Barefoot Girevik

First of all, sorry I have been on a bit of a hiatus lately.  It has been a very busy summer and a lot of my free time has been spend training to finish the last couple things I need for my AKC 2. It has paid off though, summer isn't over yet and I can already do 2 pull ups!  Anyway, I came up with a delicious recipe the other day that I just had to share with everyone.  This took a bit of trial and error but it was worth it.  The boys love these and they are paleo, nut free and safe for school.  I know it is still a few weeks away but it's coming quickly! Ingredients: 1 500g jar of sunflower seed butter or tahini (unsalted) (I prefer the tahini as it has a bit of a stronger, more peanut flavour) 2 Omega 3 eggs 1 cup maple syrup 1 TBSP pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup pure cocoa powder 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt 1 tsp baking soda "Peanut Butter" Swirl ingredients: 1/8 cup tahini 1 TBSP maple syrup pinch Celtic sea salt How To: 1. Pre-heat o...

Tucked away in a corner in a tiny restaurant at the Toronto airport I am reflecting on the whirlwind that I just experienced. It has been 3 full days of kettlebell work with Shawn Mozen of Agatsu, hand balancing with Ido Portal, power lifting, Indo Boards and even Olympic lifting. I am exhausted and sore and ecstatic. My friend Andrea and I were up at 4am Edmonton time every morning and at the gym for 14 hours of certification and workshops in an attempt to cram in everything that we could in just a few short days. There were some awesome people in our AKC 2 cert. We shared in each others successes and cheered one another on through it all. I can't even begin to describe how it feels to know that "I did that!". Leading up to the cert. it was interesting that every person I spoke with about it admitted that they were "terrified". I found it oddly comforting to know that they were feeling the exact same emotion as I was. Now that it is all over, I am very...

Well, day one done and I survived. The flight though extremely rough was uneventful and on time. I even met up with my friends for a bit of supper last night and again this morning to share a cab to the Academy of Lions where the AKC 2 cert. is being held. I have learned many new things, had a chance to review and practice some technique and worked my butt off. The Agatsu Conference has been amazing so far. I have learned some very helpful and interesting information and techniques from brilliant instructors. I have enjoyed meeting everyone at the Academy of Lions, found some good barbecue for lunch (and supper - so much food!) and finally tried a coconut milk latte at The Primal Grind (a paleo cafe inside Academy of Lions). It was delicious! Finding food has been no trouble whatsoever. There is a little market close to the hotel where I was able to buy bananas and orange juice and then another great little market close to the gym where the names of the vegetables are all missp...

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...