Protein Post Workout Cookies

1 Cup    Oat Flour

3 Cups  Rogers Porridge Oats or plain large flake oatmeal which will lower fat a bit

1 tsp.    Baking Soda

1/2 tsp.  Salt (second batch I took out as you don’t need it)

1/2 tsp.  Allspice or pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp.     Cinnamon

1 Cup    Raisins (loosely packed) they are super good with chopped dried apricots which are lower in natural sugars

1 Cup    Whole Pecans (then chop)

2 tsp.     Minced ginger from a jar

4            Egg whites (1/4 cup)

2 cups   Unsweetened Applesauce

1/3 cup Stevia Baking Blend (I use Stevia in the RAW)

1 tbsp.  Lemon rind

2 tsp.    Vanilla extract

3 scoops Phd Pharma Pure Vanilla Protein find it here (http://www.phdnutrition.ca/phdpharma-pure.html)

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix dry ingredients chopped pecans and raisins in one bowl

Mix wet ingredients and slowly add dry. Mix well and scoop using ¼ cup measuring cup and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and using a fork flatten the cookies to approx. 9cm.

Bake for 15-20 minutes

Nutrition per cookie is approximate from SELF DATA (makes 24 cookies)

Calories  115

Fat           5gr

Carbs      22gr

Fiber       3 gr

Protein 7 gr (you can up the protein by reducing Oat flour to ½ cup and adding 3 more scoops of protein) this will increase the protein to 13-14 grams per cookie, however they will be more dense and taste more like biscotti.

Sugar 8gr

Sodium 71 mg (if you omit adding salt sodium will be 25 mg.)

These are sooo good….If you like cookies crunchy reduce heat to 300F and bake for 20-25 min.

If you keep them in the freezer you will not be as tempted to have 2 or 3... :) 

ENJOY!!! 

https://www.facebook.com/phdnutritioncanada

CBBF Nationals 2013

   What a fun filled weekend to say the least. I have waited for this moment for over a year. Trained hard, ate well and trained some more. To step on the National stage with my fitness friends was a dream come true. So many memories. 

   I trained for this show for over a year hoping I would place at the BC Championships which were held on June 22nd, 2013. Placing third was a huge surprise with a sense of great achievement, this made me realize I got a two year qualification for nationals.

BC Championships June 22, 2013-3rd place

I decided to step on the national stage this year as I felt this was my best physique and I felt confident. Placing 6th was a little disappointing and I think its just human nature wanting to place top 5 and missing it you feel a little sad but not discouraged by any means.

   I am more driven than ever to push myself towards new goals and try to re-qualify for Nationals in July 2014 which will be held in Edmonton. I have a full year to train hard, eat well train some more and do it all over again. I am super excited to see what changes my body will make. 

   Since starting my fitness journey two years ago and loosing over 30 lbs and being able to keep it off is reward enough...Being able to step on stage is a bonus.

   I have to say this prep was the most fun for me....I took my time after the BC's taking a week off between shows...enjoying time with friends before getting back to the gym and training hard.

My meal plan was totally different. Not cutting really anything out and really just focusing on portions rather than no to this or that. I felt happy, energized and strong.

   I wouldn't change anything about my prep....Listening to my body and watching it transform week on week was a nice change.

   In the off season I will work on further conditioning my legs and building out my glutes. Finding balance is not always easy in the off season but having support will definitely help stay on track.

   Here are a few photos from the show and just based on the images I know what changes I need to make in the next year to bring an even better physique. A plan is in place and work has began. I can't wait to see my body make further changes....

 

And a few backstage photos:

With my girl Tyrer

TEAM BC

With Rachel Killam

With Kimberly Ho (we are both sponsored by Advanced Genetics)

With Paige Lodge

With Noya

A few between day and night show:

With my handsome husband.
My biggest supporter, life partner, best friend and
the man that sees no faults in me even during prep...Gotta love that!!!

With Natalie Dar and Traci

With owner and one of my sponsors Gus Manzano of NO LIMIT MUSCLE INC.

With Tarik Rahiman from Popeye's Surrey 

With Rachel Killam and Dar Ashmeade

With Derek Crossman from EON Therapeutics

With Magnum girls Heidi and Bryanne

And after the show pics...It's time to celebrate and eat:

With Lara Toma

With my PIC Stephanie

With Heather 

The Long-Term Effects of That Fast Food Meal

I thought of sharing this blog post from another site as I found it fascinating. What your body actually goes though after you have your planned cheat meal.

Don't get me wrong they are tasty and most if not all of us do it and embrace every moment of the experience. For competitors this happens every week for some maybe even twice a week....as we reefed with the wrong foods. What brings me to write this blog is the mental game I myself go through planning and deciding what my next cheat meal will be for some the new word is treat…Whatever you want to call it it’s probably BAD for you….

I myself have not had one since my birthday which was in early March and I must say I have had mental days where I just wanted to give up…I have had a couple reefed meals with clean wholesome foods but not a restaurant binge or anything like that…It has been hard to stay on track day in day out sometimes thinking how my relationship with food is now vs. before I started my fitness journey. Yes! Its all about finding balance….Its the HOW that is the challenge.

I have been able to balance it now but I did have a lot of ups and downs over the last year trying to figure it out…What is my maintenance level am I under my calories …way over and so on…Listening to your body can be a tricky thing. What to follow Blood Type Diet, Paleo, High Fat Low Carb….Low Fat…and the story goes on and on.

Currently I am prepping for my 4^th show and this thus far is my favourite prep of all…Why? Because in the off season I have discovered what my body needs vs. wants.

What foods I cannot tolerate due to sensitivities and how eliminating them has made a huge difference in my overall well being. I still have tough days where I have cravings and want to eat for 5…but this comes with the lifestyle of being focused on a goal of stepping on stage.

Am I hungry….No not at all…this is where my body tries to trick me and tell me what it wants vs. needs.

Anyhow onto the blog post…here it is. Have a read and maybe when you’re planning your next night out you will make better choices and focus on the company around you and not so much on the overload of fast foods you’re planning on consuming…

Source: Kimberly Snyder Blog

No matter where you live, the Fast Food Machine (FFM) will try to get you. They want you, me and everyone that ever eats a meal (yeah, in other words everyone!) or has a dollar in their pocket to support their ever-expanding empire, which is built on a sickening foundation of the cheapest, most processed “food” that contributes to myriad diseases and sickness.

So what I propose to do here is to start you thinking, really thinking, about the implications of every fast food meal. Some will say “Everything in moderation,” but I say not so with fast food. Each fast food meal digests to leave hormones, steroids, next-to-impossible to digest oils, cheap refined sugars and so many other horrible substances in your body that we made a whole infographic (below) on the subject.

Please share this with friends and family members that eat fast food. Maybe next time old Micky D’s calls out to them they turn their back and go somewhere healthier to eat or just eat a simple, but infinitely healthier meal at home.

Courtesy of: Kimberly Snyder

Photo Shoot Ready? How to....

This is one of the questions I get on our Facebook Page: The Fit Life 24/7.

Do you do anything special to prepare for a photo shoot the same way you prepare for a show?

Andrew and I do photo shoots that are close to shows as well as outside of show times so if we are close to doing a show....we do nothing as we don't want to mess with progress for stage, besides if the photo shoot is less than 4 weeks you should be pretty lean and its the perfect time to do a shoot.

However outside of show prep times this is one of the reasons Andrew and I try to stay relatively lean so if a great photographer will be in town or we go on vacation the preparation is quick and easy. I would like to say I am always ready but that's not the case so sometimes its nice to schedule a photo shoot if you don't have any shows coming up ..Pay for it and make a plan, work hard and capture the progress after. It can be the motivating step to get back on track.

I also like the images as a reminder why I started this journey during times outside of show preparation and if its close to ShowTime I like to compare progress.

Personally, I don't rely on crazy, last minute "tricks" to get ready for a shoot. If the photographer you are working with is good they will find a way to feature you in the best way possible....

Besides you are either ready or not...as the tips do not change the way you look they simply enhance what’s already there.

Here are a few minor tricks I have picked up over the last few photo shoots I have done. So here goes...

 Diet:

-In general I follow a carb cycle with low, med, high days. I stay on this up until the week of the shoot.

-4-7 days out: I begin limit sodium intake (condiments and dressings, cooking methods etc.)

-2-4 days out: I cut out carbs (except from greens) and eat lean white proteins with asparagus (a natural diuretic) and consume a lot of water (4-6 liters)

-The day before the shoot I consume only  750-1000 ml of water and add carbs back in (dry carbs like rice cakes work best for me)

-The day of the shoot I drink water when/if I start to sweat or sip on it throughout the day

Workouts:

-7 days out I stop my usual workout split as I don't want over-fatigued muscles or soreness (which may cause water retention and muscle swelling). I do full body workouts with lower weights and higher reps. 1 exercise per body part, 4 sets, 18-20 reps. You should be lean enough a week out so I don't do a lot of cardio. Sometimes I will do walking on treadmill or sauna sessions depending how I feel.

Misc. Tips:

-I drink distilled water starting a few days out and usually add lemon. (works to cleanse the system and acts as diuretic) a lot of opinions on this but it works for me so I follow this routine

-Dandelion root tea is a great natural diuretic if water retention is a concern

-Epsom salt baths the 2 days before the shoot, the last one is before tanning

-I always spray tan the night before, as my last prep task and rinse the morning of

The main thing I learned is that  balanced eating, training keeps me be in shape so getting ready is pretty easy. I have been able to manipulate my physique naturally in a short period of time with no stress to feel great and enjoy the experience of each shoot. I am not always super lean but that is part of the process.

 My First Photo shoot 

Kelowna May 2012

Second - end of June 2012...This one is after a show so my body is fuller and more curvy

Third photo shoot was in Las Vegas September 2012- Olympia Weekend

            Fourth shoot was with BAM Studio few days before my last show 

  November 2012

Water and Salt...What you need to know!!!

Take Water Seriously!

Post Source

Here are some Water Intake Facts

Our Health is Truly Dependent on the Quality and Quantity of the Water We Drink

·         Your muscles that move your body are 75% water

·         Your blood that transport nutrients is 82% water

·         Your lungs that provide your oxygen are 90% water

·         Your brain, the control center of your body, is 76% water

·         Even your bones are 25% water

From nerve impulses that travel around the body, to the transport of oxygen and nutrients throughout the system, water plays an integral role. It is vital that you drink plenty of water. Water not only provides you with nutrition, but it removes toxins. Water is your body's principal chemical component. 

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you do not have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. When the body gets low on fluid, every process will likely be compromised.

Dehydration can cause a diverse array of symptoms including:

·         Headache

·         Fatigue

·         Muscle cramps

·         Constipation

How Much Water Do You Need To Drink, and How Often?

A Few Simple Calculations to Assure You are Getting Enough Water/Salt Each Day

To better determine how much water you need each day, divide your body weight in half. The answer is the approximate number of water ounces you should drink daily. You should drink half of your body weight in ounces.

For me it’s about 55-60 oz min…I usually drink 4 liters. I train hard so I need to ensure I am drinking enough

Here are some Salt Intake Facts
Post Source

How Much Salt and How Do I Use It?

Maintain the Proper pH Level for Your Body by Balancing Your Salt/Water Intake

¼ tsp. per quart of water (4 cups) you drink daily. You can put the ¼ tsp. of sea salt in your water, or season your food with it, as it is suggested

What is important is that you get the proper balance throughout the day. You can't take all your salt in just two times a day, no more than you could do all your breathing in only two times a day. You cannot drink half of your water in one sitting and then the rest later that day and expect to be fully hydrated.

What is a Good Sea Salt?

Celtic Sea Salt

Good Celtic Sea Salt is totally unprocessed, kosher and hand harvested. It is dried by the sun and the wind, retaining the ocean’s moisture and locking in a vast array of vital trace elements. It is a coarse, moist salt that gets a light grey hue from the pure clay sole it is harvested from. There is no comparison, in taste or in health effects, between mineral-rich Celtic Sea Salt and chemically-treated iodized salts. This Unprocessed salt has a rustic old-world flavor that is more assertive than other varieties.

It is Important to be Sure You Are Getting the Right Kind of Salt

Good quality of sea salt contains more than 80 trace minerals. Be careful when buying sea salt or Celtic Sea Salt. If it does not list minerals on the back, the odds are that you have just bought expensive, prettier packaged table salt. All salt came from the sea at one point. So it is legal for anyone to label their low grade salt as sea salt. Good Celtic Sea Salt is NOT white or dry.

Unrefined sea salt is what you should look for.

It contains 98.0 % NaCl (sodium-chloride) and up to 2.0% other minerals (salts):

·         Epsom salts and other Magnesium salts

·         Calcium salts

·         Potassium (Kalium) salts

·         Manganese salts

·         Phosphorus salts

·         Iodine salts

Altogether, real unprocessed salt contains over 100 minerals composed of 80 chemical elements.

The composition of crystals of ocean salt is so complicated that no laboratory in the world can produce it from its basic 80 chemical elements -- nature is still a better chemist than people.

This salt has been used since beginning of life, by ocean plants, by animals and by human beings.

At all cost avoid Refined salt (Table Salt), which is 99.9% (sodium-chloride). It almost always contains additives, like 0.01% of potassium-iodide (added to the salt to avoid iodine deficiency disease of thyroid gland), sugar (added to stabilize iodine, and as an anti-caking chemical), aluminum silicate. FAKE!

But.....Isn't Salt Bad for You?

All the medical and scientific studies condemning table salt would appear to be justified, except for the fact that these studies examined only refined white salt, a biologically damaging, completely unnatural, and chemical substance to say the least.

In the industrial refining process, as many as 82 trace minerals and essential macro-nutrients are  removed on purpose, leaving only a single compound made of sodium and chloride. Can you believe it?

I hope this makes sense and clarifies some misconceptions about Salt the real deal and not the chemical crap sold in stores.

Thank you for reading.... Sweeteners are on my next To Do list...

Grace

Contest Prep, Results and Goals!

Sandra Wickham Fall Classic 2012

Two Weeks Post Show….Ahhhh Life is good!!!
It’s been almost two weeks since my last show Sandra Wickham Fall Classic which was held on November 10th, 2012 in New Westminster…

What a ride to this show prep was….The last 12 weeks have been busy to say the least

• New Plan  
• New Training Style
• Team Photo-shoots
• And Yes 6 am Cardio Dates :)

Team Elle Fitness

5 days in Vegas for OLYMPIA weekend smack in the middle of my prep …Nothing like a little distraction to meal planning, training and all those samples at the EXPO…Not easy but it was a fun filled 12 weeks.

I Placed 4^th and super happy with my progress. I get it now….the training the meal planning and how much manipulating goes into creating a bikini class body or any class for that matter.

Morning Show just got back stage getting all settled in

Me and Elle 

Huge Thank you goes out to my coach and trainer Elle Iakovenko my Sponsors, PureForce Nutrition and No Limit Muscle as well as Derek Crossman and of course my cardio and training partner my hubby Andrew along with the rest of my friends and family.

My lil medal and lucky number :)

Having  placed 6^th in Masters and 8^th in OPEN at my last two shows for being too lean …and working towards presenting a softer look at this show felt really good. Yes my glutes, hamstrings and quads could have been tighter but that was the risk I had to take to not come in shredded…lol …I like the lean mean look and I am rocking my 6 pack abs proudly two weeks after the show….I so missed them. Not sure how long they will stick around…

Eating clean sure helps….Have only had 3 treat meals since the show…I must say pretty good! First one the night after of the show followed by one for Ashley’s Birthday at Romer's Burger Bar…those lil doughnuts were killer!!!  Oh…and that glass of wine with dinner I had last Sunday with Bex was glorious!

Cookie treat from Tyrer...Glorious!!!

Learned my lesson from my previous two shows…to avoid blues, bloat and serious rebound you've got to keep it nice and clean and slowly add different foods as if you were testing for an allergy.…and same goes for cardio slowly reducing it has made a huge difference in keeping in great post competition shape…besides its nice to stand in front of the mirror everyday and see yourself lean and healthy rather than sluggish, bloated and totally not motivated. Been there done that….Never again!

This was a huge change from my last prep doing everything gradually and with thought process.

I have reduced cardio to twice a week now and just  little post workout and have gradually increased my food intake over the last two weeks…I didn't feel hungry this prep and some might say I didn't prep hard enough if I didn't feel hungry. 

Well I guess I didn't then…I am fine with that!

I certainly will never live my life hungry…Cranky due to limited things I can have during prep YES but not hungry! 

It’s honestly not worth it for me and a total set up for failure in my opinion.

Anyhow this was a great experience and it’s “GROW season” now. I will work on coming in tighter in my lower body for the next show which is held June 28th, 2013 and hopefully put on some much needed upper body muscle…..

It will be my daughters 15^th Birthday a week before my next show and I am attending a wedding a week before that…so those events should be interesting….as I have a hard time not celebrating special occasions…So maybe a sip of bubbly and a bite of cake will be in the cards J

Me and Veronica at Popeye's Booth where she worked both Day and Evening shows! My lil athlete...

Veronica will start prepping for her show in January and will enter OPEN class at the Western Canadians held in Kelowna, BC on May 18^th, 2013

I am very proud that she has decided to look at fitness as a part of her life and excited as her body is showing some great progress since she started training with me and Andrew about 4 months ago so I can’t wait to see her step on stage.

Initially I was a bit worried how she could handle the prep, the training, that little bikini…the plastic heels and all. But she’s not …She’s confident so why am I worried! Tough cookie!!!

She is having her suit custom made by Colleen Campbell aka “The Suit Lady” in Langley BC. Which is great because we can customize the size of the top and bottom to Veronica’s comfort level and her Dads too…He is going to have to watch her practice her posing after all…I can’t wait for that…I laugh every time I think about it.

Since becoming involved in the fitness industry and Andrew becoming certified as a personal trainer and getting a diploma in fitness and nutrition I have learned a lot about positive self image and that you have to work hard to stay healthy not just slim…I want Veronica to learn about her own self image and what she wants to look like and not have her body image be dictated by the food epidemic going on.

You control how you look but eating healthy wholesome foods and training your body like a machine to look the way you want it to look. It’s simple as that. There is a lot to learn about your body and how it works on the inside before you can see how it will look on the outside.

I guess it’s the same with who we are as people. “Never judge a book by its cover”. Someone may look slim but be totally unhealthy or have a bigger frame and be totally fit and healthy. Everyone has a story! As a family we strive to find and maintain the perfect balance.

You can follow our journey

https://www.facebook.com/TheFitLife247

or join in and follow Veronica's journey 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Bukowsky-Fitness/246655942123415

There is always some negativity that comes from stating you opinion and sharing with others how you choose to live your life as a person and as a family. Some you motivate and inspire and some you don’t.

I have learned to listen to my gut and only accept people in my world who have a positive outlook on life and bring out the best in me…All others sadly don’t matter.

I have tried to look past negativity and find goodness in everyone but unfortunately it’s too much work and I have more important things to worry about than keeping up with others…lol

My focus over the last 6 months has been on my family, my life and a few close friends that have supported me through phases of my life some good and some bad.

Other than that not much else has been happening in our little Fit Life world.

We are looking forward to spending the holiday season together with friends and family attend a few holiday parties along with hosting our own for all of our fitness friends and then celebrating the New Year with a BANG! Then real work begins….not really it’s already began but I like to be on the wagon for the New Years resolutions craze. Not sure what mine is yet…

Make More Money…Spend Less…Ya that’s a good one I think! Ha ha

Thank you for reading and hope you visit again.

Grace