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I’m running in the Ford Race to End Diabetes! #JDRF #donate @FordCanada

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Last year I went with Craig to the Ford Race to End Diabetes held at Coronation Park in Oakville.  It was amazing to see so many people come out to run and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The inspirational speech from a little 8-year-old girl about her life with diabetes was amazing!  

Ford Race to End Diabetes

(Source: blog.ford.ca)

While watching the runners come across the finish line, I said to Craig, “I should run next year.”

Part of me really wanted to run. Part of me didn’t think that I’d actually follow through. 

The old me probably wouldn’t have followed through and I’d just end up standing next to Craig as he tweeted away for @FordCanada and @FordCraigSilva. Cheering as everyone ran past.

The #NewMapsgirl is running!I'm running in the Ford Race to End Diabetes! #JDRF #donate @FordCanada

It’s a year later.

25 pounds are gone.

I’m the healthiest I’ve been in a long time.  

I’m doing this!

My girls will cheer for me!  Craig will cheer for me! I will cheer for me!

Support me in the Ford Race to End Diabetes!

On Saturday, April 26th I will join more than 500 runners at Coronation Park in Oakville to race to find a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D).  Last year the Ford Race raised more than $45,000 for diabetes research, and this year they plan to be bigger and better…and you can help!

Donate Button

To see more about the 2013 race read Bravery On Display At Annual Ford Race To End Diabetes from Ford Canada’s blog.

MyFitnessPal Tips: Importing recipes is easy!

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MyFitnessPal Importing Recipes

Pin it!

In honour of the fact that today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, I thought I would share a yummy recipe and some tips on using MyFitnessPal!

I found a great apple and peanut butter snack recipe that is perfect to share today and fits perfectly into my new healthy eating habits.  When I went to myfitnesspal today to enter the recipe, I found that they have added a tool for importing recipes! 

New Recipe Importer is easy to use!

When adding your food to your diary, there is now an option under “Recipes” to import from a URL — http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/box (**Update** I have been told that this may not be available to all users yet; it may be something that is being phased in)

Previously, you had to manually enter in all of the information and it would generate the nutritional information about that recipe.  You can still do that, but why? The new importer allows you to enter the URL from the site where you found the recipe, it crawls the site for all of the important info needed, allows you to make changes if needed and you’re done!

Copy and paste the URL

MyFitnessPal Recipe Import

Edit the Ingredient list

MyFitnessPal - Recipe Ingredients

Add missing ingredients

MyFitnessPal Recipe - Ingredients

Save the recipe

MyFitnessPal Recipe - Save

You can see the recipe in MyFitnessPal’s database:

MyFitnessPal recipe in Database

Click to see recipe in myfitnesspal!

 Now I can log the recipe whenever I have it!

Apple Sandwiches with Honeyed Peanut Butter & Oats

Apple Sandwiches
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Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon rolled oats
  2. 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  3. 3 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter
  4. 3/4 teaspoon honey
  5. 1 tablespoon raisins
  6. 1 medium apple
Instructions
  1. Combine the oats and cinnamon in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until the oats are golden. Cool before using.
  2. Mix together the peanut butter and honey.
  3. Core and slice the apple into 6 rounds. (If you don't have an apple corer, you can slice the apple first and then cut out the centers with a small cookie cutter or knife.)
  4. Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 3 of the apple slices and sprinkle with raisins and oats. Top with the remaining apple slices to form sandwiches.
Notes
  1. If you are not eating the apple right away, you can brush it with lemon juice to prevent browning. A solution of 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice does the trick without tasting too lemony.
  2. For strict gluten-free diets, be sure to use gluten-free oats.
Adapted from theKitchn
Adapted from theKitchn
mapsgirl.ca https://www.mapsgirl.ca/

This post was inspired by the 31 Days of Writing Prompts for March from The SITS Girls!

March 31 Days of Writing Prompts

My 5 Favourite Health and Fitness Apps #NewMapsGirl

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Fitness Apps

Over the last 5 months, I’ve been gathering an arsenal of heath and fitness apps to help keep me motivated on track to reach my goal.

Here are my top 5 favourites! I hope they help you like they help me!

myfitnesspal #1

myfitnesspal

Cost: Free

 This app allows me to track:myfitnesspal_logo-300x64

  • my food intake
  • water intake
  • exercise
  • progress

What I like about it:

  • lots of foods are in the database
  • can set up reminders to enter your food
  • easy to add food, exercise and water
  • lots of reports for nutrition, progress
  • can connect with friends and support each other
  • can track using the app and it syncs with myfitnesspal.com

appstore

Nike+ FuelBand#2

Nike+ FuelBand

Cost: Free

nike fuel band** Please note: This requires you to own a Nike+ FuelBand.  Other fitness trackers (ie. FitBit) may have their own apps **

Craig and I each have a Nike+ FuelBand which tracks the amount of movement we do throughout the day.  It assigns “Fuel points” and you can set daily goals for the number of Fuel points you want to achieve.

Based on your height and weight, the FuelBand tells you the number of steps you have taken and  the calories burned.

It also makes for a cool watch!

What I like about it:

  • easy to set up and use
  • easy to sync the band to the app
  • can connect with friends and support each other
  • works with Nike+ Running (see below)

appstore

nike-plus-gps-icon#3

Nike+ Running

Cost: Free

 The Nike+ Running app is a great running app!  It uses the GPS feature in your phone to track your route.

What I like about it:

  • easy to use
  • connects with Nike+ account and syncs with Nike+ FuelBand data
  • can sync into mapmyfitness.com (see below)

appstore

MapMyFitness#4

mapmyfitness

Cost: Free

 Another running app?  Sort of.  I’m hoping that this becomes a “bridging” app.  Nike+ data doesn’t sync directly into myfitnesspal.

Here’s how I hope I can get it to work:

  • Nike+ FuelBand data is synced into mapmyfitness
  • mapmyfitness data syncs into myfitnesspal

Currently only data entered directly into mapmyfitness gets pushed across to myfitnesspal.  Since the Nike+ data is synced, it doesn’t seem to get pushed across.  I’m hoping there will be more integration between the two.  This is very new and you can read more about the MapMyFitness / myfitnesspal integrations: MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal announce API integration

What I like about it:

  • it will track my walks (running is tracked in the Nike+ Running)
  • you can connect with friends and support each other

appstore

WaterMinders#5

WaterMinder

Cost: $0.99

I just recently found this app while browsing the iPhone AppStore.  And what a find it is!

You enter your height and weight and it calculates how much water you need to consume!

What I like about it:

  • reminders throughout the day to tell you that you need to drink water and/or enter how much water you’ve consumed
  • it figures out how much water you need

appstore

Just so you know: I wasn’t paid a dime for this post. I truly like these apps and want to help others who are working towards a healthier lifestyle.

Getting Healthy: The tale of the tape #NewMapsgirl

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Saturday morning, I woke up excited. I was meeting with Mike, my trainer, again to change up my workout. I had been focusing on the workout that he set out for me back in September and I was ready for a change. Since I see Mike at the gym all the time, he had casually mentioned to me that we should check my measurements the next time we got together.

After a good breakfast and a bit of coffee, I was a the gym by 9:30am.

Getting helthy - Tale of the Tape #NewMapsgirlJust as Mike said, we were checking my progress.  If you remember from the last time he did this, I ended up crying in the middle of the gym.    Today I was more confident because I knew that there were changes: the number on the scale was going down and I had to buy new pants at Christmas time. I was excited to see how my measurements had changed.

photo IMG_90861.jpg

September 19th

Weight – 171lbs
Body fat% – 33.2
Chest – 40″
Waist – 37″
Hip – 46″
Thigh – 24″
Bicep – 13″

February 8th

Weight – 150lbs
Body fat % – 28.4
Chest – 37″
Waist – 33.5″
Hip – 42.5″
Thigh – 22″
Bicep – 12″

 

I didn’t have time to stop and do the math so I just had to go with Mike’s reaction that my numbers looked really good.  I knew that numbers going down was meant that what I was doing was working!

New workout = new challenges

The rest of our session was a lesson on free weights.  I had been using the machines up until then but he said that it was time to take to the next level. 

I felt like I was starting all over again.  I had to learn new body positions and posture and how to properly control with weights through the movements. I felt so uncoordinated.

How big was the loss?

But after our session, before my 20 minutes on the elliptical, I had to find out what all those numbers added up to.

I started with
Total inches = 160

And now I’m at
Total inches = 147

That’s 21 lbs and 13″ lost!

I was so excited!  I totally rocked my 20 minutes on the elliptical!  I am so proud of me!! 

What a difference 13″ makes

photo 21lbs.jpg

When I looked at the photos, my jaw dropped. 

“Wow.  I really looked like that?!?”

Gotta keep going!

I’m so excited to keep going on this path!  My hard work is paying off. I feel better, I have more energy and I’m getting healthy! 

Current goals:

  • decrease my body fat
  • build more muscle
  • run another 5K
  • decide what my target weight should be (gotta talk with Mike about this one)

Are you focused on health too??

NewBDKIf you want to link up on myfitnesspal or join in on this amazing journey, let me know!  Craig and I are surrounding ourselves with an amazing support network who motivates and supports each other — body, mind and spirit. 

Things I’ve learned since I’ve started running again!

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Over the last few months, I’ve started running again.  There are few things that I have discovered and some are a bit funny!

In no particular order…

Snowman running…running in 0 degree weather in Canada (or probably anywhere) sucks!

Leading up to my 5K race in Florida for runDisney, I ran 5K outside twice to prepare myself for the length.  However, it was cold outside.  I came to the immediate concision that cold-weather running is not for me.

feet…cut your toenails before they rip apart their neighbouring toes

On my first practice 5K run, I slapped on my shoes and away I went.  My feet were sore, but I thought that was because it was the first time I had run that far in a while.  When I took my shoe off, my sock was red.  Futher examination, one toe nail cut the skin of the toe beside it.  Ouch!

Casual…good headphones are essential (my ear buds aren’t cutting it)

I’m on the quest for good headphones that will stay in my ears.  Constantly poking my iPhone earbuds back in is getting tedious.

Run-Disney-Logo…runDisney is a great motivator

I’m so glad that I got invited to do the Jingle Jungle 5K with runDisney.  It got me back into a level of working out that I was hoping I could achieve!

itunes3…good music at the right tempo is essential

I need to go though my music and set up some play lists based on the speeds that I run.  I think having a constant beat would keep me moving without wanting to slow down when the music slows down. There are a few apps out there that you can select the music you want by the pace that you’re running.  Maybe I should look into one of those.

516JferDAOL._SX300_…always go to the bathroom before you leave

Half way through a 5K run is the wrong time to figure out you need to go!

 

Do you run? What interesting or quirky things have you found about running??