Guest Post: Healthy Steps for a Gentle Cleanse,Part 2

Welcome back to Arja Pennanen Lytle from Balance Body and Soul Nutrition who is going to offer 11 steps that will help you cleanse the body naturally.  Take it away, Arja!

Follow the guidelines below for 10-14 days and reintroduce eliminated foods slowly to make sure that your body doesn’t react negatively to them.

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Guest Post: Healthy Steps for a Gentle Cleanse,Part 1

January is the time of year when we want to start fresh.  This may include giving our menu a makeover to help clean up our insides.  I have enlisted my good friend and Holistic Nutritionist, Arja Pennanen Lytle from Balance Body and Soul Nutrition to offer her tips on how to embark on a cleanse that is healthy for your mind and body.

Hi there!  My name is Arja Pennanen Lytle and I’m a Holistic Nutritionist based in Toronto, Ontario.  I’m excited that Tracy asked me to be a guest on her blog today!  I can usually be found sharing information about health and wellness, along with some yummy recipes, over at Balance Body and Soul Nutrition.

Now that we are a few weeks into the New Year, you’ve probably seen a lot of information about detoxing.  Your friends on Facebook are doing it, magazine articles are telling you to do it, and your Twitter feed is filled with links to articles and blog posts about people who are doing it.  

Before you run out to your nearest health food store and grab the first box you see that promises to improve your liver and digestive system, let’s talk about why you might think you need a detox or cleanse.  Your body might be trying to tell you that it needs some support and a break.  Have you been experiencing any of the following symptoms lately?

• Indigestion, gas or bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Acne
• Water retention
• Fatigue

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Guest Post:Certification in the Fitness Industry, Part 4, NASM

It has been many months since the last installment in this series and I am thrilled that my friend Suzanne @ Workout Nirvana (a newly certified personal trainner - way to go, Suzanne!) has stopped by to talk about her experience with The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Take it away, Suzanne...

I’ve always admired and respected personal trainers. I never imagined I’d be one until about a year ago, when the thought first crossed my mind. 

My blog and online fitness community has buoyed me from being passionate about weight lifting and health to actually becoming certified as a personal trainer. A change in careers was the last thing I thought I would be doing at this point in my life. But with an endless reservoir of knowledge, support, and motivation at my fingertips, I finally made started the wheels turning.

My first step would be to find a certifying organization - ACSM, NASM, ACE, and ISSA are a few reputable ones I looked into. I relied on word of mouth, mostly – which were well-respected certifications? What were the curriculums and exams like? What did employers think about them? Since I didn’t have a degree in exercise science, I knew I wanted a certification that would be challenging and reputable yet not too frustrating.

Guest Post: Quick and Easy Veggie Pasta

Hi everyone! 

My name is Stacy and I blog about delicious vegetarian food and also teach busy people to fit healthy habits into their hectic lives without deprivation as a board-certified Holistic Health Coach. 

While I absolutely agree that physical activity is a huge part of our overall health (along with our career, relationships, finances, and spirituality), my personal focus is on food.

One of the things I work on with my health coaching clients is incorporating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into their diets. We avoid drastic changes and start small by adding fruits and veggies into dishes they already eat. An easy place to start is with pasta, and I want to share a simple weeknight meal with you that shows you what I mean.

Guest Post: Certification in the Fitness Industry, Part 3: ACE & SCW

In the second part of the series, you got the rundown on some of the Canadian fitness certifications from the wonderful Diana @ FITness Training. 

For part three, the fabulous Paige @ Running Around Normal is going to tell you about her experience with the American certifications, ACE and SCW...

Hello, Commit to Fit readers. My name is Paige and I blog over at Running Around Normal about recipes, life, running, and dealing with an injury from running.

One of my jobs in a personal trainer, and that's why I'm here today! Tracy asked me to contribute to her Certification in the Fitness Industry series by writing about my certification, which is the American Council on Exercise (ACE.) If you're considering becoming a certified personal trainer through ACE, there are several options for you.

Healthy Lemon Cookie Makeover and Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my first giveaway.  It was so much fun, I am seeing more in the future :)

And the winner is...

Congratulations Dani!  I will contact you today to get all of your info.

I was really craving something tart and sweet yesterday.  I saw that Gina @ The Fitnessista had made some delicious lemon macaroons and thought that lemon would be a fantastic star ingredient for my next makeover.

I have made lemon bars before so I wanted to do something different.  It has been a while since I have made cookies and I found this recipe that had makeover written all over it.

I lost the butter, reduced the sugar and increased the protein and fibre content.  The result was a chewy, moist cookie with just enough sweetness.  I hope you give them a try!

Lovely Lemon Cookies (Makes 32 Cookies)

1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 flax egg
6 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Glaze
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Prepare flax egg and set aside.

Mix flours, wheat germ, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream applesauce, sugar, maple syrup.  Add flax egg, lemon juice and zest.

Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until thoroughly combined.  Drop by the tablespoon on cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

While still warm, poke cookies with a fork.  Pour one teaspoon of glaze on each cookie and allow to cool.

Nutritional Information (Approx.)
60 calories
0.7 g fat
12.6 g carbs
1.5 g protein
1 g fibre

Stay Healthy,
Tracy

P.S If you are looking for something to read, check out my guest post @ I'm An Okie!

Guest Post: Certification and the Fitness Industry, Part 2: Canada

In the first part of the series, I shared some of my general thoughts on the topic of certification in the industry.  

For Part 2, I have enlisted a friend of mine, Diana @ FITness Training, to give you the rundown on some of the most popular Canadian certifications.

Take it away, Diana...

Which organization offers the best certification for the best price and what do the courses involve? 

It seems like there is no standard across the board. Each of these organizations has different requirements and very different prices.

Canadian Personal Trainers Network (CPTN)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Over the age of 18
• Current CPR
• 20 hours of practical experience or a degree in Kinesiology
• 5 hours of mentor/observation time
• Submit a personal training log
• Achieve 75% or higher to pass both the theory and practical exam. 
• Costs:
•  $64.14 for membership
• $497.20 for preparation course (includes manual)
• $204.75 for theory and practical exam 

Canadian Fitness Professionals (Can Fit Pro)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Over the age of 16
• Current CPR
• Complete 25 hours of training
• Achieve 80% or higher to pass both the theory and practical exam
• Costs:
• $50 for membership
• $434 ($399 for early bird) includes online course, in class course, course manual, study guide and exam

  

Ontario Fitness Council (OFC)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Complete 24-32 hours of training
• Current Emergency First Aid with Heartsaver CPR
• Achieve 80% or higher on exam
• Costs:
• $225-239 for fitness theory and exam
• $65-90 for NFLA exam
• Need to contact for rates of PT course
• $45-65/hour for practical examination

So, which is the best course for you? 

At one time I held many certifications with various organizations. It looked great on my resume however; it started to get very costly to keep them current. I decided to choose one organization to continue with my certifications.   

I went with the one that would help me continue my education credits (CEC's), online or in class, and worked around my schedule. 

No matter which one you choose, make sure you thoroughly research your options and consider the following:

• What is the time commitment?
• How much money are you able to invest?
• What are the requirements for re-certification?  Will you be able to meet them?
• What kind of support does the association offer?

Source

I have met trainers who are extremely knowledgeable and hold many certifications. I have learned from them, but they have no passion and lack personality. How do you teach “personality”?

Having personality is just one aspect, I believe being a great trainer is a combination of many things. For me this includes passion, love, education, expertise, experience and personality.

A few years back, I was personal training in a well known gym in Brantford. I had been working there for less than 6 month and had already 20 clients.   

One woman came up to me and said, “I’ve been watching you for a while now, and you’re the trainer I want. You’re fun, know what you’re doing and are able to push me when I need a push”.

I am the first one to say that I don’t know everything when it comes to fitness. However, I continue to learn and educate myself.  Most importantly I build relationships with my clients; I care about my clients and have fun with them. 

That is my secret…don’t tell anyone :) 

Keep Moving, 

Diana

FITness Training

Some questions to ponder:

Do you think requirements and standards should be the same across the board?

Can anyone call themselves a personal trainer?  

Does having a passion for fitness make you knowledgeable in the fitness industry? 

Do years of experience take presidency over education? 

Guest Post: A Happy, Healthy Hike

It is a very cold and sunny day in Toronto and if some of you are planning to venture outside, you may want to check out my guest post at Christine's blog about healthy hiking.  

Speaking of happy and healthy, I had the opportunity to meet up with some fellow bloggers yesterday for lunch at Commensal in Toronto and had a fantastic time!
















It was so nice to finally meet some of the wonderful ladies whose blogs and tweets give me me such pleasure and inspiration!

Big hugs to Samantha, Sara, Candice, Lisa, Susan, Meghan, Lily, Nancy, Danielle, Angela, Claire, Preena, Callie, Kristin, Therese and Morgan.

I am already looking forward to the next time :)

Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Guest Post: 8 Tips for Better Blog Images, Part 2

Much thanks again to Christine @ Photographic Ramblings of a Photo Nut for sharing her professional knowledge and tips. (In case you missed it, click here for Part 1).

 










 5.     Change Your Perspective!
Images starting to look the same? Even boring, or too familiar? Change where you shoot from. Pros rarely get the killer shots shooting from eye level.  Find your subject or scene, decide what the most important feature is, then get above it, slightly below it, shoot from the ground up, or shoot along the length of it. The award winning image above is of a much photographed historical location, but instead of including the whole building the way most people see it, I shot from beneath one of its most beautiful elements and found a whole new perspective. Give it a try!
 

 









6.     The Golden Hours!
If you’re going to shoot outdoors for any reason, the ideal time is during the “golden hours”. The first light in the morning until about 10 am and the last light of the day until about a half hour after sunset starting from dinner time depending on the time of year. This is when you get the warmest, nicest light from the sun. Skin tones are softer, and scenes have a magical quality.
 

 















7.     Use Portrait Framing More!
Look back through your picture files. Most people hold their camera at eye level and lengthwise. Turn your camera on its side more; it’s not just for people portraits. Composing a shot in your lens on the vertical creates a different energy and adds a new dynamic. The example above demontrates this. I chose to compose this way to accentuate the pillars on the chapel, the lines of the architecture, and include some of the brooding sky. And it works!
 

 










8.     Keep it Simple! The best way to compose is to find what you really want to feature, then shoot it. Don’t try to include so much into the scene. This only creates more distractions when viewing the shot and a viewer can get lost in the image, totally missing your intent. This goes hand in hand with tip #3. The example here is a massive stack of baskets at the market. I remember I tried to include the entire 12 foot high stack, but to do so meant other things started seeping into the composition and the shot was no longer about the baskets.  I also began to lose the details I was drawn to. The end result still tells you this is a cool stack of baskets, but is simple, more powerful, and has great detail.
  
There you have it, 8 ways you can improve your blog images without having to buy new gear or use general pics from stock. My very deep thanks to Tracy, for letting me shed some light on this topic and being asked to be a guest on one of my favourite blogs! 

Whether needing images for the latest exercise, the best recipe, or your latest family outing, my wish is that you now feel confident enough to get shooting!  

Have fun and thanks again!

Christine 
C. Duncan's Photography

Guest Post: 8 Tips for Better Blog Images, Part 1

I have to admit that I am not the best at taking pictures for my blog.  This is why I am stepping away from the norm today for a special guest post!  My good friend Christine @ Photographic Ramblings of a Photo Nut is going to give you some amazing tips to make your blog as pretty as a picture.  Here we go...

So you love writing for your blog, and often times you need to produce an example of what you’re blogging about.  Maybe a new recipe that turned out great, a fun location to take the kids, or something more instructional, like how to re-stain an old dresser.  You either have to search free image sites for a picture that comes close, or you’re brave enough to take your own. 

But you don’t have the studio lights, the backdrops, or the camera knowledge to get anything other than a “snapshot”. Well, I hope the next eight pointers will inspire you and improve the way you get that blog image without all the “stuff” mentioned above.  

   







 








 1.    Natural Light is Your Friend!  
Either sunny or cloudy, indoors or out, natural light will always give you better light. Who needs professional lighting when you can sit your subject near a window and get some lovely sidelight across them, or take them outside and get naturally diffused light on an overcast day. Seems really sunny? Find some shade against a wall, or a cluster of thick trees. Keep the sun behind or beside you, but when photographing people, keep the sun beside or behind them to avoid squinting. 

2.     Aim for Color!    
Find a way to make the most of color within your composition. Blogs for the most part should be bright and eye catching, unless you specifically use B&W images. For example, this image was from a farmers market. I also had a great shot of piles of rustic potatoes and heads of garlic... but for a blog about fresh produce, the image of the green beans won hands down because of their bright, fresh color throughout the shot. 

Before

After

 3.     Get in close.... then get in closer!  
Ever wonder why you see a finished shot and your subject or scene still looks far away or ineffective. You need to get closer. I realize when you shot the image you thought you were quite close already but trust me, get really close! A tight shot can produce a professional composition... so when you think you’re close enough, get even closer. This example is two shots I took over the holidays, one was from a good distance to include most of the cat... but there’s objects in the background that distract and clutter the composition. The final image looks markedly improved simply because I made a decision to scoot even closer and frame him tightly. 

Before

After

4.     Stay Away from Flash When You Can!  
Flash is always tricky, even for professionals. Most prefer to stick with that natural light mentioned in the first tip if they can. And the reason is this: when used casually without knowing the properties of lighting, it’ll make your images look flat every time. Flash can wash out any real color, and heaven forbid if you have reflective surfaces like glass, it bounces the light back at the camera causing spots of white light and blown out areas you can never get back. 

Here are two examples: the before I took of some soft pretzels I made one day, and thought I'd get a quick pic of my efforts... but the kitchen had been dark, and naturally the flash went off. Looks dull and not too tasty. For the after shot, I placed the plate near a natural light source, got closer, and shot without flash. Big difference right?  

Stay tuned for more of Christine's tips in Part 2.  Meanwhile, check out her website, C. Duncan's Photography, for inspiration!