Bikini Boot Camp BLOG

By Dawn Kosloski, Co-owner, Bikini Boot Camp

OMG! It's here! I start running in less then 2 hours. I am trying to get my last bit of water in and keep everything down! My cute outfit of a tank and shorts changed multiple times over the past 2 days as the forecast went from sun and 13 to snow and 1 degree.

My focus now is to have fun and enjoy the experience!

Congratulations and good luck to everyone running the 1/2 and full marathons including 2 of our fabulous trainers Robyn (Calgary) and Ashley (Saskatoon). Sheena (Calgary) is leading many of our 1/2 marathon girls who ran San Francisco with us last year. Lindsay, Annie and Laurie and many others will be manning the Bikini Boot Camp water station on Memorial. I can hardly wait to see them.

See you in a few hours

**Dawn is Co-Owner of Bikini Boot Camp, with her best friend and business partner, Lindsay. She is passionate about experiencing people, activity in the outdoors, and all that life has to offer. She will be running and blogging her way to her first marathon.

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
--John Bingham

Best of luck to all of our lovely ladies and gentlemen who are running tomorrow! Whether this is your first race or you are trying to qualify for Boston, run fast, run well and stay focused...As always, Bikini Boot Camp is there to cheer you on every step of the way!

100 Calorie Snack Ideas

1. sliced tomato with a sprinkle of feta and olive oil
2. banana
3. Quaker instant oatmeal (regular flavour)
4. 1/2 cup edamame (measured shelled)
5. Yoplait light yogurt (fruit flavours)
6. Starbucks tall skinny latte
7. 3 cups air dried popcorn
8. 8 shrimp and 4 tbsp cocktail sauce
9. 1 1/4 oz turkey jerky
10. 1 tbsp peanuts and 2 tbsp dried cranberries
11. Curves granola bar
12. 1/2 cantaloupe
13. 1 cup strawberries and 3 tbsp Cool Whip free
14. 1 cup baby carrots with 2 tbsp hummus
15. 1 cup V8 and 2 oz Oscar Mayer oven roasted turkey breast
16. 1 cup raspberries with 2 tbsp plain yogurt and 1 tsp honey
17. 5 Hershey's special dark chocolate kisses
18. 18 fat free Rold Gold Tiny Twists pretzels
19. 2 egg whites with 1 slice whole wheat toast Continue reading "Crush Your Cravings Without Sabatoging Your Diet" »

By Dawn Kosloski, Co-owner, Bikini Boot Camp

I can’t believe I am a week away from the actual race! The past 2 weeks since my last blog have flown by and I have knocked off another 141 km’s. I have an easy 5km run or walk to do this week and then the big day…42km!

Since January I have trained, thinking that May 30 was such a long way off. But here we are in the final week. My goal was, of course, to run a marathon but what I have learned along the way is that it’s not just about the running.

Yes there is definitely the physical training that comes with doing a marathon but there is also the mental training of striving for your personal best. And your personal best is different for everyone. When someone used to ask me how fast I ran I would always preface giving them my time with “I’m not a fast runner, I run about a 1 hour 10km run.” Now looking back on this answer I see how I was not confident about what I was doing and I was minimizing what an amazing accomplishment that even running 10km is, no matter at what speed. After having gone through this training, I answer that question now in a very different way!

This experience has taught me even more, that every person is unique and does their personal best in their own way. And the group that I trained with exemplifies this. Our group is like a big pack of rubber bands that we buy from Staples - there are green ones, blue ones, long ones, short ones, thick ones, thin ones - but we all have our strengths in how we do things. I evidenced this during hill training, speed work, long slow distances, and tempo runs. Each person excelled at something. And sometimes it was just for one day, when they were having a rock star run, on their rock star day. But everyone in our group excelled. And as we did our final speed work at the end of the week, and then faced the “dreaded” Shaganappi Hill this morning, I marvelled at everyone as I watched them have their shining moment, their personal best, their rock star day, during some part of the run. Whether it was on the up hill, or the down hill, or the flat, each person had their own personal best for today, including me.

And also what I marvelled at this morning was how I did not compare myself to anyone else in the group - I wish I could run better on the hills like that person, or be faster on the flats like that person, or look more smooth when I run like that person - I was just happy to be sharing this experience with these amazing people, and happy to have come this far for my own personal best. I am not sure what type of rubber band I am in the big pack of rubber bands - I would like to think I am the one that holds it all together, never snaps, and is flexible and open to change - but I know that whatever type of rubber band I am, I am the best rubber band I can be! And I have learned that every run, no matter what my speed, time or feeling is, is a rock star run, on a rock star day.

So now, when someone asks me how fast I run, I tell them “I run a super fast and fabulous 1 hour 10km run!” That is my personal best!

**Dawn is Co-Owner of Bikini Boot Camp, with her best friend and business partner, Lindsay. She is passionate about experiencing people, activity in the outdoors, and all that life has to offer. She will be running and blogging her way to her first marathon.

~ There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and only 8 who do

~ Marilyn Munroe wore a size 14

~ If Barbie was a real women, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions

~ The average woman weighs 144 lbs and wears between a 12 - 14

~ One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder

~ The models in the magazines are airbrushed - not perfect!

~ A physological study in 1995 found that 3 minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty and shameful

~ 20 years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today they weigh 23% less

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

What a beautiful weekend, what a great race! Bikini Boot Camp ladies headed out to scenic Canmore this weekend to run in the Rocky Mountain Soap Co. Canmore Women's Run, and it was fabulous! With all distances being represented by our awesome team, we had first time racers and
veterans alike on both Saturday and Sunday for the 6km, 12km and half marathons distances. It was a gorgeous weekend to hit the trails, and of course we all took home some pretty fab swag from the Rocky Mountain Soap Co.!! Great work everyone, you ladies ROCK!

Over the month of April $1575 worth of referral credits were submitted. That means 63 new ladies were referred and signed up for Bikini Boot Camp. THANK YOU! We are excited to announce this year's referral challenge winner. And the winner is:

Jackie Wapple!

Jackie wins free Bikini Boot Camp for 1 year! Jackie referred 4 of her fabulous friends who are working out with trainer Karen Roden in
Saskatoon!

Honourable mention goes to Candace Jack and Aymie Rondeau of Calgary!

Thank you to all!

Race season has started with a vengeance with events being held every weekend all over the country. If you are a runner, when was the last time you gave consideration to your shoes? Running shoes should be replaced every 800 km (and if you are training a lot, that is sooner than you think!)

If you suffer from blisters, black toes, numbing, or uncomfortable pressure from seams, your shoes do not fit properly. Following are simple tips for finding the perfect fit. (Source: Impact Magazine)

1. Pull out the shoes insole and stand on it to check length. Your longest toe should be one finger width from the end of the insole.
2. Once your foot is inside the shoe, check the width by sliding one finger down beyond the throat or bottom laces.
3. Different lacing techniques can dramatically change the fit of the shoe.
4. Beware of seams crossing over painful bony prominences; the seam's stitching won't stretch.
5. When you go up a width, from a B to a D, the girth of the upper increases by a quarter of an inch.
6. When you go up a full size, the length increases by a third of an inch.
7. Wear your running socks for the fitting.
8. If you wear orthotics, take them with you.
9. Shoes won't always be the same size as your previous purchase.
10. Don't buy tight shoes thinking they will stretch and fit over time.

Make sure to purchase your shoes from a reputable business that specializes in running shoes. They will be able to do a gait analysis and direct you to the shoes that will work for you. (and no, they are not always the pretty ones!)

Happy running!

For the next 6 weeks Bikini Boot Camp will be holding workouts for the parents and staff of CUPS. We are excited to share our love of health and fitness with a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. A big thanks goes out to Holly Golanowski from CUPS and Terese Pratt (one of our fabulous Bikini Boot Camp trainers) for making this happen. To learn more about CUPS and to show your support visit their website www.cupscalgary.com

The Lifestyles Wellness Team would like to invite all Moms to a special day, Saturday May 8, just for them at:

Lifestyles Wellness Group
#204 - 4616 Valiant Drive NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 247-9301
drformoms.com

Take the time to spend with a girlfriend or bring your family and enjoy refreshments, samplings, prize draws and special discounts on services.

Book your chiropractic, massage, reflexology or infant massage appointments now to join in the celebration of all things Mom.

- Enter to win our special Mom's Day Gift Basket, filled with things just for Mom. (Bring a friend and receive 2 entries)

- Enjoy a little R & R with a massage, reflexology and ionic footbath while we watch your little one and receive $10 off.

- Infant Massage Special - A 1 hour session with Kate McLean - $45 (regular $70)

- Save on our Product of the month especially for Moms.

- Nutritional Refreshments by Heather Mix, Holistic Nutritionist

So, we are almost halfway through 2010...time to revisit those goals you set at the beginning of the year! Ask yourself, "How am I doing?"

For those of you who are on track, Congratulations!

If you are struggling, consider this:

Setting goals can be somewhat like writing out your Christmas Wish List...you can ask for whatever you want effortlessly! But, figuring out WHY you want them takes effort and self examination.

Setting the WHY for your goal along side it is where you will find the willpower to go on when you would rather give up.

For example, you may want a sexy upper body so that strapless wedding gown looks fantastic, more energy to play with your children or stronger legs so you can run faster or ski better.

Having a solid "WHY" attached to each goal helps you to dig that little bit deeper and will help you to stay focused and on track.

Let us know what we can do to help you!

By Dawn Kosloski, Co-owner, Bikini Boot Camp

“You ate the whole bag of chocolate chips?” my cousin Monique asks incredulously! “Not the whole bag,” I answer sheepishly. “How could you do that?” she asks? “Easy, I alternated between a handful of chocolates chips and a handful of potato chips.”

Flashback to a few hours earlier when I was standing in my pantry eating anything in sight. My dog, Indiana, had a worried look that I may even go after his dog treats. It was the day after my first 29km training run, and I was HUNGRY! I had never felt such hunger before. Slowly my appetite had started to build over the course of the first few weeks of training, but nothing could prepare me for the ‘post long run’ hunger I was experiencing that day.

A few days later I was out for a short run with my friend Louise, who I had talked into doing the marathon training with me. (Come on, it will be fun!) I confessed to her my pantry story and she looked at me and laughed. At first I thought she was laughing at me but then she confided that, she could not find any chocolate chips in her pantry, so she had to settle for the butterscotch chips instead…with crackers! We both laughed together and it was great to know that we were not alone in our journey of running and closet pantry eating.

Yesterday, I had my 3rd 29km training run since the above incident and I have since learned to be more proactive with my eating and to make healthy choices to better fuel my body. What I have also learned is that it’s okay to have those occasional ‘pantry attacks’, as long as you have balance in your life. If you eat well 90% of the time you can have those ‘pantry attacks’, for the other 10%, without beating yourself up about it. That is also one of the reasons why I run and exercise. It is so that I can enjoy that occasional piece of pie, or glass of wine, or half a bag of chocolate chips, without feeling guilty. For me, life is not about deprivation and feeling guilty. It’s about enjoying life and maintaining a healthy sense of balance. So enjoy that piece of birthday cake with your child or that extra glass of wine with your best friend as you catch up on life. Balance, and enjoying life, is one of the things marathon training has taught me so far. That, and also learning how to hide the empty chocolate chip bag better!

**Dawn is Co-Owner of Bikini Boot Camp, with her best friend and business partner, Lindsay. She is passionate about experiencing people, activity in the outdoors, and all that life has to offer. She will be running and blogging her way to her first marathon.