take the time to watch this video.

create change in your life and that of the people around you.

mindingmitochondria

taken at my first kettlebell coaching cert course - CrossFit Toronto 2007

Curious about kettlebells?  Here is a chance for you to add kettlebell training to your life.

Healthy, fit bodies require good food, regular sleep, loving companionship, clean communication, and kettlebell training.

Learn all you need to know about kettlebell training at

January’s Kettlebell Skills Clinic:

Saturday January 28th, 11:00am – 12:15pm

Please pre-register.  Email: thewholeway@wendychappell.com or 894-8943

Quick, clean, instense. It will work for you!

Workout:

• 30 jumping jack squats
• 30 reverse crunches
• 30 burpees
• 2 minutes jump rope (or stair running)
• 20 jumping jack squats
• 20 reverse crunches
• 20 burpees
• 1 minute jump rope (or stair running)

REPEAT

catalan beef stew

ingredients:

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices bacon, diced (i used scottish bacon from the neighbour’s place)
• 2lbs stewing beef, cut into 2-inch pieces (from the same source as the bacon)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 2c red wine
• 2tbss orange zest
• 2 bay leaves
• 2tsps garlic, minced
• 2 parsley sprigs, minced
• 1c black olives, pitted

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high.

Add bacon, cook until nicely crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a bowl, leaving oil in pan.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add it to the hot pan in small batches. Sear on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the bacon. leaving the oil in the pan.

Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.

Return the beef and bacon to the pan. Add the red wine, orange zest, bay leaves, garlic, and parsley. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the beef is nearly tender, about 2 hours.

Add olives and continue to simmer until the beef is fork-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Rich in flavour, tender beef. Mmmmm.

yesterday i had a fantastic afternoon with 24 students, one teacher and one educational assistant at École Évangéline in wellington, pe.

this school has a great program. students have the option of three specialty streams, one of which is health & wellness. they have 3 one hour morning blocks and 2 hours every friday afternoon dedicated to their specialty area; in this case, all things health and fitness.

the school is about 2 hours from my home, in a part of the province i have traveled to only once before. quite a number of years ago.

my gps. no solar flare challenges. no upgrades needed. no cow paths...even in pei!

i thought it best i use my gps to get me there.

my system is relatively simple, highly reliable, and so easy to use. it is also cost efficient and, really, a no brainer. i arrived with no challenges to my directions!

so, i had the grand good fortune of spending friday afternoon with the group. i was asked to give a presentation and then to take them through a boot camp style workout.

the students were AMAiZING. polite and strong-spirited. they put about 143% of themselves into the afternoon though some of them looked a bit sleepy during the presentation i was pleased to get a chance to talk about working as a professional in the health and wellness field and to discuss barefoot running.

the presentation was followed by an inspiring hour, putting this group through a workout.

there was some gasping and some panting. there was a good deal of earthquaking. colour was high in most faces, though the pallor of one face told of a blood-glucose bonk in one of the adults

i’m going to share the workout i put them through:

WARM UP (using length of gym)

• SIDE SHUFFLES HIGH/SIDE SHUFFLES LOW
• HIGH KNEES/BUTT KICKS
• STANDING LEG SWINGS FRONT/BACK & SIDE TO SIDE
• ELBOW TO HEEL LUNGES W/ TWIST
  
• JUMPING JACKS
• FRANKENSTEINS
• MT CLIMBERS
• HIP FLEXOR STRETCH W/ SIDE BEND
• REPEAT

 45 secs on/15 secs recovery  (1.5 MINS BTWN CIRCUITS)    

 CIRCUIT 1                        CIRCUIT 2                         CIRCUIT 3

the circuit workout was followed by a body weight squat tabata – because they were unfamiliar with the tabata protocol – with the ‘recovery’ held in the hole.

they asked for tough.

they got tough.

(you could do this workout at home)

every person in the gym OWNED their workout. i am still pumped with their energy!

way to take it on École Évangéline!

truly, i am not a night person and can only think of 2 or 3 times when i’ve rung in the new year.

instead, we curled up in the early evening to watch The Pink Panther movie (the first, released in 1963. do you remember?).

i concocted a great movie snack…

…and entertained an early evening visit from the sandman.

pixied eggs

ingredients

• 4 eggs, hard boiled
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Franks hot sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• thin sliced atlantic smoked salmon

method

slice the eggs in half. remove the yolks.

mash yolks with avocado, hot sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

spoon yolk-avocado filling into egg centres.

top with sliced salmon.

onion and meatball soup

ingredients (soup):

• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• a friendly nob of butter
• 1 sweet potato, grated
• 2 tsp paprika
• 4 tbsp light soya sauce
• 5 c chicken stock
• 1.5 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

ingredients (meatballs):

• 1 lb local goodstuff ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 lrg onion, grated
• 6 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

method

melt butter in large saucepan. add onions and garlic and allow to cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

add the shredded sweet potato, paprika, soy sauce, cayenne and chicken stock to the saucepan. cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

combine ground beef with the remaining meatball ingredients. mix well. let sit 10 minutes. form into meatballs and brown in olive oil.

add meatballs and chopped parsley to soup shortly before serving.

Paul Plakas has been a personal trainer for 20 years. He has trained every level of fitness from homemaker to professional athlete.

For the past nine years, Paul has been on television doing weight loss documentaries, four years on Taking It Off and the past five years on X-Weighted. Both shows are Gemini Award winners.

Paul recently finished taping season five of X-Weighted – Families, to be seen on Global TV and the Slice Network.

When not working in television, Paul trains clients at his personal training studio in Edmonton, Alberta called Custom Fit. In his recreational time he enjoys, mountain biking, hockey, cross country skiing, all racquet sports and working out with weights.

The motto he lives by? Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.

So, what’s Paul doing in PEI? 

He’ll be delivering an amazing seminar for us!

LEAN, FIT, AND PAIN FREE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The top three things that people want most when enhancing their health is:
1. Less body fat
2. More energy
3. Reduction of chronic pain

Keeping these three things in mind, Paul is going to hit us up with a fresh and unique perspective and a ‘no-holds barred’ attitude.

This seminar will include:

• How to overcome obstacles that lead to making smart food choices and exercise options
•  Basal Metabolic Rate: what it is, how it works, and why it’s important
•  How to increase metabolism and use it to your advantage
•  A Top Ten list on how to maximize fat loss
•  The Kinetic Chain Assessment, what it is and how can it prevent chronic pain in your body
• Maximizing exercise time by understanding what are the best workouts for maximum benefits while demything the efficiency of cardio machines
• A one hour boot camp style workout/exercise demonstration

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

$50.  per person

location: CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, HOLLAND COLLEGE PRINCE OF WALES CAMPUS

time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

REGISTER HERE!