Review ZUMBA!!

A few friends and I decided to try out a Zumba class at GoodLife Fitness in Lethbridge a month ago. This was probably the most fun I've had working out! The instructor of the class was a girl that I went to highschool with, and she was great!! The music was awesome and I was sure sweating at the end of the class. They had covered the mirrors with fabric so I couldn't see how ridiculous I looked and it was actually pretty helpful. It kept me dancing even when I didn't quite get the moves right! The class was packed and everyone looked they were having a blast!

They are starting a Zumba class in Raymond at the high school today and I am very excited to go. The classes will run Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30-8:30. This Tuesday and Thursday are free classes and $5 a class after that! Its a great deal!

I had done the Zumba video at home, and the class was for sure WAY better! The steps are easy to catch on to, so even if your not a dancer, or have don't have any rhythm it is still a great work out! And a lot of fun!

Update/ Miracle Noodle Review

It has been forever since I updated this blog! So I guess I better do a quick update. I am no longer doing the hcg diet. I have decided that getting into shape is more important to me, and exercise is a no-no on the diet. I went for a run last night and it felt so good to do it! I also registered for the Harlan Taylor Memorial Road Race on July 2nd in Raymond, and have 2 months to get in good enough shape to run the 10k! I am looking for a jogging partner if anyone is interested! I might be a little crazy thinking that I'll be able to do it, but I really want the t-shirt!

While I was on the HCG diet, I was dying for some pasta, or carbs of some type. I had heard about the Miracle Noodles from my parents, so I purchased a few packs from Oliver Health Foods in Lethbridge I think they were about 3$ a pack, and a package had about 2 servings.



The Miracle Noodle Low-Down

* made of naturally water soluble fiber with no fat, sugar, or starch.
* contain zero net carbohydrates and zero calories, no gluten -made of a healthy natural fiber called Glucomannan.
* wheat & gluten free
* Easily absorbs the flavors of any soup, dish, or sauce.
* are instant and come in a variety of styles
* have shown beneficial effects backed by medical studies for Type II Diabetes, Constipation, Obesity, and Cholesterol!

These noodles are amazing! However, the texture takes some getting used to... they are a little rubbery when they cool down. I made homemade spaghetti and an asian stir fry with them and they were both really good. The noodles do not have any flavor at all! You can substitute the Miracle Noodles for any type of pasta. They come in angel hair, fettuccini, shirataki and even rice!

www.miraclenoodle.com has a lot more information and some recipes.

So if your cutting back on carbs, if your celiac, or just wanting to try something new I would definitely recommend you try the Miracle Noodles!

Recipe #5 Taco Salad

This recipe is slightly HCG rogue, but it's super low in calories and is filling and yummy!

Taco Salad
1/8-1/4 c Pace Picante Salsa
2 c chopped lettuce

1. Toss together. Enjoy!

This has only has 40 calories in it! (when using 1/4c salsa) And has no added sugar!

Another variation is to add your seasoned 100g extra lean ground beef!

Recipe #4 - Mustard Sauce/Salad Dressing

I am so excited about this recipe! It is going to totally change the HCG diet for me! This mustard sauce is great with chicken or just over chopped iceberg lettuce!



Recipes are for about 1 serving

Mustard Sauce
2 tsp French’s mustard
3 tsp calorie free sweetener
1 lemon slice worth of juice

1. Mix all together.
2. Cut chicken into strips, dip and enjoy!

Mustard Salad Dressing

2 tsp French’s mustard
3 tsp calorie free sweetener
2 tsp Diet 7-up

1. Mix all together
2. Drizzle over salad.

*A little goes a long way on salad
** I am not sure if French's mustard is allowed on the HCG diet, but I am assuming so because the ingredients are vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, tumeric, paprika, spice, natural flavours, and garlic powder.

There is also 0 calories 0 carbs, and 0 sugar! Who knew??

Recipe #3 - Bruschetta

I like this bruschetta on melba toast and on top of chicken!

3 c chopped tomato
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Desired amount of basil (I use about 1/8c)
1-2 gloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients and let marinade for a few minutes. Enjoy!



* This recipe is not HCG diet approved as balsamic vinegar has sugar in it.

Review Hot Yoga

Last week I finally got to try out hot yoga(Bikram yoga). I was a little nervous about going because I have only done yoga a handful of times, and I am definitely not flexible. But it was a great workout and my arms and legs were burning the next few days.It was also very relaxing and my skin felt great after! The teacher was awesome at explaining exactly what to do, and was very motivating!

I will going back for more classes that's for sure!



Benefits of Hot Yoga or Yoga in General
- detoxification - heavy sweating helps to flush toxins from your skin
- heat allows you to go a little it more deep and safely into the postures
- heat elevates the heart rate, which helps the body to work harder.
- relaxation
- improves breathing, which helps conditions like asthma
- tones muscles/ increases core strength
- improves posture
- decreases headaches
- curbs anxiety/depression


How To Prepare For Your First Hot Yoga Class
- make sure you well hydrated before and after class
- don't eat a big meal right before your class
- know your limits and if you feel dizzy make sure you sit or lay down

Things To Bring To Hot Yoga
- your own yoga mat if you have one
- a full water bottle
- a hand towel
- a change of clothes

Everyone should try hot yoga! Yoga Rituals in Lethbridge has a great teacher and atmosphere. A week unlimited pass for people trying it out is only $25!

HCG Update

I was originally planning on doing the HCG diet for the 40 straight days.... but I changed my mind (as I often do) and decided to do the 21 days so I can have a break to exercise!! While on the diet you are allowed to do a little bit of exercise like walking, or yoga. But it just wasn't enough! It has been a solid year since I've had a good hard workout. You know the kind where you cant walk for a few days after?! Ya, I want one of those.

So tonight, I am going to my first hot yoga class at Yoga Rituals in Lethbridge. Yay!

Recipe #2 - HCG Lemon Chicken

I love chicken! It is so versatile and easy to make delicious!

HCG Lemon Chicken Sauce

1/2 c water
2 tbsp orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 c vinegar
2 tbsp Bragg's Soy Sauce
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Mix together all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat
2. In casserole dish pour sauce over 100g chicken and let marinade for an hour *optional
3. Pour sauce back into pot leaving chicken in casserole dish, warm sauce over low-medium heat
4. Cook chicken at 350 for 15-20 minutes (or until no pink)
5. Add chicken to warm sauce and let cook for 5-10 minutes
6. Remove and top with Stevia, pepper, salt to taste

HCG DIET SAMPLE DAY

The HCG Diet is amazing! I cannot say enough good things about it! What you are allowed to eat is very limited but get creative and you'll be totally satisfied!

Here's a sample of my day!

Breakfast - Tetly Mojito Herbal Tea and 1 orange

Lunch (usually at 12) - Lemon chicken and steamed asparagus

Snack - Sugar free Cherry Pomegranate Jello (not on protocol but it's only 5 calories per serving)

Dinner -(usually at 6) 3 mini burgers topped with lettuce and tomato

Snack - Chamomile Tea

Check back for the Lemon Chicken and Mini Burger Patties recipes!

mamalates: mom+baby pilates based workout

Tip #2 - Exercise

Being a new mom, exercise is often the last thing on our to do list. Between taking care of Big D, dishes, laundry, cooking and working, exercise is never a big priority (especially when you cant go outside)
Here are a few easy ideas on how to get some added exercise in your day!

#1 Stairs - even if you have only a few steps, doing 5 minutes of stairs a 154 lb person would burn up to 50 calories. That's the equivalent of 1 piece of bread! Carrying a baby with you or even a bucket of laundry will burn up to 289 calories!


#2 A few minutes is better than nothing - Do a quick set of sit ups, squats, push-ups, lunges, or dead lifts (with a broom handle if you don't have a bar) as soon as you wake up in the morning, and before you go to bed or every time you put your little one down for a nap.

#3 Dance! - Put on some tunes and dance as you clean and do your chores or with your baby. They'll love it!

#4. The Ball - An exercise ball is such an easy way to burn a few more calories. Sit on it instead of the couch! I also use the ball to bounce Big D to sleep some nights instead of using the rocking chair.

#5. Mamalates- mamalates.com has a great dvd available on their website (youtube clip above) Incorporating your child into your workout will make it more fun for you and for them, and easier to get the workout done, because they will be entertained.

Recipe #1 - For all you cottage cheese haters

I used to despise cottage cheese! It reminded me of curdled milk! Yuck! You are allowed 100g of skimmed milk cottage cheese occasionally on the HCG diet. When your eating chicken, and beef everyday any variation is such a relief! This treat is great to cure your sweet craving!

Mock Pudding
100 g skim milk cottage cheese
1/2 tsp artificial vanilla flavoring (check to make sure that there is no sugar or carbs in your vanilla)
1 tsp stevia
dash of cinnamon

1. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

* if the clumps bother you puree it in a blender or magic bullet
* this will count as 1 of your protein servings for the day

FYI #1 - Stevia

Aspartame has been given a lot of bad press in the past and in the present. Apparently there are a wide range of side effects from the consumption or over consumption of this synthesized sweetener. Aspartame is also not recommended too cook with.

Stevia is a great alternative and like aspartame is CALORIE FREE! It is derived from a plant and is recommended for people with diabetes or carbohydrate controlled diets.


It comes in liquid or powder forms. (Most of the flavors are in liquid form) and you can put it in water, tea, coffee, milk, protein shakes, oatmeal, plain yogurt or anything else you would normally put sugar in.

Some examples of flavors available are
* Cinnamon * Grape * Chocolate * Peppermint * Root Beer * Apricot Nectar * English Toffee * Vanilla Creme * Valencia Orange * Lemon Drop * Chocolate Raspberry * Berry * Hazelnut

You can purchase them at Nutters or Oliver Foods ($12-15 per bottle) for sure in Lethbridge there is probably other stores too.

www.steviasmart.com or www.amazon.com has them at a good price too.

Summary
One level teaspoon of sugar = 16 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate
One level teaspoon of aspartame = a slew of possible health problems
One level teaspoon of stevia = 0 calories, and 0 grams of carbohydrate!

Tip # 1 - Simple, but satisfyingly smart!

I love these little baggies! I am a dunce when it comes to cooking fresh vegetables. Solution = Zip'n Steam. It is so easy, you just take the vegetable you want to make (my favorite is asparagus) put them in the bag, add seasoning if you want any, garlic powder or salt, is always a good choice and cook as directed on the package. You can also make shrimp, fish, chicken, and frozen vegetables in them! They are $2.80 ish at Wal-mart and come with 7 bags. ( I wash and reuse mine BUT if I make any sort of meat in them I throw them out to prevent cross contamination)
Super easy, and quick solution to adding veggies to your meal!

Post #1 - Challenge Accepted

Here's a some info on myself.

I am a wife, and a mother of one little precious 5 month boy we'll refer to as Big D. When he was born I weighed in at a whopping 190 lbs. Which on my 5'3 frame was a lot! I was always active growing up and in the average weight category. 3 months after Big D was born I was at 170 pounds and I realized how hard it is on your body to be carrying around extra weight. My joints ached, and I had a hard time sleeping ( and it wasn't because of the baby, because he sleeps great!) I just felt all around yucky and I was slightly depressed. I knew that if I was going to be able to be a good mom and wife I had to get myself in order, and back in shape. I have had the worst "luck" with diets. Luck actually has nothing to do with it, but I was never able to stick to a diet before. Every January 1 I would write an extensive plan on how I was going to drop those 10 pounds, and then it was 15 the next year and it just kept going up. So this January I HAD to make it different. I had at least 40 pounds to loose. A number that seemed impossible to reach. But, this year I had Big D to think about.

I had been hearing a lot of hype about the HCG diet, a co-worker of mine had done it and lost over 100 pounds. A few other people I knew were also successful at it. So I decided I was going to give it a try.

Now it's 20 days later and I've lost almost 20 pounds! I have 20 days left and hopefully another 20 pounds gone! How awesome is that?! The HCG diet, hasn't been super easy, but it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be either. It definitely was an eye opener to how wrong my view of food was, and what my diet had been doing to my body. Before I could eat a flat of doughnuts and I would wonder why I felt bloated!

What keeps me going is the challenge. You are allowed only 500 calories of certain food, along with taking the oral drops. Trying to find a different tasty arrangement of food every day is like a game. Making up, and revising recipes is a lot of fun! (I'll be including my recipes on here too!)
So wish me luck that my willpower is resilient enough to last these few weeks!

If you want more information on the HCG diet www.hcgdietinfo.com is a good site or if you have any questions feel free to ask!

The Start of Something New

Hello, hello hello! I am very excited to be starting this new blog! Slimmer Things is all about the things in life that help us to stay slim! Pretty obvious right?! Hopefully you'll be able to find something on here that you can use. There will be tips, tricks and reviews of the "it" products of today!

So check back for a read often!

Leave any questions or things you would like to see on here in the comments and I'll do my best to help you out!