Arnold Photos

I have finally put up pics from the weekend. Enjoy!


On the bus... Not too bad for public transportation!


1/2 way there Pit Stop. Hmmm... what to choose? Denny's or Mickey D's? How about my cooler!


Setting up! Check out this YouTube from set up day, too.


Arriving at the event... I had cold feet!


With assistant extraordinaire, Vinita!


Across the way at the REPS booth... Hi guys!


Shaking Arnold's hand...

Annual Show Finale Dinner at Morton's with Oxygen cover models, Oxygen team members & my husband, Robert.


Annual Show Finale Dinner at Morton's with my wonderful team... Thank you Leigh, Erin & Vinita!

Challenge Finale

We made it!!!

It's the end of the Arnold Challenge. For those of you who joined me and stuck it out for the last 2 weeks YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I hope you are feeling healthy and happy and ready to incorporate some more complex carbs back into your life.

For those of you who missed the Extra TV segment here is a link: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2009/03/eat_clean.php

Arnold pics coming SOON.

Don't forget you can become my Facebook friend... lots of Clean Eaters have posted Arnold pics there, too.

-Tosca

Challenge Day 12... and Post Arnold Recovery

Hey Clean Eaters,
It was a joy meeting tons and tons and tons of you this weekend! I just wanted to say a quick hello. I'll be taking the day off to recover from the Arnold. We didn't get in until 2am. I need some more rest. I'll be back soon with pics and moments from Arnold 2009.
-Tosca

EXTRA!!!

Good Saturday Morning everyone,

Today is THE day. I am so thrilled to have my segment on Extra today.

I won't be able to catch it because I'm on the booth all day. Let me know how it is if you see it.

It's the Ambush Lifestyle Makeover Series... Hopefully you'll be able to find the channel. Here is a link to find it when it airs in your city: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/about/whenitson.php.

We're into Day 2 at the Arnold (catch me on Twitter) and Day 10 of the challenge. WOOHOO!!! I'm feeling good and meeting tons of Clean Eaters.

My voice is a little hoarse though.

Arnold Day 1 & Challenge Day 9

Follow me all weekend at: www.twitter.com/toscareno

Well yesterday was a busy day!!! We arrived in Columbus at 2pm and had a ton of stuff to do:

- Get our rooms at the hotel.
- Unpack all sorts of stuff from the bus.
- Get to the booth to set up (see video 1 of me and video 2 of my husband Bob as we set up the booths and invite YOU to the Arnold).
- Prep for this morning's TV appearances by trying to get to Whole Foods. We had this terrible Cab driver and actually had to stop to get directions. Eventually, we got there, shopped for the appearance. On the way back we got a good cab drive who we've been using ever since. Shout outs to cab #310!

Today has been and will continue to be REALLY busy:

- I was up at 5 this morning to shoot some more video with the RKP web team.
- Grabbed cab #310 at 6:30am so I could head to the TV station.
- Had a fun interview with Terry from Good Morning Columbus! The video link doesn't seem to be working right now from their site... but I'll try to put it up later.
- Then is was back to the hotel to eat breakfast, change and start our day at the booth!

HERE WE GO!!! ARNOLD 2009 BEGINS!!!

We're Heading Into Week 2 & Heading to Columbus

Who knew a bus could be so cozy!!

We're off to the Arnold today in our chartered bus. I would love a coffee right now!!!

Here's what I packed in my cooler for the ride:
Crudities, hummus, nut butters, wraps, oatmeal, protein powder (no meat or fruit across the border) will get other stuff there if I have today.

Doing Cooler 1 and trying to get across the border without meat can be tough so I have lots of protein powder, hummus & nut butters to reach my protein quota. Once I cross the border I will stock up on more clean eats for the rest of the weekend.

For those of you who are continuing on with me for another week of Cooler 1, stay strong! I hope you're doing well and feeling good. For those of you who finished the Challenge after 1 week, how do you feel?? Did you notice any major changes?

COOL NEWS: I finally figured out how to use Twitter and I will be Twittering/Tweeting or whatever you call it all weekend from the Arnold here.

Also, here is an article featured in The Columbus Dispatch about Eating Clean for your reading enjoyment: http://www.dispatchkitchen.com/live/content/food/stories/2009/03/04/5A_EATCLEAN.ART_ART_03-04-09_E4_GQD3GUF.html?sid=101

For Your Reading & Viewing Enjoyment... Challenge Day 7

We are ONE WEEK into the Cooler 1 Challenge. I am feeling nice and cleansed for the Arnold. We leave tomorrow!! I have lots of packing to do tonight.

Here is a link to a great article I found in the New York Times yesterday. It's all about how exercise doesn't do it all. It basically proves that diet is 80% of the battle, while exercise is a mere 10%. It's important, of course, don't get me wrong (we need our strong muscles), but for true weight loss and health we need to EAT CLEAN!! http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-exercise-ess.html

Here is the link to the segment I did on Better TV on Friday. Select the segment from the right-hand side of the screen: http://www.better.tv/

I'm off to pack and get to bed on time.

COLUMBUS, OHIO HERE WE COME!!!!

Challenge Day 6

I arrived home safely from Portland late last night and was greeted by the bitter Canadian cold. My hubby was up at 6:30... and so was I. Adjusting to a time change is always a little rough. I'll be taking extra special care of myself today by loading up on veggies and soothing teas.

I am visiting Franca today to get all prepped for the Arnold. We leave Thursday!! We're taking a bus to Columbus, Ohio because every other year we've been faced with major airport delays and canceled flights due to nasty weather.

I've included a few more pics from my Portland experience. The first one is at Bob's Red Mill - an Oregon classic. Do you have these products in your grocery store? I use their grains all the time. This weekend my daughter and I made their gluten-free pancakes and their gluten-free bread. Delicious!! Check them out if you haven't tried them yet. My daughter and I also had a delicious meal at Andina, a Peruvian restuarant.

Enjoy!!

P.S. For those of you who are joining me on this Cooler 1 quest, I hope you enjoying yourselves and taking care of yourself, too. Listen to your body and give it what it needs. You'll notice Cooler 1 is very challenging... this is exactly why it is NOT to be used for longer than 1-2 weeks at a time. It's hard on your body. If you don't feel you can do it than stop.

We're Cleansing... Ionic Cleansing & Cooler 1

Wow!!! Sounds like a lot of people are on board for the Pre-Arnold Cooler 1 Challenge for the next 2 weeks. We're two days in so far. How is everyone doing?? I'm feeling a little tired, but that could be because I spent all day flying to Portland, OR to visit my daughter, Rachel. I made sure to pack along my "eat clean" treats suitable for crossing the border (think no fruits or meats). Once I passed security I filled up my water bottle and managed to find a clean meal. It IS possible to do that at the airport. No excuses!

Seems a lot of you were really interested in the ionic cleanse, too. It was such a great experience. I was really tired afterwards, but apparently that is normal. My "cleanser" told me that I did pretty well because I was so relaxed. Most people get concerned with the combination of electricity and water and have a hard time relaxing. I was just happy to be sitting down for an hour with my feet in hot water. It does feel a bit strange at first. It's like having little fishies nibbling at your toes.

The water showed that I am a little low on calcium so I'm going to look into a supplement since I don't consume too many dairy products, and apparently my healthy greens aren't making up for it. Could be the lack of Vitamin D lately, too. It really is time for winter to be over.

Check out the pics below of my Ionic Cleanse Experience... WARNING!!! THEY ARE NOT PRETTY!!!!

Pre-Arnold Challenge

Happy Wednesday Bloggers,

We are about 2 weeks out from the Arnold and I am fully in prep mode. Even though I am not competing, I still have to be looking and feeling my best as I represent Oxygen, Clean Eating and The Eat-Clean Diet on the booth.

I am basically following Cooler 1 plan.

Anyone want to do it with me?

I'm issuing an Pre-Arnold Challenge. For the next 2 weeks we'll do Cooler 1. Join me if you're interested even if you're not going to the Arnold.

What will the next few weeks include:
Tightening up the diet (see Cooler 1 Plan in The Eat-Clean Diet for more details)
Feeling a little hungry... this part is no fun
No fruit
Lots of wheat grass, salmon, and spinach
Not skipping any workouts!!!!
Adding a ½ hour of morning cardio
Training heavy with weights in the evenings

It's been hard to get into prep mode because there has been a lot going on at home. I’ve been driving back and forth to Belleville about 3 times in the last week! I had to help my daughter with a driving ticket, I had to return my other daughter and her friend to university after spring break, and yesterday I had to take care of both a sick daughter and a sick mom. But no more excuses.... time to get down to business!

By the way, I think it's time for February to end. We need some sunshine and warmth!

For a little time out this afternoon I will be doing an ionic cleanse at the Hockley Valley Tea Company. You sit and soak your feet and all the "yucky" (for lack of a better word) comes out. At least that will warm me from the inside out, even if the weather can't.

Why don't you do something nice for yourself, too. Remember, taking care of you and loving you means you can take care of and love someone else that much more!

Hugs,
Tosca

p.s. I'll be answering questions soon!!

Another Busy Week Ahead

Good morning bloggers,

We're battling yet another snowstorm here in Southwestern Ontario. I ventured out this morning to have a visit with my friend Franca in Milton. This is my one day of peace in the middle of yet another BUSY week.

So does anyone else feel like they are on a treadmill these days? And I don't mean the good treadmill at the gym; I mean the treadmill of life. I'm constantly on the go. Sometimes I don't know if I can handle it all. I go to bed thinking about what I haven't done in the day. Sorry... whining. But I guess it's good to know that I am not immune to stress! It gets all of us. It's how we handle it that shows our character and ability to succeed. Let me tell you... handling stress does not involve a bucket of ice cream and sweatpants. That used to be my plan of attack and it got me even more stressed.

As for this week, I have a lot of adventures ahead of me...
Yesterday I spent ALL DAY filming for The W Network. I wish I could give you all an air date for the show, but I have no idea when things will be done. We just keep filming more and more.

Thursday I fly out to Vancouver, BC because on Friday morning I will be guest speaking at Kiewit & Sons Annual Conference. I am the motivational speaker for the wives at breakfast on Friday morning. I have worked with the chef at the hotel to create a clean-eating spread for the breakfast talk. I hope they enjoy it.

Friday afternoon I fly home from BC so I can be in Kingston, Ontario for Saturday morning. I am really honored to be speaking at Queen's University, my alma mater, as successful alumni. Click here for the information for those of you who are in the area. I don't know if it is open to the public or if it is just for students, but it's worth a look.

This weekend is also my daughter's 21st birthday celebration. Does anyone have any recommendations for 21st birthday gifts? I'm at a loss.


Phewf!!!

I know I said I would keep you posted on my progress for the Arnold coming up in a month's time, and here's where I have to get good and honest. With the amount of work on my plate, even I have had more than my share of days off. When my hubby and I have made it to the gym we have been working with 4 sets. The first set is 25 reps with light weight and the following 3 sets are 6 reps with ultra-heavy weight. As for eating.... it's Cooler 1 ALL THE WAY!!

Enjoy the snowshoeing pics everybody. I took those this weekend with Chelsea and the pups when I finally managed to peel my butt off the desk chair after working on recipes all weekend.

I'll update you on all the week's adventures... and I will answer questions soon.