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".