are you using nutritional yeast yet in your cooking? You should! It’s delicious and nutritious and you will feel so righteous using it too;) You’ll be all like ‘Would you like some nutritional yeast with that?’ And your friends will say ‘What’s nutritional yeast?’ And then you’ll be all like, ‘You don’t know about nutritional yeast? Well, let me tell you!’ Also, if you want to be totally cool, call it ‘nooch’. So what is nutritional yeast? It’s similar to the yeast used for bread, but it won’t make dough rise because it’s inactive. Nutritional yeast is pasteurized and dehydrated saccharomyces cerevisiae — the strain also known as baker’s yeast. I use Bob Mills brand which you can find in pretty much every grocery store now but to make it super easy, you can buy it right here through Amazon.ca. (Don’t you love Amazon? Delivered right to your door!) Not only is the cheesy flavour of nutritional yeast is delicious, it’s really healthy for you too. It has a decent source of protein and is fortified with vitamin B12. This is perfect if you are vegan/vegetarian and are trying to get enough B12 into your daily diet. So, how does one use nutritional yeast? Well, if you’re my teen-aged daughter, you liberally sprinkle it on every single thing you eat for a cheesy flavour. Or, try this amazing dressing that you will literally not be able to stop eating. This dressing is delicious on roasted veggies and all salads as well as chicken, fish, baked tofu, etc. etc. It’s from the Hollyhock Centre on Cortes Island. You can get their cookbook here. Okay…here... by Fawn | May 15, 2018 | blog, happiness, Life, Relationships, Uncategorized
I’m constantly reminded that living a healthy life is NOT just eating right and exercising daily. It’s so much more. It’s how you speak to yourself. It’s how you speak to others. It’s the thoughts you think. It’s the way you feel. It’s what you read. It’s what you watch on TV. It’s your emotional health. It’s your mental health. It’s your spiritual health. It’s your relationships. Health is your whole damn life. I’ve been seeing a counsellor weekly for about a month now and every time I see him, I learn so much more about myself and how I’m connecting with others. Light bulbs go off all the time when talking with my counsellor. And I am so very, very grateful for that. He gives me so much to think about and ways to think about things differently. Lately I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to make the ‘other’ wrong. That way, you are ‘right’ and you feel better. Have you ever had the experience of someone making you wrong so that they are right? I have. A lot. And what I’ve come to realize is this….. it is never about you. It isn’t. It is always about them and their own shit. Their fears. Their judgements. Their insecurity. What you are doing actually doesn’t matter, it’s their own feelings they are reacting to that is causing them to make you wrong. See, because if they didn’t make you wrong, if they didn’t judge you, then they’d have to look inward. They’d have to sit in their own anxiety or fear or whatever is going on... by Fawn | Apr 16, 2018 | blog, happiness, Life, Uncategorized
Anxiety and panic attacks are nothing to be ashamed of. I have them. I have friends who have them. Lots of people experience anxiety and feelings of panic. It does not mean there is something wrong with you or you are broken. It’s simply who you are. And that, my friend, should be celebrated. My earliest memory of a panic attack was in the backseat of my parent’s car. I remember thinking about dying and death and my whole body froze. I felt all sweaty and my stomach was churning like crazy. It was hard to breathe. But I couldn’t say anything to my parents because they would just say ‘Oh don’t be silly’ like they always said to me when I tried to talk about my feelings. They would get worse during different times of my life but again, I could never talk about them. Oh my god….during my separation when all the shit hit the fan, I would wake up nightly panicked. I’d ‘mantra’ myself back to sleep with ‘you’re okay, you’re okay’. I started getting major reflux and I lost 13 lbs! But still, I didn’t talk about it. Maybe people would think I was weird and like my parents said, I had no right to feel worried about anything. Other people had it worse. Maybe I’m just being soft? When I hear other people talk about their symptoms though I always thought, ‘well that’s not like mine so maybe I don’t have anxiety’. My friend had such panic attacks that she couldn’t walk or drive over a bridge! Mine never looked like that so I...