taketwowithjaneclapp

Where did the weekend go?

2008-12-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or do you finish your weekends feeling like you never really recuperated from the week before? I studied labour relations and worked in trade unionism etc. The whole idea behind the 5 day work week was to provide 2 days of rest for us to restore our energy reserves and have time with family and friends.

It would seem like the original purpose of the weekend is being eroded away especially now that many of us have poor separation between home and work (i.e. emailing on the weekend, getting reading done for work, going in to work for a few hours on a sunday so that monday isn't a big sh_t storm).

I'm just plain darn sick of it but like many of you I don't feel like I have a choice. Unless I dissect my weekend:
1) Maybe I didn't need to make those snowmen cookies from scratch
2) Maybe I didn't need to go to a mall on a saturday at peek time with my 5 year old
3) Maybe I didn't need to stay up watching a stupid movie on Saturday night when I couldn't just shut the lights out
4) Maybe I didn't need to make that freakin' delicious roasted chicken and picked one up already cooked from the portugese BBQ place for the same price
5) Maybe I didn't need to stay up talking politics with my dad late last night. Darn Canadian politics finally got interesting.

And if you don't have kids and are just thinking about it, your weekends are nothing yet. Just wait.

So I challenge you to find ways to conserve energy on your weekends. It is so easy to get all caught up in DOING DOING DOING especially with the frenetic energy in the news. Maybe we all need a good long lesson in the 'LESS IS MORE' way of thinking.

A poem to read every day: "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

2008-07-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

Take two minutes and read this poem. One of my clients directed me to it.

The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Canadian Teacher and Author

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

by Oriah House, From "Dreams Of Desire"

Fitness freaks getting high on IV drips

2008-05-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

I got high fitness freak style with a friend on Friday...

Picture this. A quiet spa like room, two lazy boys and a huge screen playing nature TV. In walks a woman in a white coat with a soothing voice and caring eyes. We put our feet up and each one of us gets hooked up to an IV containing our drugs of choice. My IV was a stress busting concoction designed to help my worn out being rejuvenate, chill out and fight off a cold I knew I was about to get.

My friend's IV was a heavy heavy dose of vitamin C particularly recommended for people post surgery to speed recovery.

Very graciously, my friend paid for my IV treatment. And you know, it was one of the best gifts I've been given in recent history given the high levels of stress owning a business, being a mama and living far from any family can generate.

So is this the newest hottest THING to hit the health scene?

Athlete's have been using IV therapy to recover from injuries, surgery and crazy intense workouts for ages.

The scientific community has been debating the effects of high doses of vitamin C administered through an IV to fight cancer for ages.

And after a little research, I discovered that a form of the cocktail I was given has been around for over 30 years.

Myers' Cocktail, an intravenous vitamin nutrient supplement, was formulated more than 30 years ago by John Myers, MD, a Baltimore physician. This potent solution contains a specially balanced combination of vitamin and minerals. It is given intravenously to help the treatment of a range of ailments and increase energy.

After even more digging, I found out that Japan has made this IV treatment pretty mainstream with pokey express style cafes for super high stressed fatigued city dwellers.

This trend in health is not limited to the high stressed type A folks or elite athletes or Tokyo residents. It is also being used for people suffering from osteoporosis who have a hard time swallowing big honking supplements.
In 2006, the FDA approved IV drug therapy for treatment of osteoporosis.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/01/30/hlsc0130.htm

So as my friend and kicked back with our feet up, we each could feel the cool liquid entering our veins and we asked each other "Do you feel anything?".

Response: "Ya man. Totally " I could also taste the high doses of vitamin B which they had given me a head's up about.

I left feeling like I had smoked a joint. Although I had been exhausted that day, when I got home I got a crazy burst of energy, turned some tunes on and danced around feeling like a million bucks. Plus I had the added bonus of the brightest pee I've ever seen in my life.

Currently, there are only 2-3 places in the whole GTA offering IV therapy. If you want some more info drop me a line.
I'm not saying "everybody should go out and get IV therapy". But my own personal experience was that I could've gotten sick this weekend and I didn't. Plus when stress runs high and it ain't gonna go away for a while, there's got to be some damage control. I left with energy but also feeling very relaxed.

Above all else, I remain open minded to new ways to balance my body, fight illness and improve my health. And I will always try it on myself first.

Later,
Janer

Urbanfitt Small Group Class Schedule Deets

2008-04-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Up and Coming Urbanfitt Classes

MONDAY
6:30 PM Myofascial stretching and ELDOA

WEDNESDAY
9:00 AM Stroller Mama (or Papa) in the Park
6:30 PM Trinity Bellwoods Bootcamp

THURSDAY
6:30 PM Trinity Bellwoods Bootcamp

SATURDAY
9:30 AM Trinity Bellwoods Bootcamp
10:30 AM Hatha Yoga

Trinity Bellwoods Bootcamp

Saturdays at 9:30am
Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Thursdays at 6:30pm

Starting Saturday May 17th.
Running until the end of August.

Fun! And a good ass whooping with some crazy peeps who want to sweat and get fit with some of the most qualified coaches in the big smoke.
Increase body awareness in the outdoors in one of the only bootcamps that will challenge you but also re-balance your body and stretch you out.

Pre-registration required. Minimum 6 class commitment.
Space is limited to 12 people.
Packages of 6 classes $108
($18 per class)
Packages of 12 classes $192
($16 per class)

Myofascial stretching and ELDOA class:
decompress your mind and body with James Munro
Monday 6:30 PM

James Munro offering a 6-week Myofascial stretching and ELDOA class on Monday nights starting May 19th for max 5 people $20 per class.
Let us know if you're interested.
To read more about these disciplines which are being taught by just a handful of people in Canada, check out this link.
www.koupstrength.com/ELDOA.htm

Hatha Yoga

Saturdays at 10:30 (right after bootcamp)
with Jaimie Dufresne
Starting May 17th running for 6-weeks

Forget about cramming into a big room of yoga folks and getting lost in the middle of a sun salutation. Jaimie's yoga class at Urbanfitt is limited to 8 people. Take your yoga practice to a new level with hands on attention and go deeper into each posture with personalized instruction.

Pre-registration required.
Cost $108

Stroller Mama (or Papa) in the Park
lose your baby weight with Jane's help

You've got to push your stroller anyway and maybe you can't find childcare so you can get to the gym. Create lean body mass to rev up your metabolism and sweat while pushing your stroller. We will also be multi-tasking and talking about strategic nutrition to help you maximize your energy while you safely drop your baby-weight.

Location: Christie Pitts to take advantage of the wicked hills for butt shaping and maximize the shade.

I'm a pre/post natal expert and the majority of my clients are mamas. I lost most of my baby weight just by pushing my stroller up and down College Street.
We'll be doing cardio intervals with body weight strength and core training. Also, I want to show you how to avoid the stroller mama back hump and empower you to fix your posture before it gets outa hand.

Wednesdays at 9:00am
Starting May 21 running for 6 weeks.
Pre registration required.
Cost $99

Email help@urbanfitt.com to register.

Hyper-vigilance and Imbalance

2008-04-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

All too often when we're trying to be 'good' and eat better and change our unhealthy habits we can go into the extreme thinking that drives us into the on again off again mentality. I've always coached people towards a lifestyle that I can personally live up to. Everyone needs a personalized lifestyle strategy that takes into account their current work load, family structure, ideological beliefs (vegan, non-vegan) and their outlook on supplementation. I've always prided myself on not being one of those fitness freaks that carries an air of judgement towards regular folks just trying to be healthier. I've NEVER wanted to elevate myself as someone who has it all together and looks down on people struggling with their personal challenges.

I've spent the last several months exploring some new methodologies that involve more supplementation than I've ever gotten behind before unless I was under the care of a naturopath. I've never believed that more and more pills are the answer to our health issues. In the last couple years I've even started to steer clear of naturopaths who dole out an arm load of pills, like 'mini-meds', that is, mini-medical doctors. I recently tested out a naturopath myself to ensure if I refer people to her, she won't prescribe a load of pills. I can't keep up the 18 pill a day routine for long and I don't think other regular folks can too.

Balancing our lifestyle starts with balancing our thinking towards ourselves and our choices. Striving for perfection in our eating leads to even more imbalance emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Taking 18 pills/vitamins a day can increase our current stress load. I always ask myself when giving people advice, "Can they maintain this in the long term".

LIFE BALANCE IS A FUNCTION OF HOW WE HANDLE STRESS. HYPER-VIGILANCE INCREASES OUR INTERNAL STRESS AND TENSION WHICH GETS US EVEN MORE OUT OF BALANCE.

If you hire a personal trainer/health coach who is designing a lifestyle/supplementation/nutritional plan who can't follow their own advice in terms of their lifestyle, chances are they are giving you something YOU can't maintain. You want to hire someone who can walk the talk. You want someone to lead by inspiration and be a reminder that IT can be done. The last thing you need is getting trapped into the on-the-wagon off-the-wagon thinking that 85% of the population buys into (85% of the population doesn't get enough exercise). Labeling our behaviours as GOOD and BAD only gives us more ammunition to beat ourselves up and give us more of an excuse to eat more crapola. If you're off-the-wagon then you will be GOOD another day and make excuses to indulge even more until you decide to be good again...instead of living in the moment and making conscious choices day by day.

So if you're coach is living in this on again off again approach to being healthy, then he/she hasn't discovered what finding life balance is all about. It starts with our thinking and our overall paradigm towards life. Perfectionism is impossible. Guilt trips from other people or self-imposed drive us further away from life-balance. And 18 pills a day is going to have little impact ESPECIALLY if it's part of a program that involves hyper-vigilance towards perfect eating and no freakin' balance between what we label GOOD and BAD.

So please be on notice that I do not stand for coaching perfection especially if I, myself, can't live up to my own advice and definitely if it's not something people can realistically maintain and leads to the self-flagellation most people (especially women) don't need more of.

Jane

Why Boot Camps are a booming trend

2008-04-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

"Everyone deserves to feel powerful and fit."
Urbanfitt mission statement.

We strive to create an environment where anyone at any experience level can walk in and feel comfortable. All too often I hear about nightmare stories from people who go to join a gym and walk away feeling far worse about themselves then before they found the courage to step through the door.

Most recently, I heard a story from a stunning 24 year old woman who had been comparison shopping gyms in Toronto. According to our scales she weighs about 110 lbs and based on Dr. Todd Starr's measurement she is 14% body fat.

The day before her measurements at Urbanfitt, she had walked into a large fitness chain (wish I could name the company but might get my ass sued) and was assaulted with a hard core sales pitch. According to their scales and body fat measurement methods, she was 118 lbs and 24% body fat. They told her she wouldn't be able to get her body fat to a healthy range unless she committed to 50 personal training sessions. Well, it doesn't take a genius to be able to tell this beautiful young woman was lean and didn't have any body fat issues. The last thing she needed was for someone to exploit whatever insecurities she had about her body and inflate measurements to get her money. With her wits about her, she walked out of that gym and the next day gave them a piece of her mind. She shared her story with us and we were determined to rectify her negative experience.

It makes me so mad when I hear these stories. I think about how much courage it takes for some people to even enter a gym. Then I hear about stories like the above and it makes me feel even more resolved to nurture an environment at Urbanfitt that builds people up, rewards and acknowledges people's efforts and unconditionally accepts people at whatever fitness level they are at.

Which brings me to my hypothesis why boot camps have been growing in popularity over the last few years.

Boot camps are normally run by people unaffiliated to large gym chains. The liability issues of outdoor fitness programs normally deters large gyms from offering such programs. Therefore, the people offering boot camps are often independent. Boot camps don't require enduring a high pressure gym sales process. Most people participating in boot camp programs are like minded. They want to be outside. They like the motivation group classes offer and enjoy building relationships with the same people week after week. Most boot camps require a minimum four week commitment so people get to see the same faces each class.

I've seen how people can grow confidence and build friendships in boot camp programs. Classes are often so challenging for everyone that you can't help but lean on each other for support and for chuckles when you just feel like packing it in. There is an alchemy when like minded people come together to get fit. And with the right instructor, a couple months in a boot camp program can literally 'reboot' your lifestyle.

Stay posted for specific dates for our Trinity Bellwoods Bootcamp starting up in May. If interested, let me know how Wed evenings and Sat mornings might work.

And together, let's send big chain gyms a message that their high pressure sales tactics are just plain wrong by seeking out different alternatives to getting fit.

Over and out.
Jane

Eckhart Tolle and stress

2008-04-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

This week I took a long hard look at the variety things I'm doing to build my business and further my career. The beauty of being self employed is that I do what I want when I want so anything I do work wise is what I'm choosing for myself. The personal freedom I have created comes at a price. Like most people, I sometimes get caught up in the mind set that I need to do more and achieve more and learn more and create constant extrinsic successes to be able to eventually relax and find peace.

Well I picked up "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle at a conference called Wellspot that I attended last Saturday. Several of my friends have recommended this book. Here's the link by the way.

I've been doing work on creating a spiritual foundation for my life for quite some time with the guidance of one of Dr. Sha's advanced students, Sher O'Rourke. Dr. Sha wrote several best selling books including "Soul Mind Body Medicine". I know I'm headed in the right direction and need to be patient with the changes I hope to implement in my thinking and my life but sometimes we all need a little wake up call as we move forward. I'm only a couple chapters into "A New Earth" and can see it came at just the right time.

I've been running around doing a lot of PR activities that are designed to build my business and feed my ego. And according to most spiritual masters, the ego creates all our suffering.

After cracking open Eckhart Tolle's book on the weekend I decided to let go of some of the things I've been doing that haven't been serving me or my bigger picture goals (life balance, peace of mind, uninterrupted time with my daughter). I've been doing a regular radio segment for almost a year and have enjoyed every minute of it. But I decided to quit. The main reason? I can see that being able to say I was on the radio was feeding my ego and my need to be seen as someone who knows what I'm talking about. But I started resenting the time and energy I was throwing into it.

My challenge to anyone reading this? What can you let go of that isn't serving you in a truly meaningful way and adding to your stress?
What are you doing that isn't consistent with what you really want your life to be like?
What do you have to prove to yourself really?
What names are you dropping to impress people?
Is your ego always the boss of you?

I'm working on mine.

Peace out,
Jane
www.urbanfitt.com

Flacid units and obesity

2008-03-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

Cialias, Viagra, Levitra, drugs promising to enhance the male erection have become widely accepted prescription medication many men resort to in order to have sex.

In 1998, Viagra hit the market and with it many men's prayers were answered in a little blue pill. Only the birth control pill has ever come close to prompting the societal and cultural changes brought on by this 'cure' for erectile dysfunction.
By 2002, over 11,000 prescriptions were written each day by primary care doctors and urologists in the United States alone keeping in mind that there is no way to actually track internet and black market sales.

In spite of their popularity, drugs designed to treat erectile dysfunction don't work for many men with severe cardiovascular disease. Why?

A recent study out of Adelaide University’s medical school in Australia presents yet another reason why being obese blows. If losing weight, avoiding a variety of obesity related diseases and preventing cardiovascular disease isn't motivation enough for men to lose weight, then maybe knowing they are more likely to experience a flacid unit might be. And for some men, even a pill won't restore the possibility of pleasure.

We all know being obese isn't healthy. But what is less well known is that not only blood vessels to the heart are affected by obesity but similar effects occur with the blood vessels to the penis with resulting erectile dysfunction and poor urinary tract function. And obesity isn't something reserved just for the aged man.

According to the Mayo Clinic, erectile dysfunction can be a wake-up call that men are at risk for heart disease. The same factors that contribute to heart disease — smoking, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and others — can cause sexual problems.

In one study, 64 percent of men who'd had heart attacks had erectile dysfunction before they knew they had cardiovascular disease. Some experts suggest that if you haven't been diagnosed with heart problems, consider erectile dysfunction a wake up call. It could be a warning sign that the blood vessels feeding the heart might also be in trouble.

The same factors that increase risk of atherosclerosis in the arteries in a man's penis also increases the chances of coronary artery disease. Because the arteries supplying the penis are smaller than the ones to the heart, symptoms may first show up as a flacid unit.

What study after study is showing is that men with metabolic syndrome are more likely to have sexual problems.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, blood fat disorders, elevated blood pressure, and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (AKA a pre-diabetic state). Then add a little smoking on top of metabolic syndrome and a man's chances increase dramatically.

So is the answer really going to come in the form of a little pill? It would seem that as a culture we would rather treat symptoms with drugs then to look at the more likely source of our health issues. If looking and feeling better isn't motivation enough for men to lose weight, then perhaps the risk of never having unassisted sex might be.

AND, ever heard the expression lose 30 lbs and gain an inch?

Over and out.
Jane

10 ways to feel better in less than 2 minutes

2008-03-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sending out a top ten list for the chicks who dig Take Two. Beware, the following list might appear to be touchy feely and a little naughty. But regardless, the following suggestions are a fool proof and absolutely guaranteed to make you feel better FAST! And let's face it, it's the end of a long snowy winter and we could all use some instant pick-me-ups to get us through the last stretch of cold weather. (Anyone as sick of their winter coat as I am!).

Here goes!

1) Drink a glass of water. You might be grumpy because you’re dehydrated. This tactic will also stop
you from reaching for a chocolate bar.

2) Sit down, close your eyes and breath deeply into your stomach

3) Call a friend or family member and tell them you love them. What goes around comes around. Chances
are they will tell you they love you too.

4) Get some blood flowing and run up and down a set of stairs. Release those endorphins, our bodies’ natural
form of heroin without the negative side effects.

5) Put your favorite feel good song on and dance around like a crazy woman. Might want to do this one
when you’re alone though. Not at the office. Or maybe that would be good?

6) Put one of your favorite motivational CDS on (if you don’t have one you should always have one handy)
and remind yourself the power to feel better is in your hands.

7) Drop and give me 10 push ups. Self esteem is directly correlated with how many push ups a woman can
do.

8) Take a B vitamin supplement to boost your energy. Just not close to bed. B vitamins will keep you
wired.

9) Think about your favorite toy…you know the ones that require batteries. Can you get a quickie in?
Oxytocin rocks.

10) Write down five things you like about yourself or five people who love you. Keep this list close by at
all times.

Top 10 reasons why doing crunches won't flatten your gut

2008-03-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

It would seem that the core training phenomenon has twisted the minds of many rational thinking and intelligent human beings. We all know that core strength is really important. We all talk about it at some point or another as something we feel we might need to improve. But what most people don't understand about core strength is that it's not something you do to flatten your gut and get rid of belly fat. The record needs to be set straight so we're all using trendy terms without making jackasses out of ourselves.

Core strength is really about how strong ALL of our muscles are in our ENTIRE torso, not just the muscles running down the front of our stomachs. Core training is far more than doing crunches. The muscles in our core include all of our abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, transversus, internal and external obliques) but also our hip flexors, pelvic floor muscles, glutes, all of our back muscles, and muscles around the shoulder girdle.

So given the fact that core strength is about all of these muscles, why are we all still so obsessed with the standard crunch (AKA sit up) as a way to melt fat from our stomachs? How does it make any sense that lying down on our backs and crunching up repeatedly in one direction would convert fat tissue into muscle tissue and magically melt away all the extra calories we ate that set up camp on our bellies? Do you think maybe that we get belly fat not because our abdominals are weak but perhaps because we eat too much? Come on people.

Top ten reasons why doing crunches won’t flatten your gut:

1) The whole spot reduction idea is so Jane Fonda. Let it go people for once and for all!
2) Abs are made in the kitchen (at least 80% of how your abs look have to do with what you eat).
3) Doing an hour of core training every day would have less of an impact on your ab fat than chronic sleep deprivation. Being chronically underslept will make you store fat in your gut (aka visceral fat).
4) If you constantly stress about how much ab work you’re not doing you’re likely making your belly even bigger. Stress makes us release cortisol which makes our bodies store visceral fat yet again.
5) Building muscle all over our bodies helps us rev up our metabolisms. The more muscle fibres we have the less likely we are to store sugar as fat.
6) We burn more calories working big muscles groups or doing multi-joint exercises (i.e. squats, push ups, rows) than doing crunches. Getting rid of fat means creating a caloric deficit.
7) Whether or not you eat a breakfast high in protein has a bigger impact on ab fat storage than a set of crunches. Try it out.
8) Building abdominal muscle under fat will give you a wonderful six pack that no one can see. People have six packs because they are lean all over.
9) Excess fat storage around our middles has more to do with hormonal imbalances and overall fitness than whether or not we can do 200 crunches in a row.
10) If you have lordotic posture, (i.e. sway back) your belly is going to spill over your hips and make your gut look bigger. If you don’t fix your alignment you’ll always look like you have more of a gut than you really do.