Jane Trains 10 Clean Eating Tips

I have been practicing the clean eating principles for a few years now. If you put effort into exercising then you need to put effort into eating clean. It helps greatly that I have a wonderful person Brandon Steen who loves to cook and prepare meals for me. However, he follows the clean eating principles too. Some of my clean eating principles are due to food allergies but many people without food allergies follow the same principles. What does clean eating mean to me? 

Jane Trains 10 Clean Eating Tips

1. My morning starts with warm water and lemon. My grandfather practiced this and I have adopted it. Cleans out the system!

2. Eat a good balanced breakfast such a protein shake with homemade almond milk (we have a Vita Mix so we use filtered water and raw almonds and blend it as we make the smoothie), Vega protein powder (made from peas and hemp), cod liver oil (lemon flavour), frozen fruit, spinach or sprouts. I take my protein shake with me to work and drink it while I am getting ready for a busy day in a kindergarten classroom. On the weekend we often have fresh fruit, eggs, oatmeal or a whole grain toast with some organic all natural nut butter.
Jane Trains tip: I NEVER EVER miss a breakfast, it is the only way to start to a good day.

Fresh summer salad with mint from our garden

3. I enjoy my green tea in the morning sipping it on my way to work as I drive the highway into Toronto and then finishing it calmly as my kindergarten students are quietly reading on the carpet at the beginning of the day.

I love my teas!

4. Snacks between meals are very important to keep the metabolism going. They are also important to teach young children the principles of healthy eating, when my students have snack I sit down and have snack. This is one of the only times you will see this kindergarten teacher sitting during the day. My morning snack is usually fruit with cheese or sunflower seed butter (no nuts at school is really hard for my healthy eating plan). My afternoon snack is often vegetables with homemade bean dip. 
Jane Trains tip: I always pack at least 2 snacks, you never know when you many need one.

4. Eat a good size lunch as you still have most of the day to use all the nutrients. My lunch always is a large salad full of a variety of vegetables with homemade oil and vinegar dressing (I keep a bottle of salad dressing at work), and a serving size of a lean protein source (chicken, fish or eggs) and occasionally a healthy grain such as brown rice, spelt pasta or quinoa. I try to save my carb intake for after a strength training workout and that usually is after I get home from work. Jane Trains tip: I always bring my lunch to work, I never go out for lunch, pick up lunch or skip lunch.

One of Brandon's awesome salads with fresh figs

This was my birthday salad and it was delicious.

5. Everyday I take a extra large reusable bottle of water (40 0z), you can tell it is used daily from the dents and scratches on my bottle. It is harder in the winter to drink as much water. On warm days in the early summer at work when the classroom is a steam bath I take 2 extra large bottles and have to slow down at the end of the day to make sure I don't run out of water before home time. Sometimes when I am at home on the weekends, I will fill my water bottle making sure I drink it all if I think I may not be getting my daily consumption of water.
Jane Trains tip: I never leave home without my water bottle filled.

6. Dinner is always awesome as it is created with love by non other than Brandon Steen. Always consisting of a protein source with another good size salad and sometimes a healthy grain. This meal often becomes my lunch for the next day. I usually end my day with an herbal tea after dinner. My favourite herbal tea is peppermint, it is a nice way to soothe the stomach and relax at the end of a long day.
Jane Trains tip: I try not to eat after 7 p.m.

A healthy dinner of fresh Ontario yellow beans, simple salad and organic meat with blueberry compote

7. I don't consume: processed or prepared foods, fast food of any kind, junk food, white flour and most wheat flours (allergic to wheat), sugar or any sugary drinks including most juice (allergic to sugar), dairy (except for goat milk and cheese as I am allergic to dairy), soy products (allergic to soy), caffeine (exceptions can be made), more then one alcoholic drink a week (and it is usually one a month)


8. I always make sure that our fridge and cupboards are full of good healthy foods from our awesome grocery store Michael-Angelos. Remember to buy your foods along the outer walls of the grocery store (fruits and veggies) and less on the inner shelves (this is where the processed foods are housed). We always have something healthy we can eat that is made by us and we know exactly what we are putting into our bodies. We aren't consuming chemicals and preservatives, I won't eat something that has words I can't pronounce. 
Jane Trains tip: The money you spend to go out to restaurants can give you a nicely stocked kitchen from your favourite grocery store or health food shop.

Brandon always has it stocked.

9. I only eat organic meats and have for many many years. I was a vegetarian over 15 years ago but that didn't work well for me health wise. When I began eating meat again I only ate organics and have never gone back. There is a huge difference in the taste and texture and the life experience of the animal that you are consuming. I don't eat meat outside of my home and I am happy to have had amazing butchers in the cities I have lived in. I recommend you find a local butcher and begin buying meat from the butcher shop.  
Jane Trains tip: Protein is important to the body especially for muscle growth, eat organic meat.

Organic meat prepared for dinner with fresh herbs for seasoning.

10. You are probably asking if I ever have anything as a treat? I learned an awesome tip from my trainer. I picked a day which is Friday for me and I have a treat. Nothing too big just sometimes I like a small bowl of potato chips (simple chips made with potato, canola oil and some salt) or a nice piece of dark chocolate, sometimes a beer or red wine. I follow this like my religion and if I need to plan for an event then I alter my treat day. 
Jane Trains tip: Pick a day of the week and make it your day for a treat day. Don't consume treats on the other days of the week. You may be surprised how often your having treats!

Last weeks treat was a divine birthday cake topped with berries. The cake was wheat free, egg free, dairy free and had no cholesterol. Homemade by Brandon Steen.

You may be wondering why I am eating so much food? If you want to be healthy and keep your metabolism going you must eat food. In fact you must eat food every few hours which is why snacks are so important. People think they need to starve themselves to loose weight. You can starve yourself and loose weight but you will not be healthy. If you want to be healthy than you must eat food at least 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. 

This is not a diet, this is a way of life. Diets don't work. Diets set you up to fail. You don't eat this way to reach a goal and then stop. You must be consistent and make this your way of healthy eating for life if you wish to be healthy and fit. 


Later in my journey of healthy eating I was informed of this awesome woman, Tosca Reno and began reading her articles, books and online websites. She was on the cover of a fitness magazine at 50 in a bikini and follows many of the same exercise and eating practices as I do. If you would like to read more about Tosca here are her links:

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ and http://www.toscareno.com/

I was lucky to meet Tosca this past fall in Mississauga at one of her book signings and learned that she is also very personable giving Brandon and I many awesome compliments. She signed my book "To your best body now. Eat Clean." She is an amazing woman and is a great inspiration to me on my "Be Strong" journey. I leave you today with the picture I had taken with her.

Brandon Steen, Tosca Reno and Miss Jane Fall 2010

Be Strong and Eat Clean!

The "Ah-ha" Moment

The "Ah-ha" Moment

My "Ah-ha" moment came a few years ago when I had a very painful illness that caused me horrible discomfort. It was very difficult to function in everyday life, it became chronic for me and I knew that it was not going to go away. I eventually had to have surgery which in many cases doesn't solve the problem either. I decided that I needed to make myself as healthy as possible. I began to change my eating habits and I told myself that I needed to eat as well as I could to strengthen my body. My horrible painful chronic problem has remained dormant for a couple of years and I think I have solved the problem.

A couple of years after this I had a horrible ear ache, so much so that all I could do was pace our apartment for hours in the middle of the night hoping for some relief. My doctor wouldn't give me anything for it and I had never had an ear ache in my life. Eventually, I received a referral to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist because at this point I had lost hearing out of that ear. However, none of the doctors or specialists could see anything wrong with me. Eventually, I became very tired and frustrated that no-one could help me to feel better and explain what was wrong with me. I thought I might never hear out of my right ear again. It was at this point I took things into my own hands and self diagnosed myself. I was having an allergic reaction to something, I have had allergies all my life and have never had any ear reactions but I felt that I was very close to having a very bad reaction much worse than an ear ache if I didn't do something fast. 

I called my Naturopathic Doctor, as I have been treating my allergies naturally for many years now. I began acupuncture immediately, I still remember the feeling as all the toxins left my body, I felt so good after each treatment. I began regularly taking supplements and homeopathic medicine. After some time, I began building up my body and had my allergies retested. What I found was alarming to me but it explained everything. I had many food allergies, the list so long and shocking that Brandon didn't know how he was going to cook for me. I was allergic to wheat, corn, soy, dairy, sugar, oranges and many other things. This changed how I ate drastically. I had a great deal of restrictions that made my eating habits very clean. Shortly after I began making all these food changes I was beginning to feel much better. 

Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture cured my health issues

I learned through these health issues that I was a very strong person. I decided that if I was eating clean I also wanted to get in good shape too. It was at this point that I decided that I wanted to work with a personal trainer to get myself in top shape. I have been working with Josh Hewett of Top Form Fitness for over  a year and along with my healthy eating I am well on my way to being the healthy person I have worked so hard to become. 

Josh Hewett of Top Form Fitness

You may think to yourself a Naturopath and a Personal Trainer cost money. To you I say, this is the best investment I have ever made in my life. In our lives we need good health, when we are healthy and fit we are at our best. If you think of the money you spend on fast food, eating out at restaurants or on useless fitness gimmicks or dvds you would have the money for the necessary supports to get you on your way to living healthy and eating clean. We need to take care of ourselves and for me the results far outdo the costs.


Maybe you have had your "Ah-ha" moment or perhaps you are on your way to your moment. When you have it you will begin to change your life for the better. 


I look forward to hearing about your "Ah-ha" moments, please share your story on my blog or on my facebook page.

Boot Camp This Girl!

The Strictly Fitness Boot Camp Class

A few weeks ago my trainer Josh Hewett of Top Form Fitness mentioned that he will be starting up an indoor winter Boot Camp. I signed myself up although I didn't know exactly what I was signing up for and I honestly have never been a fan of group classes. 

I walked into the facility, Blast Athletics located in an old raw building that had been a mechanics shop. It had lots of the old Toronto character that I love so much, but what I saw really pumped me up. My eyes moved around the building noticing a turf floor and rubber mats from front to back, yellow and black jungle gym straps bolted into the wall, the bad boy 500 lb tire with thick ship ropes for rope undulation, lots of gear hanging on the wall and an back area called "The Pit" for doing weights. 

Taking It All In

I mentioned to you in my first blog entry, New Years Resolution for 2011 "Be Strong" that I had spent over a year searching online for inspiring strength training videos of women. My interest is not in bodybuilding training that creates muscles comparable to men, however when you type "strength or weight traiing for women" into search engines this is what mostly comes up. The closest thing I could find for inspiration online usually was Crossfit videos of women and I did find some good inspiring ones.


As I began to take this environment in, I realized that I just walked into one of the online videos that were bookmarked as my favourites. There really aren't words to express this exact moment in my life. I suppose it would be comparable to a kid when they walk into a toy store for there first time only to realize that there are a lot of toys and they want to play with them all. I couldn't wait to play.

Focusing for Jump Squats

The Big Boy Tire and My New Friend "The Rope"

Killer Wheel Barrel Workout on the Ab Roller

Ab Wheel Curls

Being Strong!

Inverted Rows on the Jungle Gym

Are you wondering what was Miss Jane's favourite exercise of the day? Let me tell you. Earlier when I told you I was taking in the building I really was focused on one thing, these my blue eyes were glued to the ropes. I have seen the rope exercises online and have always wanted to try them out. It is called, rope undulation training where you move the ropes either in unison or in alternating movements. This is a challenging workout but very satisfying. When we were asked to find our first station, I bolted in a mad dash for the ropes. There was no need to rush as no one seemed to have the same interest in the ropes as me. I have already discussed with Brandon adding the ropes to our implement training at home, no time like the present. I look forward to getting stronger with my rope undulation.

My Toy Store

I Got The Rope!

Time to Play

Rope Undulation is Hardcore!

I got in an awesome training session today, enjoyed some good laughs and really got to push myself in a new environment. It is days like today that make me want to condition myself to the extreme so that I can really push it all out at an event like todays Strictly Fitness Boot Camp. If you are looking for a full body workout and ready to get yourself into solid strong shape this is the Boot Camp for you. If interested contact Josh Hewett or Kris Donaldson at: http://www.top-form-fitness.com/bootcamp/. 

"Be Strong"

Photos taken by Brandon Steen at Strictly Fitness Boot Camp 

Happy Birthday Elvis

Today is the day that many Elvis fans flock to Graceland to remember,  Elvis Presley's birthday. I have not been to Graceland but it is on my list of things to do, another reason to train and be healthy. There is always an Elvis cd handy in my Chevy HHR to listen to incase I get stuck in a winter snow storm and need to keep my spirits high.

Elvis is on my list of the performers that I wish I could have seen live, it so happens most of my favourite musicians were before my time. When Brandon and I were in Palm Springs, California we went to Elvis' Honeymoon Hideaway and his early home that he lived in with Priscella Presley as seen in the pictures below.

One of my favourite songs from Elvis is " Down in the Alley because the lyrics have my childhood nickname in it, Janie. It is the closet I can get to going to a live Elvis concert. If you don't have and Elvis cd an would like one I recommend Elvis 30 #1 Hits.

Elvis is a great inspiration to me and I think of him on this day. In our lives many things can inspire us and inspiration can come in many forms. Find your inspiration. Elvis happens to be one of mine.

Make It Happen No Matter What!

I have shared with you the importance of finding the perfect match in your exercise of choice. I hope that you have given this some thought today. What I haven't shared with you is the importance of finding the perfect match in a personal trainer. Once you know what you want to do as your form of exercise, you need to find the best person to teach you how to master your new interest. What you really need is: someone who is positive at all times, happy and fun to be with, experienced, knowledgeable and passionate for the type of exercise you are wanting to explore, inspirational and always motivational. For me that person is Josh Hewett, owner of Top Form Fitness and Team Barbarian. That's right my trainer is the strongman that pulls tractor trailers!

I learned about this personal trainer Josh Hewett when my husband Brandon was in a car accident several years ago and needed to have physio and physical conditioning. Brandon liked Josh instantaneously and kept telling me that I would really like to train with him as my personal trainer. Like always Brandon knows me as well as I know myself and Josh instantly motivated me to push myself further than I had ever pushed myself before. I had found my perfect match in a personal trainer.

Not long after I began my new journey I thought to myself, "What if I found Josh 20 years ago?" After some thought I realized that a person needs to meet the right people at the right time in one's life. I was ready to meet Josh and have him change my life forever. I was always strong when I was younger, I could compete with the boys and outdo the girls. When I began lifting weights, conditioning and doing implement training my desire to be strong resurfaced. 

When I begin a training session with Josh we always start with humour making it fun right from the start. Josh always changes up my training sessions which is good for the body and mind. He is super motivational and always pushes me past what I thought was my personal best giving me new challenges and goals. Josh taught me how to train, eat clean and stay healthy. I look forward to training sessions with Josh to see what my new personal best can be. 

I am hungry, invested in myself, programed for success and unstoppable. I am a no matter what person and will make this happen no matter what. I want to "BE STRONG". I hope you find an inspirational personal trainer and you make it happen no matter what.

Finding The Perfect Match

I am from the era of aerobics classes, however I never wore a leotard. In high school, the girls gym class was taken to the weight room once, however we simply walked around the room. I was very healthy, strong and quite fit at that stage of my life many years ago. However, I didn't have the perfect fitness match in aerobics and wish my gym teacher showed us how to lift weights because all my strength and conditioning was lost. It was nearly 20 years later that I found my trainer Josh Hewett owner of Top Form Fitness, he trains me using weights and I don't need to wear a leotard. In fact the preferred shoe preference for weight lifting exercises is converse, how cool is that?

It is very important on the journey of health and fitness that you find forms of exercise that truly light your fire. For me those awesome strength and conditioning exercises are squats, lunges, step ups, hex bar deadlifts, hanging knee raises, push ups, barbell routines, jumping chin ups, v-sit ups and many others. All of these exercises light my fire, are challenging and get me the results  I am looking for. I have become stronger than I have ever been and my conditioning is truly surprising. In September 2009, I began implement training doing 200 lb tractor tire flips, pulling and push weighted prowler sleds and tire slams. This type of training is used to prepare for Strongmen competitions and is mostly an interest had by men. This girl loves it and will share my story of Matilda with you another time.

Lifting weights and implement training make me want to get stronger. To lift a little more weight in the training session. To do more reps on my next weeks sets. There is a drive to find your own personal best and keep pushing a little further even when you have nothing left.

The video you watched was one of my first implement training sessions filmed by my trainer Josh Hewett of Top Form Fitness. This was back when the fire for training was sparked and the experiences were all new and super exciting because I had just found my perfect match. I encourage everyone to find their perfect exercise match in life. It may change or evolve over the years but if you want to be committed to your health and fitness you need to find something that you love. 

This year my goal is to get stronger. Everything is in place, Josh Hewett my awesome trainer, a unbelievable home gym, a solid strength and conditioning program, my itunes playlists and my new black and pink low cut converse. I have begun my journey, this week has been full of awesome training including cardio HIIT sessions and strength and conditioning. I hope you take some time to look for something that sparks your fire and you also find the perfect match. 

In the next few weeks I plan to create some new videos of my training and I will post them for you to see.

"BE STRONG"

Miss Jane

New Years Resolution for 2011

"Be Strong"

I made it simple because I don't want to forget my goal for the year. I want to be the strongest I can be and look good while doing it. "Being strong" refers to many things but truly I mean it literally. I feel my best when I am strong.  I feel super confident when I am strong. When you have confidence you can do anything and be anything. I want to reach my fitness goals. I want to lift my heaviest weights ever. I want to be strong and lean. I want to fit into anything and not have to think about it.

I chose this image of Marilyn Monroe because of her body shape. Women today have changed drastically and are not representative of body shape. It is important that we have realistic goals when we are on a journey that involves our bodies. 

On December 31st, 2011, I will be recreating this photo to mark my journey.

Join me this year on my journey and "Be Strong".