Ommmm.....bomm bomm bomm

We're all gettin' ready for Hip Hip Yoga at BDHQ....even James was gettin his stretch on with a little pre-lesson from Michele. Check out the new class on Tuesday nights at 6pm.

"Steph's Bootcamp Buddies" at Run for the Cure

Big high 5 to everyone who made it out for the Run for the Cure this weekend. There was a team of bootcampers out representin' our good friend Stephanie. Thanks to Trish Chan, Denise Heemskerk, Cheri Reimer and Carol Hutchinson for organizing and participating.

Did you know....
The more weight a woman gains from age 18 on, the more likely she is to have breast cancer later in life.

A third of breast cancer cases could be avoided through regular exercise and a better diet?
Source: Internaional Agency for Research on Cancer

Please practice regular breast self-examinations.

I Can't Believe it IS Butter!

Just when you thought the food at fairs couldn't get much worse than deep fried Mars bars and Oreos, they raised the bar. And really, why beat around the bush? If you're going to eat deep fried foods and clog your arteries full of crap, don't kid yourself about it and go straight for the latest craze at this year's PNE...deep fried butter balls. No joke. $5 gets you 4 balls of frozen butter wrapped in puff pastry which is then deep fried in grease. I literally threw up in my mouth when I saw it. What's worse was the insane line of people to eat them. My friends were some of these insane people. They apprarently had to try it out. I did not partake. I could barely even watch them take a bite. They confirmed they were sorta yummy, but 2 each made them feel not so good and probably not the smartest thing to eat before going on the Hellavator...heh heh karma.

James vs. Popeye

James and Wendy love their Vege Greens

Don't even think of taking Michele's!

I think James could take Popeye hands down! Popeye only had spinach and James has Vege Greens, which contains spinach as well as a PLETHORA of other goodness. Let James himself tell you how great they are.

James likes to sprinkle his Vege Greens on top of his cottage cheese or in a shake.

Or try this recipe:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 scoop Vege Greens
1 scoop instant coffee
water
ice
Blend until smooth! Yummm.....

Vege Greens is now available at Body Dynamics for $34.99. Vege Greens contains no artificial flavours, colours, or sweeteners, and no hidden ingredients.

The power of Vege Greens is due not only to the numerous individual nutrients that each blend contains, but also to the synergy between these blends. The collective action of all the nutritionally complex ingredients in Vege Greens creates a much more potent effect than the sum of its individual components:

GREEN FOOD CONCENTRATES
(barley greens, alfalfa, buckwheat, spinach, wheat grass, aloe vera, parsley)
These minerals assist in the absorption of calcium, regulate the transfer of minerals through the cell membrane, aid in the formation of bone.

SEA VEGETABLES
(spirulina, kelp, chlorella, dulse, green algae)
This blend is an excellent source of iodine, which normalizes thyroid function and balances our metabolic rate.

LAND VEGETABLES
(fermented soy, brown rice powder, carrot, beet root, olive leaf, celery)
Naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytoestrogens and antioxidants.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
(broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, watercress)
Stimulates the natural detoxifying enzymes in our bodies.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
(lecithin, flax seed oil, borage oil, pumpkin seed oil, evening primrose oil, CLA)
Every living cell in our bodies requires essential fatty acids. They cannot be produced or synthesized internally, so their availability is completely dependent on the foods and supplements that we consume.

PHYTONUTRIENTS
(acerola, quercetin, blueberry fruit powder, green tea extract, grape seed extract, bilberry, resveratrol, lycopene, lutein)
This blend was designed specifically to reduce the free radical damage associated with a contemporary lifestyle.

STANDARDIZED HERBAL EXTRACTS
(astragalus, cranberry, milk thistle, Siberian ginseng, ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, dandelion, nettle leaf)

Will Toning Shoes Really Give You A Better Body?

We have clients ask us all the time about toning shoes and if they really work. As with most gimics on the market, the answer is always to stop looking for quick fixes and put in the work; exercise and eat right to get results. Thank god for A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) who recently did a proper study to validate our claims. Here's a brief summary if you don't want to read the full article:

"Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation during any of the treadmill trials. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone. Toning shoes definitely don’t do more than the regular running shoe."

“Do you feel different when you’re wearing these shoes? Of course you do because you’re walking on probably an inch worth of cushioning. They feel different, and that’s why when people first wear them they’re probably going to be sore because you’re using different muscles. But if you wear any sort of abnormal shoes that you’re not used to wearing, your muscles are going to get sore. Is that going to translate into toning your butt, hamstrings and calves? Nope. Your body is just going to get used to it.”

So basically you can strap on a pair of 5 inch stilletos and go for a 30 minute walk and ya, you might get sore, but that doesn't mean you should do it! And frankly you'd look as silly in the heels as you would in the Reebok Easytones. Throw in the Shake Weight while you walk and call it a day!

BDHQ Athletes of the Week

BDHQ Athletes of the week goes to Jackie Taylor, Cheri Reimer and Claire Kaufman for participating in the Tri for Compassion today. Way to go guys!! We're so proud of you.

Black Bean Soup

Words cannot describe how good this soup is. Heaven in a bowl...

All you need is:
2T Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 minced garlic cloves
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
4 cans of black beans
4 C veggie broth
1/2 C chopped cilantro
1 avocado diced

And then you just..
Cook the onion, bell pepper and 1/2 tsp of salt until soft (6-8 mins); then add garlic cumin and chipotle and cook until you can smell it (30 seconds-ish). Then puree half the beans in 1 cup of broth until smooth; stir with remaining beans, and then pour the beans into the pot with the onion mix, and remaining 3 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, and then allow the soup to simmer until it’s thickened up. Stir in the cilantro and use salt and pepper to taste; serve it up with diced avocado and enjoy! I also tossed in a little pico de gallo with mine, super easy (tomatoes, diced onion, jalepeno, cilantro and lime juice).

This soup is insane, I’m sure you will enjoy it, I certainly did to say the least!
www.confessionsofahealthnut.com - thanks Adrien!