Dania Rose's Journey

My Fitness Progress: January 2013

2013-01-04T17:43:00.001-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!

It's been 2 months since my last progress report and lots have happened:

1- I have lost 6 pounds and now weight 135.5 lbs

2- I am much stronger

3- I look fitter, my muscle mass vs fat has increased

4- I am feeling fantastic: so much more energy then before!!

What I have been doing:

1- I am following my cousin in law's (Mr foundation CEO of Regiment bartendaz Canada) advice: I have been doing my 15 mins a day!!! Less is really best !!! To tell you guys the truth I kind had no choice. The month of December was extremely hectic for me and I could not always make it to the gym. So I worked out at home doing my basic 50 squats, 100 lunges ( 50 each leg), 50 calf lifts, 3 set of 30 sec plank and I work out my arms lifting my 25lbs baby in various position. I fit in these exercises at any point in my day where ever the day takes me and try variations of each exercise to keep things interesting.

For example:

Here are 3 exercises I do with my baby:

The lunge -- Holding your baby across your arms, close to your chest, take one-step forward and bend your knee (a lunge). Return your leg and repeat with the opposite leg. I repeat 15 times.

The squat -- Assuming the same position as in the previous exercise, take your one step out to the side (instead of in front) and attempt to squat. I repeat 15 times.

The squats and curls -- Stand with your legs a shoulders width apart. Holding your baby tight and close to your chest, squat down allowing your baby's feet to touch the floor. As you rise up, bring the baby back closer to your chest. This should not be done until your baby is at least 10 to 12 weeks old. I repeat 15 times.

My goal is to do this routine at least once a day in addition to my other exercises

2- I am eating healthy. I eat lots of vegetable, fruits and add fibre and probiotic where ever I can. I try to get my protein in the morning and drink lots of water.

Here are some of my meals during the last 2 months, keep in mind that I love food and do my best to keep it healthy:

3- I am sleeping well. Luckily my baby boy sleeps through the night and wakes up at 9:30am so mama gets lots of sleep.

All in all, I am very happy with my progress. I am not quite there yet but I am on the right track. 2013 is going to a great year!!!

My Fitness Progress: November 2012

2012-11-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a month now since I started working out. A lot of people are asking me how much weight I lost so far. I haven't lost much... I am at 141.5 lbs. I do expect to lose a little bit more in the up coming few weeks but at one point I am expecting to gain weight due to muscle mass.

I am sticking to my program and decided to add some basic exercises everyday that should make this whole process move along a little bit quicker. I got these exercises on female health motivation's Facebook page. Love her posts by the way she also as a great website it's a wealth of information that inspires motivates and educates! Check it out.

I am following my cousin in law's (Mr foundation CEO of Regiment bartendaz Canada) advice and putting in at least 15 mins a day. He keeps repeating "Less is best, Form follows Function, Movement is Medicine" and I think he is on to something there. Check out his YouTube channel. Here is one of my favorite videos.

Now as for my diet I am following the Paleo Diet.

I chose it because its one of the easiest diets to incorporate into my lifestyle and food preferences. I am not good at depriving myself of anything I love and I love to eat but I do believe in moderation. So I try to eat healthy and drink lots of water.

Here are some options on a Paleo diet:

Eggs
Nuts
Fish
Fruits
Greens
Vegetables
Lean Meats

As you can see, the Paleo diet is free of grains, so your carbohydrates are coming strictly from vegetables and nuts. If you must include some bread and rice ( I am Haitian can't survive without rice lol!) like me once in a while, make sure you go with a 100% whole grain option if you can.

Again, my main goal is to increase strength, reducing fat therefore increasing muscle mass and increasing balance and flexibility. My weight and dress size isn't important to me at all. I have to admit that I feel great, I got more energy and I sleep so much better since I started this process, gotta love that!

This journey is a long one but one worth taking especially if I want to keep up with my boys. So I will keep you guys updated but so far so good!

My New Do!

2012-10-22T17:40:00.001-04:00

Love love love this new hair do!!!

Nirva, from the Private salon, has done it again! The technique used here is crochet. I can't say enough good things about this protective hairstyle. It gives me the versatility, flexibility and affordability that my lifestyle so desperately needs and the edgy look I was looking for. Zero maintenance is needed to the hair just wrap to go to bed and unwrap and style in the morning. Alright, just like the last hairstyle I will be testing it out for a month or so and post another review to see if it passes the test of time. Hope this hairstyle last the 8 weeks the last one did.

To be continued....

Private salon is a natural hair salon by appointment only. It is situated 4749 Boul des Laurentides Laval, Quebec H7K 2J5

My hairstyles in the last 5 months

2012-10-22T16:26:00.002-04:00

Here are a few hair styles I have rocked in the last 5 months:

My natural hair in January 2013

I unfortunately don't have a pic of how short my hair was in 2012 but it was very close to a big shop. I am really proud of how healthy my hair is looking and feeling.

My hair all done crochet style in January 2013

Love this look and hair. It lasted quite a while and looked better has time passed. Extremely low maintenance will definitely do this one again.

My hair all done crochet style in March 2013

Loved this look. The curls were soft and romantic. The only thing is the maintenance was a bit of a pain. After a couple of weeks The hair started to tangled and that annoyed me but once untangled and a bit of mousse was added, the hair was as good as new.

My hair all done in end April 2013

I love my new sassy hair cut. It's very low maintenance and mommy friendly. Just a tiny bit of mousse and that's it!
Now that I got a taste of a short do expect more in the near future

My Workout Routine

2012-10-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

Here is my new workout routine. It is important for me to mention that this routine is tailored for me. A lot of these exercises are meant to not only tone but to increase balance and strength which are my weakest points. Before you try any workout routine you always consult a doctor.

Monday: Cardio + Upper body Toning

• 5 minute Warm up on Elliptical trainer
• 20 minute on Elliptical trainer
• 5 minute Cool down on Elliptical trainer
• 3 sets of 10 Lat pull downs
• 3 sets of 10 Incline Dumbbell press
• 3 sets of 10 Triceps kickbacks on bench
• 3 sets of 10 Bicep curls on cable machine
• 3 sets of 10 Dumbbell lateral raises

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Cardio + Core

• 5 minute warm up Elliptical trainer
• 20 minute on Elliptical trainer
• 5 minute Cool down on Elliptical trainer
• 3 sets of 15 Back extension
• 3 sets of 15 Bicycle crunches
• 3 sets of 15 Straight leg raises

Thursday: 30 minutes Elliptical trainer

Friday: Cardio + Lower Body

• 5 minute Warm up Elliptical trainer
• 20 minute Elliptical trainer
• 5 minute Cool down on Elliptical trainer
• 3 sets of 12 Stability one leg Squats
• 3 sets of 12 Barbell Side Lunge
• 3 sets of 12 leg kickbacks
• 3 sets of 12 Seated Calf raises

Saturday: 30 minutes Elliptical trainer

Sunday: Off

Mind, Body and Soul

2012-10-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

On the ledge of emotional break count yourself lucky if you got a friend that will care enough to stop whatever it is that they are doing just to talk you down. Sometimes your mind stays stuck on a image, replaying the same scene over and over again concentrating on the traumatic event never moving forward to its resolution. Sometimes you need to hear a couple of simple and honest words from someone that you love and more importantly respect, to snap out of it so that the grieving process can start.

When you think about it, we all grieve everyday and not only for those that have lost their lives but everything that isn't there anymore. Grieving is a natural process that allows to take the pain and sorrow of one situation and take it to the growth of a brand new happy and beautiful one. Take for instance the death of an elder and the birth of a baby. Grief if the transition between the two because there isn't one without the other even thought they live in opposite side of the spectrum.

Grief is processed by the mind and the mind is a very mysterious thing. It's the cornerstone of ones soul. Central station of ones personality. It is our knowledge, our judgement and ultimately our love. That's right our love. Contrary to popular believe, in my humble opinion and experience, we do not love with our hearts.

Let me explain:

The heart is vital but one dimensional. It's primary and only responsibility is to keep us alive. My heart, your heart, every one's heart has the same mandate: Keep the body alive. Needless to say the body is the host and can be used to show physical love. The heart does not feel, the heart does not grow, in fact, its life span becomes shorter and shorter with time. You're mind is unique. It evolves with time, it grows and becomes wiser and when it knows better it does better and it allows you to feel a rainbow of emotions.

Our heart is our life line it's not to be played with love or anything else. It's the most important organ we have and we need to protect it with everything we got.

"I love you with all my heart" is an expression not to be taken literally. I believe we love with all our mind, our body and our soul and they are all tree fueled by our heart.

Motherhood and fitness

2012-09-17T20:09:00.001-04:00

Sounds like an oxymoron , doesn't it? Where do u find the time? Between the feedings, diaper changes and peek-a-boos, time flies and I am lucky if I have time to throw in a shower and a snack in the mist of all of that.

I am currently on maternity leave struggling to find the time and I can't even fathom what it will be like once I go back to work full-time!!!

Every bit of advice I received on this subject are many different versions of :"girl just do it!" and "put yourself first". Please! who are we kidding. In my world, my family will always comes first. Now that being said my goal is to avoid repeating the mistake that most of our mothers have made by not taking care of themselves throughout the years. Even thought I don't make the top of my list I want to make sure that I at least make the list.

See, I am lucky, I have a lot help. Thank God for the village that is my mother, my father, my sisters, my brothers, my cousins and my friends and of course my man. I cannot imagine doing it all on my own like so many single mothers out there! Cuddos to them!!! They are my heros. Not only do they have to raise perfect little upstanding human beings, they are expected to look good doing it too.Talk about pressure!!! So to all my single mothers out there: I salute you!

Has some of you may already know, 8 weeks after giving birth to my son I started this fitness journey going to yoga, Pilates , pole dancing and fitness classes and they were fun but I found it quite challenging to make it to each and every class and bit expensive. I had every intention on giving different styles of training a try but time management became an issue. I actually enjoy working out but it needs to be affordable for one and more importantly schedule friendly. I mean I had to make sure to find someone to babysit (usually my mother, love her), drive him to the babysitter, make sure I had pumped some milk for the little one (I am breastfeeding) and it cost me quite a bit of money for a 3 month membership and not to mention the instructors that gave the courses in question originally sometimes didn't even show up and you would end up with a substitute that I didn't even like anyway just way too much trouble...

I needed a new plan!!!

Coincidentally a brand new sport center is being built in my neck of the woods with state of the art facilities. It opens on the 1st of October. The cool thing about this center is that its being run by a non-profit organisation which basically means that its affordable. Picture this for the same price of a 1 year membership for one person at my old facility, I got two 1 year membership for my man and I that gives us full access to all the facilities of the center such as tennis, fitness classes, yoga, boot camp and much more.

As of the 4th of October, I will be going back to the gym, I even get an one on one with a kinesiologist (Someone that works in the health promotion industry with individuals to enhance the health, fitness, and well-being of the individual) after a bio-impedance evaluation (a commonly used method for estimating body composition in particular body fat).

I am so excited!!! I like the flexibility of the hours that this option provides and the free daycare service doesn't hurt either.

A letter to the one I thought I loved...

2012-09-12T10:55:00.000-04:00

I had a conversation with one of my besties the other day and spontaneously wrote this and felt like sharing. Feel free to comment!.

This is a letter to the one I thought I loved. You weren't the one !!!
I found a man, a real one.

Someone who will stand by us with the strength of God. A man who loves us, God bless his beautiful heart, and a man that will protect us with the wrath of God, beware of sleeping dogs.

A man that comes home to us every night, after a long day at work, wanting nothing more then welcome home kiss from us. A father to our child. Someone my son can look up too and say Daddy and know that he will always come running.

A man of principle who's got his priorities straight. A man who knows what he wants, who he is and who he strives to be.My man says: thank you after every meal, I love you to make sure I never forget and makes love to me like its our last day on earth every single time.

To all my single and looking ladies, don't ever settle for less. Know you're worth and know that you are worth it!!!
Love yourself and more importantly respect yourself. Please choose to be alone rather then be in bad company.

Now to all my ladies that are lucky enough to have such a man in their lives already, please don't take him for granted. Love him like their is no tomorrow, make him king because he has made you his queen. Let your love for each other rule your worlds and let no one take that sacred bond apart.

I love you Marc-André Louis-Jacques and thank you for being the one!!!!

My Food Plan

2012-08-29T21:04:00.002-04:00

I have decided to go with a high protein diet. Protein plays a crucial role in the growth and repair of everything from skin to hair to nails and of course muscles. During any kind of weightlifting or strength training workout, your muscles are basically being broken down with the intent being to build them back up and protein plays an essential role in that. Without a high protein diet, muscle growth & muscle maintenance & workout recovery will just not be happening as effectively as it could.

Some of my Favorite Breakfast:

Flaxseed Crepes (click here for recipe)

Hard Boiled egg sandwich (click here for recipe)

Some of my Favorite Lunches:

Tortellini Rose

Soybean spinach salad with a Honey balsamic grilled salmon.

Breaded salmon /w garden salad

Some of my Favorite Suppers:

Curry chicken mashed potatoes and mango salad

Steak, garden salad /w corn on a Cobb

My Hair Journey: Going Natural

2012-08-22T15:40:00.001-04:00

From the moment my man and I decided to have a baby I stopped relaxing my hair. I figured that I would weave it throughout us trying to get pregnant and my pregnancy. Now that the baby is born I was planning to stick to that plan (too lazy to look for other options) until I saw this picture of Naomi Campbell. From what I can see, she might be suffering of a hair condition called Traction Alopecia. It is the loss of hair on the head due to hair-styling routines such as tight ponytails, braids, weaves, relaxer,...

I have been bless with a big forehead (I've made my peace with that fact) and a receding hair line is not an option I want to explore. Now don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with weaving your hair once in a while but you must take care of your own hair. Which I was neglecting to do. Protective hair styles such as weaves are only good if you do them right and in moderation.

So I decided to keep my hair at it's natural state and explore new protective hairstyles that I haven't considered before. I am going to start by cutting my damaged ends. I am also going to try a crochet braid protective hair style. The goal here is to protect my hair and promote healthy growth so that I can rock it in its natural state eventually.

Love this look

Solange Knowles looking gorgeous and my ultimate Hair Journey goal

Stay tune for my next Hair Journey post. I will be rocking for the first time a crochet braids protective hair style inspired by this picture.

Baby Weight: My Fitness and Health Journey

2012-08-20T14:02:00.002-04:00

me in 2008

Pregnancy is such a special stage in a women's life.

You spend 40 weeks (in my case 41 week and 1/2) eating healthy, resting, nesting, anticipating and yes gaining weight.

Me, 1 week before giving birth

In my case, I gained just about 45 pounds and could not wait to work it off.

Since I had a c-section (I tried hopelessly to have my baby naturally but my body never responded but that's another story), I had to wait 6 weeks before doing anything.

I did lose a good 30 pounds during that time just by breastfeeding and as for the last 15 pounds, I manage to lose it by going to yoga and fitness classes.

Me 2 months after giving birth

Yup I lost all the baby weight!

Yet somehow it does not feel like its enough.

Taking those classes showed me how weak my body truly was.

My body doesn't feel the same and truthfully I don't feel healthy at all.

The things I use to be able to do before I got pregnant were no longer possible.

I feel weak, I lost a lot of my flexibility, my muscle tone. I am just not satisfied with me as a whole.

Now I aiming much higher: flexibility, strength, serious muscle definition and health.

Can't just look good must feel good too!

So here is my challenge:

I am going to give myself until Christmas to get my body on point.

I will post my progress as I go along and share some of my workout routines, diet plan and any other measures I take On

my Fitness and Health Journey.

Let me Introduce myself

2012-08-16T15:50:00.001-04:00

Me, myself and I

Hi everyone let me introduce myself my name is Dania Rose.

I am a 31 year old brand new mother of a beautiful little boy with a new perspective on life. Since giving birth everything changed: I can't even remember what I could have possibly been doing that was more significant then caring for my son. He's my everything.

Beyond wanting to be a good mother I want him to become a great human being.But what makes a great human being? Well there isn't a generic answer to that question and we can debate about it all day but I do believe that we can all agree that it starts at the roots.

So one morning it hits me (this is what Oprah calls an "aha moment !"):

It starts with me!

I am a true believer that the real values of life are taught by example and not just by preaching it. So that being said I have decided to change a few things in my life.Starting from the ends of my hair going by every single one of my muscles, passing by my mind, heart and soul. This blog is about the journey of a young mother wanting to feel better, look better and just plain be better.

Hope you enjoy the ride!