Barefoot Girevik

In my last post I promised to write more on nutrition requirements before and after exercise.  That was about 2 weeks ago.  I have to apologize for my absence in the last while.  Once I was feeling better at the end of April I really started to kick 'er down as my father-in-law would say.  I upped my training and seriously increased my caloric intake.  With all the extra training, attention to nutrition and extra work I have taken on, there has been no time to even think about blogging.  Well that and any time I could have, my computer was being monopolized by my 2 boys playing their new game or my husband doing his work.  AKC 2 is in a few short days and once that is over I will be able to focus once again on posting the articles that I have promised in the past.  I am into my light training week now and seriously panicking about the cert.  With only a few days remaining, I do not feel ready but if I train too hard this week I will wreck my ...

In January I decided to step up my training in preparation for AKC 2. While I was training harder than ever I had my husband and some clients doing a Paleo Challenge. I was so busy developing and testing new recipes and ideas that I wasn't eating a balanced enough diet. I was also eating too many low glycemic index carbs and not getting the right fuel at the right time. I did the challenge with everyone as a way to get back on track after too many Christmas treats. In retrospect, I don't think that was the wisest idea. In "The Paleo Diet For Athletes" by Loen Cordain and Joe Friel I learned about how to properly fuel your body for hard training. You need to make sure that you are replacing all of the muscle glycogen stores, fats and protein after each workout so that you are prepared for the next one. As a group fitness instructor and trainer I have days where I teach 3 hours in a day and still do my own training. I am not the type of instructor or trainer to just sta...

First I have to apologize.  It has been a very long time since my last post and I am a little ashamed.  Sometimes you just need to take a break and if you are too stubborn to take one, nature will make sure that you do.  I have been working very hard for the past 6 months in preparation for my level 2 Agatsu Kettlebell Certification.  I picked up extra shifts at work to offset the cost of the certification and upped my training as well.  AKC 2 is a very intense physical certification and it has me a bit nervous.  Perhaps "a bit" is somewhat mild.  I am training like mad, laying awake thinking about it nervous.  Right around the end of spring break I started to get a bit sick, a cough and sore throat mostly, nothing serious.  I kept up with my training, didn't miss a shift at work and even went to an AKC 1 cert and managed a PB in the Chrissy workout.  Finally on a day off, I decided to take it easy, rest and get better.  In ret...

Yes, they are Paleo, with a few minor details.  Honey and maple syrup are questionable but they are in small amounts.  You have to be careful with Baking Powder as it often contains cornstarch and can not be guaranteed gluten free.  You can make your own by mixing 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup cream of tartar - just mix together well and store in an airtight container until needed. My boys loved these, especially the coconut milk topping - they said it tasted like vanilla pudding. Ingredients: Batter: 1 cup coconut flour 2 tsp baking powder (or your own mix as mentioned above) 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 Tbsp maple syrup 5 eggs beaten 1 cup almond milk 2 tbsp grape seed oil Cinnamon "filling": 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/4 cup honey 2 tsp cinnamon How to: In a mixing bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl combine egg, almond milk, oil and syrup.  Add to flour mixture all at once.  Stir until just blended but still slig...

Back in Saskatchewan we had a local restaurant and pub called the Ice House Tavern.  They made the best deep fried mushrooms and zucchini around.  I have yet to find a place in Alberta that makes Pizza and burgers like theirs.  Is their food Paleo?  Heck no, but it was sure good.  Every once in awhile I have a craving for an Ice House Pizza and fried veggies.  I know that if I did go back home and have some of that pizza and deep fried stuff I would feel awful after and it probably wouldn't even taste good anymore just as a piece of bread now looks so tempting but tastes horrible. Your taste changes when you eat clean, whole foods. The other night, I had a craving for fried zucchini.  I had some zucchini and mushrooms in my fridge and figured if I can make paleo chicken nuggets, why can't I do the same thing with veggies?!  Here's what I came up with. Ingredients: 1 Egg 2 tbsp chicken broth 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp onion powder 1 ...

When people ask me where I work and I tell them that I teach AquaFit at our local pool I almost always get the same response.  "What's AquaFit?"  You would think that after being asked the same question countless times over I would be accustomed to it.  You would think, but that question always takes me by surprise.  It is in the name Aqua = water, Fit = fit, fitness.  Many people think about the old water aerobics classes of yester-year.  Old grannies in flowered swim caps gabbing away while the instructor pumps out the same tired, old routine.  I found the following statement on Wikipedia in a brief description of "Water Aerobics" under the title of "Disadvantages".  "Although aquatic exercise greatly reduces the risk of injury, not as many calories are burned as would be in some other activities. [4] Though aquatic activities in general expend more energy than many land-based activities performed at the same pace due to the increased resis...

I had a very interesting discussion today with a dietician that allowed me to apply some of the knowledge that I have gained over the last 6 months.  Shortly after that I made a trip to the grocery store with my husband and ended up in quite the debate over the cost of eating Paleo vs Clean.  If you haven't yet read the following books I highly recommend that you do so.  Make sure that you go into any debates or discussions armed with the proper knowledge to defend what you believe in! This is a n excellent book if you are learning about Paleo and doing some of your own research.  Robb Wolf goes into the science behind it all and explains why Paleo works.  There are recipes and exercise prescriptions in the last few chapters if you prefer to skip the science and leave that for later but I highly recommend reading the entire book.  Even though he does go into 'geek speak' as he calls it Robb puts the information into everyday language and u...