March break is approaching fast! You've been planning and organizing your week of fun in the sun for so long but have you planned how you're going to energize and revive your body when the party is over?.....

Hi! My name is **Nicki and I was one of the participants in the Lean & Clean Cleanse back in January and plan to join the one again at the end of March. I was asked by Rachelle to come forward and talk about the Lean & Clean Cleanse, my likes and dislikes and just my overall experience with the challenge.  First, here is how the cleanse works:

• You go to Rachelle's office with the entire group of participants for your first private weigh in and measurements. Then she explains how the detox works - the hot yoga, what you can eat, what you can't eat and why those particular foods are chosen for the cleanse.
  
• Hot yoga at Dynamic Fitness at the "early risers" 6:30am time slot. You go to hot yoga 3 times a week on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings for 2 weeks.
  
• During the 2 weeks, on both of the Saturdays and Wednesdays, the group all meets again for private weigh-ins and measurements to track our personal progress, learn more tips, get recipes and ask lots of questions.
  

The whole idea behind the Lean & Clean Cleanse is to remove the foods from your diet that are known as common allergens which can pollute the body and keep us from running at our best. Some of the major foods that were cut from my diet was dairy, wheat, nuts, soy, red meat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Also, after talking to Rachelle about my own personal goals for the cleanse, I decided to take the cleanse one step further and try a cleansing kit along with the diet and hot yoga. I chose the Advanced Naturals Gentle Cleanse since it is the gentlest kit offered and meant to be used with the kind of diet cleanse that I was following. 

At first I was shocked at the vast number of foods that I was suddenly not allowed to have but Rachelle gave us lots of meal and snack ideas to keep me feeling satisfied for those 2 weeks. It gave me the chance to go to the grocery store and look for foods that were new to me or foods that I clearly did not eat enough of on a regular basis. I loaded up on lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, rice, beans, lean chicken, salsa, guacamole and hummus.

For me personally, the first 2 days were the hardest. Giving up my coffee and sugar was very difficult and I had brain-splitting headaches as well. But we were all warned that headaches would be a likely side effect when expelling toxins from the body, so I pushed on through and by the morning of day 3, no more headaches!  I was also loving the hot yoga! I have been to hot yoga before in the past but it had been a while and I was nervous. Even though getting up and being at the studio by 6:30am was difficult, the early am class was never busy so that made me feel much more at ease. And every day it got easier and easier to wake up early and start my day with a good sweat.

I should also mention that the Gentle Cleanse was actually very gentle, caused no discomfort and I was able to live 100% normally while being on it. My hectic lifestyle the past few years has given me some unhealthy eating habits and uncomfortable stomach issues, but by the end of the 2 weeks, my body felt great. Plus I dropped 6 pounds! A perfect way to start my New Year!  I learned a lot about myself and am proud of surviving the cleanse. I proved to myself that my willpower is much stronger than ever realized cause I never dreamed that I would have ever survived 2 weeks without chocolate. Good luck to all of you who want to take the challenge this month! 

Lean & Clean Cleanse includes :

• 6 hot yoga classes, 6:30 am – 7:15  Mon-Wed-Fri
• 4 group motivation lectures with Rachelle Wood, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Saturdays 1:00-2:15pm, Wednesdays 6:00-7:15 pm

Join our 2 week Lean & Clean Cleanse for $99+ gst  (Dynamic Fitness Unlimited Members join for $49)

Ruth's Foods will be donating a bag of delicious Chia Goodness for every member who joins the Lean & Clean Cleanse!

The group cleanse diet explanation takes place Saturday March 31st at 1 pm. Hot yoga with Dynamic Fitness begins Monday April 1st at 630am.

Call Rachelle at 892-SLIM (7546) or EM info@rachellewood.ca for more information or to reserve your space.

**Name was changed for personal privacy. Rachelle Wood Nutrition Inc respects the confidentiality of ALL clients.

I’m on a working vacation (again) this week to Saint John, the windy city. Out of all the Maritimes cities it’s the one I’ve spent the least amount of time in. So I’ve decided to grab the Tourist Guide and go exploring. Did you know this city is full of rich history, beautiful landscapes and even a zoo? 

One of my first tourist stops was to the Cherry Brook Zoo located just 10 minutes from the hotel. It hosts animals from all around the world, even some endangered species. I saw a snow leopard, lions, tigers, reindeer, monkeys and even a Tibetan yak.  Aside from the lovely animals the zoo showcases a Native American medicine wheel, which was more of a tourist draw to me than the yak. 

The medicine wheel consisted of an assortment of interpretative carvings, rock drawings, and edible plants with written explanations of its use in ancient medicine. It includes plants, herbs, weeds and trees like: cedar, birch, dandelion, various berries, rose hips, mugwort ect. I really enjoyed reading about each plant and its medicinal uses. Check out this prayer which was posted by the end of the exhibit. 

I spent 2.5 hours exploring the zoo and have got to say I developed a soft spot for the monkeys. They were housed indoors as the cold temperatures are foreign to them. I played with a pair of tree monkeys from Central America for at least a half an hour. They were smart creatures, showing off until I took my camera out. Flashes scare them, and their intelligence was impressive. They really do remind me of humans as they make a lot of direct eye contact and even point to objects with fingers and toes. 

During my Saint John stay I also visited the reversing falls, a major tourist attraction in the city.  The phenomenon of the Reversing Falls is caused by the tremendous rise and fall of the tides of the Bay of Fundy, which are the highest in the world. To best appreciate the Reversing Falls you should try to view them at least twice on a given day - near low tide and near high tide. It was so neat to watch the water funnel as the currents went by.  Please remember I’m from the sandbar, aka PEI.

So what’s on the agenda today? I’ll be doing a little business down at the Farmers Market. Team SeeResults and I are in town to connect with some awesome Canadian Holistic Nutritionists. We’re looking for more RHNs partners to join our online consultant team. SeeResults is an online weight loss program and client management tool I created for Nutritionists. Find out more here. 

Apparently the USA boarder is only ½ an hour away from Saint John. So if I get really ambitious perhaps I can play/ sight see/ shop south of the boarder. Always travel with a passport; you never know where life will take you!

Wishing you and yours a marvelous Monday!   rachelle@rachellewood.ca

Yes you do deserve a treat today. Think of it as a reward for saying no to cake at the office staff party. Or perhaps when you ordered salad over fries at the pub earlier this week. You won’t even feel guilty while indulging in this tasty treat. Packed full of protein with a chocolate peanut butter twist.  What’s the secret ingredient you ask? Well it’s PGX.

PGX is a non-starch polysaccharide (fibre) with a very high water-absorbing capacity. When consumed with meals, PGX lowers the glycemic index of food eaten while decreasing appetite. PGX mixes instantly in water or juice but can also be sprinkled onto any moist food, yogurt, fruit salad, oatmeal, soup, any low-calorie beverage or meal replacement.  I’ve been sampling some of the Bioclinic Naturals products and especially enjoyed the meal replacement shakes which kept me full for hours.

Here’s a recipe for my favorite guiltless sweet treat. Better then a Reese peanut butter cup. You’ll love it!

Chocolate Nut Butter - PGX Protein Pudding

2/3 cup plain 0% MF Greek yogurt, organic
½ scoop FitSmart chocolate dream protein powder
2 tsp nut peanut butter, organic
1 serving of PGX powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well until blended. 

This pudding contains 175 calories, 24 grams of protein, 9 grams carbogydrates, 8 grams fibre. The perfect post workout snack or enjoy as a quick breakfast on the go. It even tastes great frozen.  Sometimes I omit the nut butter and add I/2 cup diced frozen raspberries or banana.  Trust me I know you'll enjoy eating this!

Do you have a yummy post workout snack you'd like to share? Email it to rachelle@rachellewood.ca 

Imagine the most relaxed you’ve ever felt, then multiply it by 100. That’s how you’ll feel after spending an afternoon in any of Iceland’s geothermal spas.  In all honesty it was the picturesque natural beauty and healing waters that inspired my travels to Iceland in the first place.

I’m a firm believer in the power of relaxation and nothing beats a little body pampering. As a business owner with a love of travel, I’ve enjoyed spa services across our great nation.  My most enjoyable experience was at Willow Stream Spa within the Banff Springs.  One of Canada’s premiere European Spas, it left a lasting memory of tranquility. 

Nestled just outside downtown Reykjavik, Laugar Spa is indeed “World Class”.  This luxury health club houses an Olympic-sized indoor/outdoor thermal pools, spacious fitness centre, spa, beauty and massage clinic, restaurant, salon and retail sports shop.  To a spa loving nutritionist it was heaven on earth.

After checking in at the front desk my travel mate and I headed to the beauty clinic to book in a treatment. We decided on booking the popular firming mud wrap and cellulite treatment which used the Comfort Zone product line. The clinicians’ weren’t able to book us in for 4 hours which gave us plenty of time to fully enjoy the aquatic center.  

We changed into our bathing suits, grabbed a complementary robe and headed to the adults only Spa. It consisted of six different saunas and steam rooms ranging from 65-105 degrees, each with its own fragrance and theme.  A Jacuzzi with hot sea water and powerful jets. A cooling water fall and full body cold water dunk tank. It was an oasis of sensations.

After 2 hours of pure bliss we decided a glass of wine was in order and headed to the bar.Alcohol is expensive in Iceland; a glass of red was around $16. I pretended not to care; I was on vacation after all.

Next we ventured outdoors to the Olympic sized outdoor aquatics facility. Icelanders take swimming very seriously and it’s a popular spectator sport. We found more Jacuzzis, swimming lanes, kiddy pools and a waterslide (which caught my attention). I ran up the stairs, waited for the green light then pushed off. Twisting and turning with psychedelic lights I ventured up those stairs several times.

By far Laugar Spa is the most relaxed I’ve ever been. SO much so that at supper that evening we told our travel group about our enjoyable experience. I wasn’t surprised to hear that some booked in the next day. My tour was arranged by travel agent George Stewart, and I hear he'll be organizing another tour in 2011. 

If you’ve ever thought about visiting Iceland now is the time! It’s a warm (lol) and welcoming country hosting some of the world’s most healing waters.  Our entire day at Laugar Spa cost $80 Canadian, a steal of a deal for 6 hours of pure bliss.

I love visiting Spas, and plan on visiting a few this year while See Results and I travel across Canada. So Canadian’s I’m wondering where your favorite Spa is and which treatments you enjoy the most? Help me relax while on the road, hotel beds usually aren’t that comfortable.

I was the kind of kid who was teased in gym class. This is where my fear of exercise classes streams from.  So this fall I decided to face my fear and join Charlottetown’s trendiest gym  Dynamic Fitness.  And guess what? I’m kind of in love. 

It’s been 2 weeks of indulgent exercise and I feel longer, lighter and leaner. Hot yoga is my latest obsession and I enjoy being drenched from sweating up a storm in Steve or Ericka’s class. As a busy business owner I often find it hard to juggle work and exercise.  When my work load increases it seems that my exercise routine seems to suffer.

Dynamic Fitness is a lifestyle. It’s about pushing your body to the limits of no return. You can enjoy early morning hot yoga class, evening spin, pilates or reformer classes. The instructors are fantastic leading classes with tact and inspiration. So far I’ve enjoyed Steves hot yoga classes the most. Meghans spin class came in a close second, loved her music too! 

Hot yoga deserves to be labeled as the latest fitness trend . After trying it I can vouch that not only does it burn extra calories, it ‘s highly addictive. The intense temperatures really make you sweat. It’s easier to hold poses and relax in the heat. Dynamic Fitness offers a state of the art heating system which keeps heat consistent and humidity levels under control. A hot yoga class requires the room to be 38 to 40 degrees Centigrade (100-105 Fahrenheit) and with 40% humidity .The added heat element offers more effective oxygen flow to the organs, an easier stretch through supple muscles and a healthier immune system.

Since practicing hot yoga I’ve noticed many changes to my body. I feel so much taller and stronger. My sleep had improved and I awake rested in the morning. I find stressors more tolerable and I’ve lost 5 pounds. Quieting the mind is my favorite part of yoga practice and when I’m in the studio I leave all my thoughts and worries behind.

HOT YOGA WITH RACHELLE

If you’ve ever wanted to try hot yoga now is the time! Rachelle and Dynamic Fitness are hosting a beginner hot yoga class for clients of Rachelle Wood Nutrition or See Results. Increase weight loss results, detoxify the body, and improve immunity. Hot yoga is the perfect exercise for a healthy lifestyle. If you’d like to register or find out more about our client hot yoga class email hotyogapei@gmail.com or talk to Rachelle during your next in office session.  

Wishing Dynamic Fitness (Eli and Triona) best of luck with the Grand Opening MONCTON location, 19 Orange Lane. To find out more about Dynamic Fitness Moncton or to view Charlottetown member schedule.