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When you are a busy professional and a large part of your business success depends on business lunches, dinners and cocktail events it can be nearly impossible to keep on track for a healthy diet with moderate drinking. Watch this video to find out the secret we discovered to resisting temptation that will have people encouraging you not to drink or sabotage your diet!
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Congratulations to our week one winners for the 30 Day Fitness Challenge.
One Month Booty Camp Fitness Gift Certificate: Connie Ladas
One Copy of Last Night at Chateau Marmont from Simon and Schuster Canada each: Allison Knudsen, Andrea Bloomfield, Tanya Reeb Holm, Mary Ghazarian, Denise Glazier
Do you like getting fit, having fun and winning prizes?
Make sure you join our 30 Day Fitness Challenge – just sign up for our newsletter and you’re entered! The challenge is officially from September 7th – October 7th, but you can join at anytime, just adjust the starte date to the date you receive the first e-newsletter.
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Today marks the start of Week 2 of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge!
How are you feeling? We’ve heard from lots of you that you’re feeling great, you love the recipes and some of you are struggling with the limits of cocktails – stay strong ladies, it’s worth it!
So far the 30 Day Fitness Challenge is off to a great start! We’re thrilled to have hundreds of people on board to get fit, have fun & win prizes.
Speaking of prizes…if you haven’t signed up yet you are not too late. You must sign up for the e-newsletter to be eligible to win the prizes though, so make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to win great prizes including:
- 2 four week gift certificates for Booty Camp Fitness
- a fabulous gift basket worth $150 from Burts Bees
- a gorgeous collection worth $200 from Upper Canada Soap Company
- 20 free book giveaways from Simon and Schuster Canada
This weeks 2 e-newsleter is going out today – so sign up to the e-newsletter now so you can join!
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Recently we came across a great article from a former workaholic who has since reformed and continues to be abundantly successful and has time and energy to spend on some of the simpler things in life – like growing tomatoes, sipping lemonade on her porch and reading inspiring books. Here’s Jennifer Kushell from Your Success Network
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This summer there were a lot of changes in my life, both personally and professionally. In short, I got a life. I’m not missing my workaholic self one bit either.
For 17 years I’ve worked non-stop. An entrepreneur since I was 13, I hit my stride at 19 while starting The Young Entrepreneurs Network…and the rest is history. I’ve been obsessed with succeeding as a social entrepreneur ever since. It’s such a tricky balance. And when you’re trying to make a serious impact, no matter how much you accomplish, you always seem to feel like you’ve barely just scratched the surface.
Taking myself outside of my workaholic self, I’m now taking a hard look at the toll this lifestyle has done to me personally and it’s frankly kind of scary. Sleep deprivation. Unhealthy eating. Embarrassingly sparse exercise. Excessive amounts of caffeine. So little fresh air or vitamin D (sun). Countless all-nighters. More missed parties, holidays and special occasions than I’d dare try to count.
While I’ve traveled for work over one million miles now, I’ve had 2 two-week vacations to speak of since that dreamy and wild month off with my high school BFF all over Spain, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza way too long ago. Adventures and private get aways since have been great, but usually no more than quick 2, 3, 4 day stints. Always, time stolen, riddled with guilt and stress over the opportunity cost of what I’d be missing, delaying, neglecting at work.
Somehow I have managed to make a lot of friends over the years who’ve tried their best to look out for me. As you can imagine, I’ve gotten a lot of slack over the years for not having any real balance too.
Like a true addict, I always knew I had a problem, but didn’t quite understand how all encompassing or harmful it had been. Yes, business always came first and I last, but besides me, what else got squeezed out more times than I’d like to admit? Family, close friends, personal time, fun, life. Even the closest relationship in my life suffered irreparable harm…even though we were in it all together.
A few months ago, I kind of restarted my life. I confronted a battle to let go of the stress, confusion, complication and negativity that had consumed me for years. I ended up in a pretty deep dive of depression, I’ll admit to you now. (That’s kind of why you didn’t hear a lot from me for a few months. Sorry.)
But with the help of the most wonderful of friends and loved ones,
I fought back.
Survived.
…and now, I smile again,.
Constantly.
I have officially taken my life back. I have one. And it’s so nice.
Now I struggle with the same challenges that everyone else does – how to do it all, have it all. Before, it might have looked like I did, but I didn’t. I was missing too much of the “me” in the equation.
What am I doing differently today?
I cook, create, walk on the beach, sit on the beach, watch less tv, read more, spend more time online with an incredible array of new friends from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course, YSN. I exercise, shop, stroll though farmers markets, sit on my deck with friends for hours getting lost in engulfing conversations, get consumed by laughter, clean my house, maintain a garden (with tons of fresh herbs and tomatoes), fill the house with flowers, bask in the sun, catch up on reading, nap with the kitties, walk my neighbor’s dog. I now take photographs like I’m afraid I’ll miss a single moment.
Work, I love again. I dream, invent, conceive, collude, collaborate, and create every chance I can. I write more because I’m constantly inspired now. I’m more connected, more transparent. I want to learn, listen, share every minute I’m alive.
And yes, I am committed to succeed more than ever, even in the most traditional sense. I’m ready to profit, and not just give everything away as I always have. I deserve it. I know I do.
In this new zone of mine, I’ve been more present. I’ve reconnected with tons of old friends and colleagues. I’ve also been thanked daily. People who’s lives I’ve touched in some way have come out of the woodworks lately to make their experiences known. I’ve been humbled and awed by this profoundly. Every day is rich, robust, calm, exciting, joyous, adventurous. I could still use more sleep. And a lot more exercise. But I’ll get there. For now, I’m quite at peace. The other day, I was downright euphoric.
Now, I’m ready to tackle the challenges ahead and feel infinitely stronger setting out to do so.
To all you workaholics out there: Those of you who can’t stop yourself from truly giving your work your life, all the time, I understand. I really do. Try to make some room for you, for whatever matters to you, not just in the big picture and the big scheme of things, but for the here and now. Start by focusing on the little moments that fill your day and your life. The simple things that inspire you to smile, laugh, feel warm and fuzzy inside…and connect with those things over and over. Try to infuse them in your work too.
Let me know how it goes. Maybe we can help each other. After all, we always have.
Photo Credit: Solazzarre.com
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Today is Day One of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge and we’re thrilled to have hundreds of you on board!
We put together a short video for you with Challenge details and great tips on how you can have a healthy, active and fun lifestyle without missing out on socializing with your friends. We’ll also share a big secret on how you can win amazing prizes.
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Can you believe that we are already in September? It’s crazy to think the summer is about to wrap up, school starts again for all the students, and for everyone else summer hours end and it’s time to get back at it!
But to be honest, we’re kind of excited about that! This summer has been gorgeous – maybe one of the best ever in Toronto – and now we’re ready to pull up our socks.
And what better way to get back at it than with the 30 Day Fitness Challenge from September 7th – October 7th! We’ve all had lots of summertime snacks, patio drinks, and probably a few too mojitos! Now we get to join each other in a fitness journey, have fun together and have the chance to win some great prizes!
That’s a WIN – WIN – WIN situation!
Join us for the 30 Day Fitness Challenge! Sign Up for the newsletter to participate
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In just 14 short days the 30 Day Fitness Challenge is set to begin! That’s right, the kids go back to school and you go back to the gym!
And don’t say you didn’t get enough time to enjoy the summer – you have 2 full weeks to drink cocktails, eat sweets, and laze in the hazy last days of summer.
When you’ve had just about enough of the dog days you can pull up your socks, tie up your laces and join us for 30 FUN FILLED days in the 30 Day Fitness Challenge.
To Enter Simply sign up for our newsletter
Each week we’ll send you delicious (and healthy) recipes, an excercise plan and some motivational tips.
PLUS, each week we’ll have some fabulous giveaways from any of our fantastic promotional partners including:
Booty Camp Fitness
Burts Bees
Upper Canada Soap Company
Revolution Organics
Simon and Schuster Canada
Join Us – sign up for our newsletter to Have Fun, Get Fit & Win Prizes!
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Our latest Fearless and Fabulous Female Entrepreneur Series feature is Orlena Cain – founder of Sugarcain Entertainment, an online magazine that supports up and coming, aspiring female journalists, Belleville’s Mix97′s morning announcer, and The Shopping Channel’s TV presenter. Orlena also works closely with the Children’s Aid Society, and other charitable organizations. Busy does not even begin to describe Orlena, but you’ll be surprised by what makes her tick and what she would do differently if she could do it all again.
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How did you start your business?
I created it 6 years ago to help me build my portfolio of interviews and I kept meeting women who wanted to come on board and do the same. 2010 marks the end of a significant run in the world of entertainment news for Sugarcain Entertainment. We started out with one and currently have 25 journos that are in Toronto, Barrie, Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal. Vancouver, BC, Los Angeles, CA and TEXAS! We really are everywhere!
What’s your typical day like?
Throughout the ownership of my own online magazine, I have also continued to work as a television host and now morning show radio host too. A typical day starts at 430am/530am depending on if I wash my hair or
not, which also depends on how restless my night was…lol! Its on air 600am – 1000am in Belleville on MIX97 radio (Mon-Fri)and then if need be I may have to travel an hour and 45 minutes to The Shopping Channel (TSC) studio to work an afternoon or evening shift. I usually work weekends in Toronto at TSC.
What was your biggest worry when you started your own company?
My biggest worry was that no one would find it interesting enough to read and to date we have 250-thousand readers! Not too shabby for no advertising and purely word of mouth.
How long did it take for you to feel confident about working for yourself?
For me confidence has never been something that I wait for to do something. I walk fearlessly and sometimes foolishly in the path of the least expected. Sometimes I fall flat on my face…but most times noone is around to see it and I dust myself off, wipe a tear away if it has strayed and keep moving. Life is a battle. You don’t stop – keep moving!
What surprised you the most about working for yourself?
I will tell you what surprised me most about working for myself – you can make anything happen and it is true, ” If you build it, they will come.”
What’s the biggest reward in working for yourself?
The biggest reward is that I have had a successful online magazine for 6 years and I have helped alot of young women help themselves. I feel incredibly grateful to have met over 50 women who have been affiliated
with Sugarcain Entertainment. Some have moved on to great jobs like Monika Platek who is an in house announcer for their live TV coverage for the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS or Loriann Vilani who works on 102.1 THE EDGE as an anouncer.
What have you sacrificed?
I have sacrificed having or starting a family. I have sacrificed sleep. But I would change nothing, because, everything is as it should be.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE. If I could change anything, I may have told a couple of people to go SCREW THEMSELVES. However, the world is small, so I silently have said it and not verbalized it, even though they deserved it.
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Other Inspiring Women: Fearless and Fabulous Female Entrepreneurs
Ali De Bold – cofounder of ChickAdvisor
Equipped with a great business idea and loads of hard work she and her husband and business partner, Alex De Bold, started www.ChickAdvisor.com – Canada’s first user generated reviews community for women to share advice on their favourite products and local places. Find out how she did it, and the one thing she would have done differently!
Lisa Ng – founder of HelloDJ
Lisa Ng is a woman that goes after what she wants. She’s never worked in a corporate office, she owns her own DJ company, Hello DJ, and she’s not afraid to take risks. But how did she do it and what’s it like?
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Tired of doing the same thing every time you get together with your girlfriends? Have cocktail parties, shopping trips, and coffee shops lost their excitement? Ready for a change?
Try a day hike with your girls! Every year a few of us head out into a nearby nature reserve, or sometimes a bit futher away, and go for a long hike together.
We chat, giggle, take some breaks to enjoy the scenery and get some excercise! It’s an amazing way to spend time together…and best of all, it’s fun that makes you skinnier!
We’ve been to Forks of the Credit, and Webster Falls, but there’s so many great hiking trails in Ontario to visit.
So next time your girlfriends want to plan a day out together, why not do something totally different? You’ll feel amazing if you do!
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If you are like most busy professionals you find yourself starving without many options when you are traveling for work, or even around your office in most suburban office malls.
So here’s your chance to share your on the road and healthy enough meal secrets!
For us, instead of having a hamburger and fries, we head over to Wendy’s to have the Manadarin & Chicken salad. It’s filling and delicious and you don’t feel like you’ve been cheated at all!
We also love the salads at Subway sandwiches – the garden salad with ham and fat free Italian dressing is amazingly satisfying – just make sure you skip the cheese to save a boatload of calories.
But enough about our faves, we want to hear from you.
What’s your favourite on the road and healthy enough meal?
