I started my career with a degree in IT working as a Systems administrator. My job was very stressful and I was working 14 or sometimes 16 hour days. Some days I would set an alarm for 2am so that I could wake up and continue working so that I would not miss my deadline. This pressure was self-imposed but given that missing the deadline would cause hundreds of other people to also miss their deadline I felt like I had a gun to my head. So overworked and exhausted I ploughed on.

One of my managers once told me “the best reward for good work is more work”. What she meant by that was that because everyone knew of my reputation to always deliver they had the confidence that they could toss more work my way and it would be done and done well. It was true.

Eventually, doing the work of three people took a toll on my health and also my personal life. I would spend evenings crying and snapping at my boyfriend or both. Some days I would be so stressed that I would feel my heart beating so quickly that I wouldn’t be able to catch my breath and my chest would hurt severely. I wanted to quit my job but I had never quit anything and I didn’t want to be seen as a failure. After months of this torture, I took advantage of another opportunity within the same company and moved on.

Guess what happened next...
The cycle started to repeat itself. The company was indeed understaffed (as it had downsized and outsourced and the like) but that wasn’t the main reason I found myself in the same stressful position yet again. The problem was me. I was a perfectionist and I did not like asking for help, not because I had a big ego but because I am an introvert and speaking to persons I don’t know is very hard for me. However, I knew I had to make a change in my career and in my own life.

​I started researching child care and what was required to get into that field. This was a complete 360 from my background which was IT but I had such as passion for taking care of babies that I wanted to make this my livelihood. I did child CPR courses and early childhood learning courses and started applying at nurseries and daycares in the area once I was prepared. I landed a full time job which paid half of what I was making but the rewards of caring for a child and benefits of a less demanding and stressful career were priceless. I discussed this with my boyfriend who was extremely supportive and we found a way to make it work for us financially. Armed with a new job and a plan for my family I met with my manager and let him know I was resigning with a month’s notice so that he could have time to find a replacement.

My new life
Exactly one month later I was working in a new challenging career but one which was manageable and very rewarding. I was happy and my boyfriend was also happy now that I was happy. All it took was an inward look at myself and a critical evaluation of what I wanted my life to look like. That gave me the courage I needed to make a positive change.

If you're anything like me then you LOVE to sit and nibble distractedly as you catch up on your Netflix shows or check up on your friends on Facebook. If this happens more than once per week you should invest in  healthier versions of your favourite treats so that you can continue enjoying your snack time without adding unwanted pounds.

Below are some of our favourite decadent, but healthier snack alternatives.

What you will need:

• ​NutriBullet (yes the same one you use to make your smoothies.
• Parchment paper

Ingredients:
​​Makes 2 servings (1 cup each)

• ​Two (2) ripe bananas
• ​Light peanut butter

Directions:

1. Peel both bananas and cut into 1/4 inch slices. 
2. Spread slices on a tray fully covered with parchment paper and freeze for 3 hours until rock hard.
3. Place the banana slices in the nutriBullet cup and add 2 tbsp of peanut butter and 3 tbsp of water
4. Blend intermittently for 2 minutes or until mixture is completely smooth, stopping every 15 seconds to shake contents back down to bottom of cup.
5. Place in a bowl and enjoy.

Note: If you decide to double the recipe to make more servings you will need to split the mixture into several batches and repeat steps 2-5 each time so that the NutriBullet doesn't get burnt out.

Instead of blueberry pie try this healthier, low-calorie dessert, packed with more than a third of the recommended daily value of calcium (plus vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid).

Ingredients:
​​Serving size: 10 ounces or 1 1/4 cups) 

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup strawberries sliced in half
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup granola (the less sugar the better)

Directions:

1. Layer your ingredients in a pretty bowl: yogurt, fruit, granola, yogurt and finally fruit on top.​

5lbs and 2% body fat may not sound like much but considering that I was trying to lose 5 lbs and keep it off for almost 2 years it was very significant for me.

​History
Back in 2011 I found myself to be overweight and decided I would make a change so I started running around the local gymnasium. When I started I wasn't the fastest but I found that I was able to stick with it. Pretty soon I was running 5km every day and enjoying it. I joined the gym and a running club and changed to a low carb diet and I started to slowly lose some of the weight. However, I am one of those people who takes 2 years to lose weight and 2 minutes to regain it. I believed I had the slowest metabolism in the world so any day I wasn't able to run the result was me heavier the next day and it hurt my motivation AND my mood. Luckily, I am stubborn and determined so I pushed on and kept up my gym and running routine and my sporadic dieting.

Research
​I read a lot of fitness websites and blogs and health websites and they all had a lot of valuable information but I realised I had to find what works best for me and my body. I tracked my food intake using a Calorie counter app and it helped to some extent but some days I would forget and of course I would eat too much and end up feeling frumpy and fat again the next day.  I also searched for exercises that would be fun and give me the most bang for my buck. I lifted weights and discovered High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Tabata and Interval running that were all built around short bursts of all-out intense exercise and had great results BUT nothing worked long term and eventually the weight came back. 

​I felt disappointed and frustrated because I worked so hard and dieted and barely loss any weight while others who do next-to-nothing were slim and trim and looking great in their short shorts (which I was never able to wear until I was 36 years old).

Life changes

1. ​Knowing I love to run my wonderful boyfriend bought me a Nike watch and it was the start of a major transformation for me. Laugh but it's true. The reason it was a life changer is because I started to track my daily movement. I realised that outside of my run or gym workout I was very sedentary. I would sit at my desk all day and barely move except to use the restroom. Weekends and evenings after work were even worse. I would sit or lie on the couch and watch TV. My Movement goal was 520 (you Nike rings people know what I mean) and I was barely scraping 260  and 6 of 12 hours standing on a good day. My watch showed me that I needed to get off my butt and start moving a lot more. I didn't have to do anything significant, just MOVE!
2. Body fat scale. Who says you shouldn't get on the scale every day? That's a huge myth and it all depends on what you are monitoring and expecting. The research is correct, weight by itself does not mean much. Your weight can fluctuate daily based on water weight, hormones, etc so it's not a good judge of how well (or how badly) your program is doing. What's more useful is body fat. I track my body fat daily and monthly. Of course it doesn't change much from day to day but over time I could see the impact that increasing muscle has on my body. Muscle weights more than fat so when you start lifting weights you may see an increase in weight initially. That's not a problem. What you will also see over time is a decrease in body fat. A good way to look at it is that  muscle displaces the fat in the body, i.e. muscle % up, fat % down. I also get on the scale many times during the day to see what impact my eating choices have on my body. However, I gather my real stats twice daily, first thing on mornings before I do anything else and last  thing before I go to bed. I compare the two to see how much my body is burning while I sleep to repair muscles and to digest food and supply my body and brain with fuel.
3. Water. After 3 years of working my butt off I finally conceded that I was not drinking enough water. On any given day I would drink one bottle of water during spin class and maybe one glass otherwise. I was constantly dehydrated but at that time I did not know it. I started drinking three to five 20oz bottles of water and my body started to thank me for it. Changes I saw from drinking water:
   1. My lips had been dark my entire life to the point that I was made fun of but I thought it was just how it was. After increasing my water intake my lips clear up and became beautifully pink for the first time in my life! I almost cried.
   2. My cellulite reduced on my legs. I had pretty much given up on this one. After running and squats and lunges and leg extension and the list continues nothing ever helped my cellulite until my water intake increased.
   3. Most importantly...my headaches stopped. I used to have migraines and would feel a bit faint at times when I was most dehydrated. Drinking water corrected all of those symptoms and I am so happy to be healthier for it.
4. ​Sleep. Get 8 to 9 hours sleep whenever possible. If I don't sleep enough my weight and body fat do NOT change much. That's a fact. Give your body plenty of time to do what it needs. Tip: try weighing yourself before you go to bed, in the middle of the night (if you happen to be awake) and again at the end of 8 hours rest to see what happens.
   
5. I have noticed that WHEN I eat is just as important as WHAT I eat. My body does not seem to like me eating after 7pm considering that I go to bed around 9pm. Eating a meal by 6pm leaves me full but gives my body enough time to digest my food. If you need to snack, eat something light which contains fibre which will make you feel full. My preference is SuperSlim multigrain crackers. I can eat a few of those and not feel too guilty so enjoy!

​​Overall my metabolism increased and even on days when I don't run I try to keep moving and I don't gain any weight. I never even thought this was possible and it was the biggest eye opener for me. I felt less pressured and because I kept losing body fat it was the biggest motivation anyone could have.

​I lost 5 lbs in 4 weeks and 2% body fat down to 24.1%. I feel wonderful and I plan to keep going while making sure I am fit and healthy. In summary this is what you need to do...

1. ​Water, water, water
2. ​Measure your body fat
3. ​Build muscle
4. Keep moving
5. ​Eat healthy and in the right portion sizes because it is the best thing you can do to lose weight

​These tips should work for everyone but find what works best for YOUR body. Every one of us is unique.

Lately there has been a shift towards MCT oil and although it's been proven to be very useful to the body it's still very misunderstood. This is largely because it commonly referred to as coconut oil but there are some distinct and very important differences and benefits.

MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides and is a form of saturated fatty acid which is colorless and virtually odorless. ​Fatty acids are composed of chains of hydrogen and carbon. When we say medium chain we are referring to the chain length of the fatty acid's chemical structure. 
​
Coconut oil is composed mainly of lauric acid. This component is touted as an MCT but when you look at the composition of lauric acid it is actually a long chain acid. Lauric acid has it's own benefits but given that it is an LCT it does not produce the same energy boosting and cognitive benefits as the other true MCTs caproic (C6), caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10). ​​​

MCTs are more rapidly broken down and absorbed into the body. This makes them a fast energy source and less likely to be stored as fat. There are numerous other anti-inflammatory properties health benefits from consuming MCT oils including:

• Improved cognitive function
• Weight management
• Better digestion
• Better immune system functionality which helps fight bacterial infection and viruses
• Increased absorption of fat-soluble nutrients

​Understand the difference between coconut oil and MCT oil and don't be confused by the marketing out there. Contact us if you would like more information about our MCT oil sold in a glass bottle which maintains purity and taste.

It's the age old question...Should I do cardio or lift weights if I want to lose weight?

​The truth is, you need to do both. While that isn't the answer anyone wants to hear, science has proven that to lose weight safely and keep it off you need to be regularly exercising and incorporating both cardio and weight-lifting into your daily and weekly routines.

A person who needs to lose more weight will initially benefit from cardio such as jogging because it burns lots of calories while you are doing it. Lifting weights helps transform fat into muscle which causes an after-burn effect because your body burns fat to repair the small tears in your muscle caused by lifting heavy weights. The combination of cardio and weights is a winning step towards your goals.

BUT there is a catch.
The more fat a person has to lose, the quicker he/she will lose weight and weight from fat. However, when you get closer to your ideal weight you tend to plateau, which means it gets harder to lose weight. 

Adjusting your diet and lifting heavier weights will get you over that last hurdle.​