A Great Recipe by one of our Gluten-Free Athletes

March 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Alison Hooper, Canadian Junior Elite Triathlete

Gluten is a protein composite that appears in foods processed mainly from wheat and related foods including barley and rye.

Last summer my younger sister was experiencing a lot of random anxiousness and she often felt sick to her stomach. Her doctor recommended cutting gluten out of her diet (after trying a lot of other things). And interestingly enough was she got better! Back then I was living at home, which meant that my mom was doing the majority of the cooking. There was no way I was going to cook a separate meal if there was hot food made so I adapted to a gluten free diet, as did our whole family. After moving out I re-introduced gluten into my diet and it really didn’t sit well with me so I’ve been eating gluten free every since. Which is one of the main reasons I started eating Elevate Me in the first place!

At the beginning avoiding gluten free foods was hard but now I’m totally used to it. There are a lot of gluten free products and bakery’s that make some pretty yummy treats. Bread without gluten will never taste the same but here is a pancake recipe that is totally flourless and I think I like them better than normal pancakes! Here it is:

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes
1 banana mashed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs nut butter (I use hazelnut or almond)
-Add everything together and cook like a normal pancake. I usually grease the pan with coconut oil.

I find this recipe is perfect for one serving… topped with yogurt and berries!

Other additions:
-Shredded coconut
-Peanut butter and mini dark chocolate chips
-Any other type of nutbutter
-Applesauce

Whatever your fancy, a gluten-free day, is a great way to start the day!

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The Last 10KM Walk in Her Shoes for Care Canada

March 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

THE LAST 10 KM “WALK IN HER SHOES FOR CARE CANADA” 100KM

By Sarah Jamieson, ACE, YT, FMS 2

The last 10km is a metaphor for life, a metaphor for stepping outside your own comfort zones and investing in the bigger picture. It’s also a metaphor for success, a metaphor for the human spirit. On March 8th I endured to walk/run 100km, my first ever 1ookm event and it was one of great success! 4 months ago I set out with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to spearhead a campaign for CARE, one of the leading humanitarian organizations in Canada for the celebration of 100 years of International Women’s Day.

Now, my last 10km was actually at the 64km – 74km mark, needless to say I didn’t make the full 100km, but I did achieve what I set out to do – and that was to bring awareness to CARE Canada and their featured programs geared towards women’s empowerment. Each step was a reminder of what women living in poverty must undergo every day for clean water, basic healthcare and basic life necessities for their families. This was the backbone of our cause.

“Education, local capacity building and sustained economic growth, are critical to fighting poverty in developing countries. Women and girls hold the key. Walk In Her Shoes has the potential to unlock the hope and optimism towards sustained economic opportunities. This March, as Canadians WE have the chance to bring to the forefront of our time, the direct impact we can make by investing in and empowering all girls to transform their world; by mobilizing them to engage in cultural exchange, gain a global perspective, and create and lead social change.”

As a Movement and Performance Coach, Yoga Teacher and Elevate Me! eater, I understand the complexities an event of this magnitude calls for; the specific periodization and skill training involved, the hours of corrective strategy and re-patterning to ensure proper bio mechanics, and not mention the nutritional aspect of a 12 hour event, which Elevate Me! played a large role. Fast tracking my own training to only 7 weeks lead up time I feel I did my very best! Thankfully, the 10 years of marathon running and Yoga built a great foundation!

I am a proud athlete, calculating well over 750 km, 77,733,300 steps over the 7 week span.At the end of it all, we raised close to $5,000. We had over 45 people out along the Vancouver route, many students and community patrons! Walk In Her Shoes was a success globally, thousands of women walked 8,000 (6km) between March 2 – March 8th for CARE Canada.

This is a great example of ‘The Sports Philanthropy Movement’; where athletes and local companies within the health and wellness industry come together and use their skills for a global effort.

Sarah M. Jamieson
Athlete Ambassador & Marketing Team
Movement & Performance Coach and YogaFORM Teacher

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Surprising myself at the PRR First Half Marathon

March 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

I signed up for this race a few months ago because my mom was running it as well as goof friend who is living in Victoria. My lack of speed work or flat road running has pretty much been non-existent and thus, I went in without any expectations whatsoever.

This seems to be a good strategy for me. I seem to do best when I don’t put any pressure on myself to achieve a certain time or obtain a certain placing in the event. I suspect it allows me to be very calm and relaxed both before and during the race. One thing I did differently that day that may have played a big influence was that I listened to music during my run. I found it really helped me focus and my thoughts remained very positive.

I have done this race 3 times before with my best time being a 1:27:30. The pace and perceived effort felt no different than any of the other times I have done this event. I only checked my watch once, which was at the 10km marker, where my watch read 39 minutes on the dot. That is a pretty decent time for me considering my best 10km was on a track a few years ago and I ran it in 38:37. However, there was still a lot of race to be ran and I didn’t bother doing the math to figure out what I was on pace for.

This race is never easy. Because the course is flat, you are pretty much guaranteed to be in a world of hurt. My legs were getting pretty sore by the last few kilometres but I just tried to push as hard as I knew I could because soon it would all be over! I honestly thought for sure I was going to be slower than my last time at this race but when I rounded the corner just seconds away from the finish line, the timing clock read 1:25:38. I WAS ECSTATIC! I couldn’t believe I had beaten my last time that much considering I have not been doing a whole lot of specific training. The body truly is an amazing thing and I love it when it surprises me like that.

This year my goal and mentality is all about “KEEPING IT FUN”. As you can see from the above result, this is a strategy that works for me and allows me to be at my best- not just physically but mentally as well as emotionally.

If you find that you are struggling to stay motivated or are constantly beating yourself up about your race results or how you compare to others…STOP. It will not serve you or anyone else around you any good. Take a look at what you love about the sport or activity you do. Ask yourself why you do it and what pleasure you get from it. In the end, if it’s not making you happy, try something new!

Nicola Gildersleeve
Athlete Ambassador

http://www.ngildersleeve.blogspot.com

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Check out our March Newsletter for tips and trends in health & wellness…

March 8, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Spring Training All Year Round

As the weather gets warmer, people think about getting outside and becoming active again. Warm weather and longer days provide the natural motivation that many of us need, but it also can be challenging getting back into the swing of things if the weather has kept you from pursuing a consistent workout regimen. Arm chair exercises do not count as a plausible “getting fit” through Super bowl season and the lagging winter months. So as you plot out your plan to regain your form, but your new pair of trail runners or shine up our bike – think about mixing workouts into your routine that will help you remain active throughout the year so you can avoid the same difficult transition next year.By Sarah Jamieson, Personal Trainer, YT, FMS

Here are a few tips to follow as you construct an exercise plan that can be continued even after the good weather passes…subscribe here

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