My First Mother's Day... Two Weeks Later

I've been majorly busy the last few weeks as we get our house packed up to move. I am SO EXCITED to be in our new house. I'm especially excited for people to move the heavy boxes that contain my many pairs of shoes (2 extra large boxes full... no joke), for my Mom to cook for me, and for my Dad to paint and wallpaper. I'll be busy "taking care of my son" (read: walking 5 minutes to the wine store). I'm not sure why people say they hate moving???

I haven't had a chance to write about my first Mother's Day, so this will be about 4 posts in one. For those who don't follow me on Facebizzle or Twittzer, well... I understand why you don't because of my embarrassing need to make words sound remotely un-gangsterish. Though I do post fun things there, including my latest post for What to Expect.

I really wanted the title for this to be "How to Make Sure Your First Mother's Day Doesn't Suck", but I relented and went with "A Letter to my Husband on my First Mother's Day". Take a gander if you'd like.

Just before my first Mother's Day, I got an email telling me I had been chosen as one of three new Mom Power Team members! This is an amazing group of Moms who kill it in the gym and manage to find time to do everything else in life. Apparently I fooled them enough to make them think I do the same.

My first Mother's Day in real life totally rocked. I was woken up by something other than my son... the ALARM. I was running the Sporting Life 10K and we had to be up at the butt crack of dawn to be down there in time along with the other 27,000 runners (WTF). I realize most Moms would run 10 kilometres way the hell in the other direction in order to sleep in and stay way the F away from a diaper, but I was excited to do my first race since having my little ear drum killer angel.

The best part about the run? My Dad throwing out his back.

Wait, hear me out. My Dad is a runner and threw out his back the week before the race. While this is terrible, my Mom actually decided that she would take his bib and DO THE RACE herself!!!! She's never done a race before, and I was really pumped and proud that she did it. She is notoriously a walker, but ended up doing a run/walk and finished in 1:16! Basically faster than a shit ton of people who ran alone. She is cray cray. I was so proud.

My Mom, Sis and I. We were napping.

I was pretty proud about my race. Running has been, for me, the most difficult to "get back" after having a baby. It's great to get out and listen to music and be with myself for a while, but to get back to my regular pace has been harder than I anticipated. That being said, I was really happy with my run. My legs felt heavy the entire time, but I did it, and I felt great about that.

I finished in 53:33 (my PR is 48:25, but this was a great run for me!) and my hubby and baby boy were at the finish line waiting for me. It was an amazing feeling... especially since my husband had to change what I'd estimate to be at least 2 diapers.

Score.

Just like winning an Olympic medal.

We went for a greasy spoon lunch at Wvrst where I got my favourite chocolates, a Lulu gift card, and came home to this.

Hallelujah!

I anticipate that people (read: you) will want to get me a Mother's Day, housewarming, or favourite blogger gift to help me fill my new wine fridge. To this, I accept. Please make sure it has a screw top and price really isn't an issue.

How was your Mother's Day? What did you get your Mom? What would be a great gift for you to receive? 

EPIC Canadian Giveaw-EH!!!

When I was in high school, I always wished I'd get lucky. 

Unfortunately, my two-week perm, headgear braces, AA-sized bra, and the fact that I thought tearaway pants were couture kept me from getting the guy. Or... from having many friends. 

But today... today I feel lucky. And you should too. 

I bring you the most EPIC Canadian Giveaway... or GiveawEH as we Canadian peeps like to say (I still have no friends). There are 7 total ways to win!!! 

These fabulous ladies and I wanted to team up and share some of our favourite, local and just generally awesome products. We will be choosing seven winners (one for each product or prize pack).

Who is "we"? (Bonus: Canadian girls put out... so I hear): 

We are Katy from Fit in Heels (preach), Laura from Scribbles and Sass, Davida from The Healthy Maven, Tara from I'm Fit Possible, Sarah from My Mostly Healthy Life, Michelle from Push Pump Progress, and Suzi from Confessions of a Fitness Instructor and we have teamed up to basically bring you the coolest giveaway ever.

Y'all ready for fo' this? You have to imagine Jock Jams Get Ready For This by 2 Unlimited playing in the background as you read the rest of this post! Dah dah dah dah, dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah! (Bonus points for anyone who actually sang that outloud... or cared)

HERE are the FAB giveaway items!!! 

Eat Clean Diet

Tara hooked us up with some epic Eat Clean goodies!!! Win one of two Eat-Clean Diet and Raw Elements Inc sponsored goody bags! Goody bags include Tosca Reno's favourite Sunwarrior supplements, a special recipe from Tosca and two titles from Tosca Reno's bestselling Eat-Clean Diet series.

Prize:

1 green Eat-Clean Diet grocery bag

1 Raw Elements Water bottle

1 sample of Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Protein Powder

1 sample of Sun Warrior Activated Barley Powder

1 sample of Sun Warrior Ormus Greens Powder

1 copy of Tosca Reno's Just the Rules

1 copy of The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian cookbook 

1 back issue of Oxygen Magazine (Tosca Reno cover)

1 back issue of Clean Eating Magazine (June/July 2012)
As well as a recipe from Tosca using the supplements in the goody bag.

Urban Running Girl

Back in November, Michelle stumbled upon a local Toronto based company called Urban Running Girl. Urban Running Girl makes running shrugs...yes, that's right...RUNNING SHRUGS! These shrugs are designed for active women. "The idea of a running shrug came about from the need to keep warm while warming up during and early morning run, particularly in the spring and fall. It's too cool to start with only a tank top or t-shirt, but once you are warmed up and/or outside the temperature rises. Then it becomes too warm for a long sleeve shirt or jacket". These shrugs come in a variety of colours: purple, black, pink, orange and turquoise. The shrugs are made of tech material that wicks away quickly, it also has fold over cuffs that you can use to cover your hands on cooler days!

Prize: One awesome running shrug in your choice of colours!

Allergic Solution

Allergic Solution allergen-free mixes were created from a place of knowledge about nutrition and how a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle can heal the body. The founder of the company is both a nutritionist and consumer who has yearned for healthy, allergen-free, gluten-free food products available in the market place. Their mission is to provide ethically and socially responsible products that support the needs of people with allergies, assist in reducing inflammation in the body and contributes to overall health. The mixes are free of corn, dairy/casein, gluten/wheat, peanuts, tree-nuts and soy and are also 100% vegan, kosher certified and are made in North America.

Prize Includes: Yeast Free Bread Mix, Pancake/Waffle Mix, Vanilla Cake Mix, Carob Cake Mix and a recipe book.

Omega Crunch Shelled Flax

Regular flax contain a hard outer shell that our digestive system is unable to breakdown so it passes through the body without us absorbing any of the nutrients of the kernel found inside.  You can get around this by using ground up flax but the taste leaves a lot to be desired. Omega Crunch however, is produced with shelled flax (flax that has had the hull removed from the inner flax kernel). Your body is able to easily digest the flax seed and reap the benefits offered by the seed. And they taste great! The natural flavour really doesn't taste like anything and you can throw it in granola and raw macaroon recipes, or top of yogurt with a tablespoon of shelled flax.  It adds a crunchy texture without the taste of the ground flax.  You can also buy it in maple, cinnamon and garlic flavours.

The other thing amazing about this product is that is is made in Nova Scotia.  In fact, it is produced in New Minas which is only 20 minutes away from where Suzi lives, and is produced in partnership with The Flower Cart which is an organization that provides training and employment for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Prize Includes: One 225g shaker bottle of Regular Shelled Flax.

Koge Vitamins

These ain’t your momma’s vitamins, but if you’re a nice kid you should get them for mom, anyway...it IS almost Mother’s Day! 

Koge takes the confusion out of buying vitamins, as simplicity is their motto; there are only four options. Koge’s expert team of doctors and nutritionists have put together multi-product vitamin packages designed to ensure you receive the holistic benefits you desire. Each tub has 30 packs of vitamins, so all you have to do is take one a day and enjoy the benefits. The best part about Koge (besides wicked vitamins and spirited, down-to-earth, cute founders)? For every purchase, they donate vitamins to children in Africa under the age of 5 suffering from malnutrition. It’s a win-win; improve your health and permanently improve the lives of others. 

Prize: One month supply of Daily Essentials. They'll provide you with a complete set of healthy nutrients required for optimal day-to-day wellness. Your body will be at its best, no matter what the day throws your way.

Face of Hope

Located in Strathroy Ontario, Face of Hope is a skin care company that absolutely ROCKS! Why? I will totally tell you! Here are some legit reasons:

• 100% All Natural ~ 90% Certified Organic
• Simple yet very effective, containing highly active natural ingredients
• Handcrafted in small batches
• Amber glass packaging that is 100% recyclable
• Pure Organic Floral Waters are the only waters used
• Essential minerals - assists the health & vitality of the skin
• Vitamins A, E, F and C and Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils - offers support and nourishment for the skin

 Never formulated with parabens, toxic preservatives, synthetics or artificial ingredients, petrochemicals or mineral oils. Also the owner Liz, is an absolute gem!

Prize: The Prevent & Repair System (travel size) has been formulated to create a state of well being and balance for the skin. This daily routine of cleansers, toner, treatment and moisturizers provide all the nutrition needed for healthy glowing skin. Ingredients containing pure vitamins, minerals and omega oils are all carefully combined to produce Six powerful products that all play a role in reducing acne, redness, wrinkles and sun damage.

 NoSweat Laundry

And finally, one of my babies. NoSweat has been amazing for me, mostly for the astronomical amount of money I've spent invested in workout clothes. What goes in to the washing machine is rank-ass, stinky laundry (courtesy of me and my husband, two fitness junkies who like to sweat) and what comes out smells so good it makes me want to shove my face in my husband's jock.  

I said it. 

NoSweat can be used on its own (you need the teeeeniest amount), or in addition to your laundry detergent. It takes out yellow stains and works specifically with workout gear materials! In addition, the Mat Spray is an amazing addition to your yoga practice, to freshen up your mat!

This is a must-have for any fitness instructor, personal trainer, Phys Ed teacher, runner, athlete, or anyone else who lives in their workout gear.

Prize: Two full-sized 500ml NoSweat laundry detergent (one in sweet freesia and one unscented), one travel size citrus rush laundry detergent and one mat spray in sweet freesia.

Need a recap? 

Here are the prizes up for grabs:

1. One of two Eat-Clean Diet and Raw Elements Inc sponsored goody bags.
2. One awesome running shrug in your choice of colours from Urban Running Girl.
3. Yeast Free Bread Mix, Pancake/Waffle Mix, Vanilla Cake Mix, Carob Cake Mix and a recipe book from Allergic Solutions.
4. One 225g shaker bottle of Regular Shelled Flax from Omega Crunch.
5. One month supply of Daily Essentials from Koge Vitamins.
6. The Prevent & Repair System (travel size) formulated to create a state of well being and balance for the skin from Face of Hope.
7. Two full-sized 500ml NoSweat laundry detergent (one in sweet freesia and one unscented), one travel size citrus rush laundry detergent and one mat spray in sweet freesia.

What do all of these products and companies have in common? The are CANADIAN and we absolutely love each and every one of them. Of course, they love us right back too!

Can we get a round of applause for these ridiculously fabulous companies? Now it's your turn! Simply enter using the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win of of the seven awesome products or prize packs. This giveaway is open to all residents of Canada and the US. Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jaybird BlueBuds X Bluetooth Wireless Headphones... These babies could be YOURS!

Often, I'm contacted by people who would like to send me stuff. Generally, it's people offering to give me the finger, but this time it was a little different.

I was contacted by JayBird Sport, asking if I'd like to try out their stylish and sleek premium bluetooth wireless headphones.

I figured they saw how exceptionally hardcore I am (read: I walk with my baby and often get out of breath) and wanted to send me a pair to try out. Then, I checked out their Facebook page and saw many, many athletes doing things like mountain biking, road racing, skydiving, snowboarding... pretty much everything I don't do.

Then, I understood. They got this photo of me going for my run and figured I could really benefit from looking much more badass.

Man, I look good.

I decided to snap my own photo, this time of me jumping rope.

You can tell it's me because of my jacked pipes. 

I was intrigued. Music MAKES my workouts, and not needing to worry about wires on headphones seemed too good to be true.

I immediately dove into these bad boys when I got them in my hands. It was a little daunting to configure them, but that's because I have a hard time putting batteries in the remote control, let alone pick from two different ways to wear the headphones (in front of ears or behind ears), three different earbud sizes (I'm happy to say, I have very skinny eardrums), and three different ear cushions.

I have a confession. That really wasn't me in the other photos. In case you were wondering.

My buds. 

It was seamless to connect to the Bluetooth on my iPhone (it took all of 5 seconds)! I felt like a rock star walking away from my phone and still being able to hear my music. I felt like less of a rock star when I couldn't find my phone a few hours later.

Finding the perfect fit does take a little getting used to. It took me a few runs to get it just right- I thought there wasn't enough bass at first, but realized I needed to make a tiny fit adjustment to correct the problem, and change my iPod setting to Equalizer for greater sound.

You cant tell, but I'm smizing. 

There are TONS of reasons to love these headphones. They are the official training headphones of USA Triathlon (which I'm pretty much a team member of), they have an amazing heavy duty 8-hour battery life, they have X-Fit- the ability to use the headphones in either over or under ear fit, they are protected by Liquipel Sweat Repellant Nano Technology (a $59.99 value), and they are overall just super badass. In addition, they have this voice prompt chick named Jenna that helps you understand your controls. This makes me feel like I have friends.

I had my music playing at full blast and my husband couldn't tell if I was playing music or not. This works out in my favour, as I listen to really embarrassing music when I work out.

Sing it, Celine!

These babies are awesome. They passed the run test, the weight lifting test, and the jump rope test. They're also great tools to have when you're sleep training your 5-month old.

The coolest part about these headphones? I get to give YOU guys a pair!!! Here's how you can own your own pair- retail value $169.99!!!

- Leave a comment on JayBird's Facebook Fan Page with the link to my giveaway, saying "Enter to win a pair of JayBird BlueBuds X from Fit In Heels! #POWERYOURPASSION"

- Tweet "Enter to win a pair of @jaybirdsport JayBird BlueBuds X from @fit_in_heels! #POWERYOURPASSION" (don't forget the link!) 

Good luck! I'm so excited about these babies, and I'm so excited for one of you to own them. We can be JayBird buddies, so in addition to Jenna, I can have two friends. Yay! Contest winner will be announced Monday, May 13th!

Fitness: The Raw Truth.

I'm just going to come out and say it.

You need to WORK YOUR ASS OFF in order for your ASS TO GET HOTTER.

Let me premise this post that I am aware that some people are unfamiliar with machines at the gym or unsure how to use weights. I am aware that some people have injuries or limitations that may halt their ability to really push it. So before anyone yells at me and says, "some people need to use ____", or "I'm injured and can't work at my max"- I am agreeing with you. But that is for about 5% of people, or my 88-year old grandmother. Otherwise, I really want to yell "COME ON!!!!" to the other 95% of the people in the gym.

I'm talking to you, woman on the bike going 2 mph and chatting on your cell phone. I don't care if the screen says that you are in the "fat burning zone." Here's what's better: get yourself into the cardio zone. Make your heart work. Push yourself. SWEAT. And while you're at it, get off the machine and pick up a jump rope. You can't talk on the phone if your hands are busy.

Hi, honey! I'm getting a great workout.

I'm also talking to you, chick who is doing bicep curls with 2-pound weights. Your purse weighs eight times that weight. Either curl your purse, or pick up the 15s. Do three sets of 12 with a one minute rest in between (max). And while you're at it, drop and give me 20. I don't care if it's on your knees or on your toes. Get out of breath. Work.

While you're at it, where did you get this purse? It's fierce.

To the baby mommas: You pushed a watermelon out of your vajayjay and carry around a 20-pound human for most of your day. You can increase your heart rate to more than 50% of its max. I know this is okay, because I can do it. Just saying.

And here's what I have to say to this chick:

Get off this machine.

Unless you are dealing with a groin injury (which even still, cables would be better for your rehab and not this sex machine), don't bother with this machine. It will not make your thighs smaller. It works against the direction of your leg muscles... therefore it is pretty much pointless. (The hip abductor- the opposite move- has a few benefits, if you have hours to spend in the gym. Otherwise, do squats. Then do lunges. Maybe leg press/hacksquat, and hamstring curls. These are WAY better for you). You want to move in the direction that your muscle fibres are running. For example, your bicep muscles run from your shoulder to your elbow. This is why we work the muscle by doing bicep curls, and why we don't work the muscle side to side. It doesn't make sense!!

So here's what you should do. 

-If possible, buy a few sessions with a REPUTABLE personal trainer. Like me. And pay me lots of money. 
-Don't go to the gym. Do my workouts at home instead. 
-Look at the hardest working person in the gym. Chances are, they look good. Watch them creepily, and then do what they do.
-Instead of spending an hour + in the gym, spend half an hour to 45 minutes... and kick the crap out of it by doing interval training, supersets, and/or functional body movements (squats, deadlifts, lunges, planks). 
-Go to the gym and do my workouts there. Email me to ask the best way to send me gifts for getting you such great results and so many phone numbers. 

Preach. 

I have a bone to pick with post natal fitness.

Here's the deal, peeps. There is a SERIOUS need for modern, fun, and intelligent post-natal fitness.

I've been going to multiple postpartum fitness classes with various instructors as I try to get rid of my muffin top. While some of them have been great (check out Baby & Me Fitness, Belly Bootcamp, and Beaches Fitness), there were one too many classes I went to that did not address the needs of new Moms.

In particular, it really bothered me that some instructors were doing exercises without modifications for the specific needs of new Moms. Whether or not my breasts have quadrupled in size, pee comes out of places I didn't know it could, my coordination and balance have fizzled into nothing, and my joints haven't gotten used to the hormones and extra weight; I expect my instructor to know best.

In particular, instructors should know about diastasis recti- and for those who have it, they should know to provide modifications for sit ups, push ups, and eccentric exercises (like V-Sits and leg drops). They should also know that some women cannot do a gazillion jumping jacks without peeing themselves.

That being said, they should also know that I don't want to pay prime dollar for a workout consisting of a few Kegels and walking at a snail's pace. I hate being that annoying woman who runs when the rest of the women walk. This was a class I didn't make any friends at.

I felt the same when I was pregnant- I found a lot of pregnancy information regarding fitness to be really old school; and pre-natal classes were too slow (read: boring), specifically for women who were fit going into their pregnancy.

My sister teaches for Mommy and Baby Fitness, and I really liked her as an instructor. This was shocking, as I generally don't like my sister.

Just kidding, sis. Well, mostly. 

She is FUN, knowledgable, and kicks the crap out of me. What I like most is that she herself has 3 kids under the age of 6, is fit as a horse (thus makes me believe that is IS possible... single tear), plays music that is not from 1975, and puts us through a tough class but provides modifications where necessary. I also love the baby time at the end where we sing songs, blow bubbles, and generally make fools of ourselves to get our babies to smile for 1 second.


Before having my son, the idea of screaming babies, singing songs, and working out all at the same time had me doing my fastest mile way the hell the other way. Now that I'm a Mom, I love having the opportunity to get back in shape, entertain my child, meet some other Moms (I stress the word "some", as you learn VERY quickly who you would and who you wouldn't be friends with outside of this little group), and get the F out of the house. My suggestion to any new Mom is to research the fitness class you are signing up for, and perhaps do a trial class (many offer this). There's nothing worse than paying money for a class you don't like or don't feel safe at.

You should look for a qualified instructor, and I believe it is important to find someone who themselves have had kids. Not to knock those who don't, but I'd prefer a woman who knows how my boobs, belly, and vajayjay are coping week by week.