- 1/2 cup vanialla whey or organic rice protein powder

-1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1/3 cup organic sugar

- 3 tbsp natural stevia powder OR 6 packets of stevia natural sweetner

• add all these ingredients together and then add the wet ingredients

- 2 egg whites

- 3 tbsp grape-seed oil

- 1/2 cup nonfat plain organic greek yogurt (this will add moisture)

- 3 tsp vanilla extract
Icing – 1 cup organic light cream cheese

- 2 tbsp plain low fat greek yogurt

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

- 1/4 cup stevia powder

• you can crush raspberries to make the icing pink as well :)

1. Add all the above ingredients together and place paper liners in cupcake pan.

2. Put oven on Bake at 350 and let the, bake for 14-17 minutes or until middle is cooked.

3. Let the cupcakes cool fully before icing them.

**to make chocolate cupcakes add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and replace vanilla protein powder with chocolate protein powder. If you want chocolate icing you can put chocolate protein powder in place of 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Dark- Chocolate covered strawberries
What you need: – fresh strawberries

- organic dark chocolate chips (as much as you want, depends how much chocolate you like)

-coconut flakes, white chocolate OR ground almonds

1. Wash the strawberries and line a plat with wax paper.

2. Pour water into a pot and place a baking bowl over the pot and place chocolate chips in the bowl, bring water to a boil. Constantly stir and keep a watchful eye because chocolate burns easily and once it burns it begins to clump.

3. Dip the strawberries in the dark chocolate once melted and cover with whatever toppings you enjoy (ie. cocomut, white chocolate, ground almonds) and place on wax paper. Let cool and enjoy!

I tried the box-fit class last week and was amazed that, despite how hard the class was on my body, I really enjoyed it. I’ve always liked the idea of learning how to box. On Thursday I did my workout with Barb this time and then went back to Leanne’s house to learn how I can make food for school that I’ll actually enjoy. Normally for school I eat out for lunch, like Wendy’s or McDonalds. Now I have some food options I like but also that are good for me and don’t involve a lot of cost for me.

The thing that most intrigued me with the hemp heart chocolate bar thing is that we made it taste really good and it felt like a treat but was better than a regular chocolate bar. Alright, I have to get back to bed; I still have a bit of a cold and would like to feel better before going back to school.

Hope you’re having a good week!

Emily

I’m very excited to introduce to you Emily and her 100 lb. weight loss journey.

At the beginning of December, Emily’s parents approached me about mentoring their daughter through a lifestyle change. As a family they had watched a television show “I Used to be Fat” and this sparked a desire in Emily to take charge of her life and health.

It took me a week to think about how to set her programme as it was more than just Personal Training. My favourite times to think are in the shower and walking my dogs; it came to me how to make the leap from Personal Trainer to Lifestyle Coach. Emily would need to learn the skills for grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, time management as well as a fitness regime. To keep her motivated on her journey I thought she could blog her experiences, take before and after pictures, make an appointment with a naturopath and when she achieves her weight loss goal we will present her with a makeover! I presented these ideas to Emily and she accepted all the terms with enthusiasm!

The work began 2 weeks ago with a meeting to start to get inside of Emily’s world! Emily had to journal for 1 week prior to this meeting her diet, sleep patterns, her moods and activities. I found out diet soda and carbs ruled her world! With a few minor changes: decrease the pop, increase the water intake, she added a protein shake in the morning and a few hours of exercise, voila, 5 lbs lost in the first week!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done Emily!

The second week we added a swim at the pool. I discovered while talking to Emily she loved to swim and that’s one of my cross training sessions so it worked out that we could swim together. It was a fun time as we did laps, pool running and Emily taught me this skulling technique where I circled around in the water only using my arms. It was challenging at the time and the next day my triceps were burning…..thanks Emily…..I thought I was the trainer!

After the swim was a cooking lesson at my house. After our hour swim our bodies needed protein to rebuild muscle so I made us an egg white omelette with dill and goat cheese feta. At first Emily was hesitant but thankfully my cooking won her over! The focus of that days lesson was on healthy snacks she could bring to school with her. (Emily is a student of Landscape Design). We made Chocolate Amarath and Pumpkin Flax granola clusters. Both were a hit …Yeah……..3 for 3!!!!!!!!

Emily has written her first blog entry which we have as an attachment.

The family community of Staying Alive Fitness wish Emily success on her journey!

Enjoy your day.

Leanne

Take a look at Emily’s Blog….

December 20, 2011

These first two weeks have been so interesting, and challenging. I went into this thinking that I wasn’t going to be able to change the foods that I like and that this may end up hurting me. Only two weeks in everything that I thought I knew about myself has already starting to change. I’ve seen myself being pushed and pulled but that my body is starting to change and allow these things to happen.

Leanne has been instrumental in the changes that I’ve started to see in myself she’s opened up my eyes to foods that I never thought I’d want to try much less enjoy. This past Thursday I enjoyed one of the more interesting sessions with Leanne (not to say that working out isn’t interesting) after our swimming session Thursday morning we went back to Leanne’s house and she showed me how to make delicious granola bars an d we had an egg white omelet with dill and goat feta. I’m not a big fan of eggs and only minimally like egg whites so I was really surprised that I would really enjoy the omelet.

As for exercise so far I’ve been trying to really push myself in each session and each new session with Leanne and with Barb have been pushing my limits but I think for me the next step will be breaking though all of my pre-conceived boundaries and seeing how far I can really push my body. My dad has been reminding me of a story of my brother while he was in the army, he had all of these standards that he thought that he wouldn’t be able to live up to, thinking that his body wouldn’t be able to do it but they pushed him making him push through the limits that he’s set for himself and he found that he could rise to the standards. In some cases he even surpassed the standards that they had set for him. I see the value in this advice, knowing that even when I think that there are boundaries that there is always the possibility to change and to adapt and to better myself. That’s what this is all about for me, I know that in me is the possibility of someone great and powerful and beautiful and I need to fight against the Emily that I know and have become comfortable with and start to fight against her and pushing myself to be better than I am now.

I want to see each new day as the next challenge and the next thing that can conquer.

1) Is it an obstacle or an excuse? People tend to use the holiday season as an excuse to stop going to the gym and eat foods they would normally fight to stay away from. You either have too much baking, cooking, shopping or functions to attend and people tend to think that unhealthy eating goes hand in hand with this busy schedule. However; a busy schedule and an abundance of available treats are just obstacles to overcome and we tend to use them as excuses to indulge. You can overcome the busy schedule and find time to hit the gym, which helps you to make healthier choices at functions.

2) Find the time, don’t worry about the place! We always hear “there is so much to do and so little time.” Reality is what day can you not find at least 20 to 30 minutes to set aside and be active? The trick to this obstacle is planning ahead and being accountable. Just because you can’t get to the 6pm spin class does not mean you can’t go to the gym later and use a treadmill. We are creatures of habit and we like routine, so we tend to think if we can’t make it to the gym at our usual time, we can’t go at all. That is a flat out excuse! You can go to the gym at a different time or even fit in a workout at home. Your body is a great machine that can be used anywhere to help fit in a workout, whether at home, the gym or at the in-laws.

3) You don’t HAVE TO eat everything served! Throughout the holiday season there is an abundance of unhealthy options being thrown our way. Hold yourself accountable because you can choose what you eat. Telling yourself it is too hard to eat healthy over the holidays in an excuse to eat unhealthy because there are a lot of healthy and fun options out there. So when you go up for that second helping of apple pie, ask yourself if you really need that second helping. One suggestion to help fight the obstacle of over-indulging is planning ahead. Before you go to a holiday function eat a light healthy meal and drink a bottle of water, so when you reach the table with unhealthy food you won’t be as hungry. Therefore, you will be less likely to take as much food as you would if you were hungry.

Don’t accept the idea that the holidays are a time where we fall out of shape. Be accountable, and realize you are the source and you have the ability to make choices. Don’t use the season as an excuse, you can overcome the obstacle and stay healthy over the holidays. Of course, we’re not saying to deprive yourself. We want you to enjoy the holidays but we also want you to be aware that the holidays do not have to be a time where you fall out of shape and put a wrench in your healthy eating habits.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season :) Jenn