October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Last Sunday I participated in a Breast Cancer fashion show. My dear friend, Lesley, is a survivor of breast cancer. She has been putting on fabulous fundraiser fashion shows for years and years. I've participated in quite a few. It was a great reunion of some of my best and oldest girlfriends who participated in the event. Best of all, the show boasted 145 men and women all gathering to raise money for Dr. Mark Levine, M.D., M.Sc. F.R.C.P(C) who spoke at the show regarding the new developments in cancer research. He is Chair of the Dept. of Oncology at McMaster University here in Hamilton, Ontario. All monies raised that day will go directly towards one of his research programs. In the words of my strong survivor, Lesley: "More people are living with cancer now than ever before - and that I believe it is because of the research being done."

Here I am with Lesley who has been my friend forever. I admire her tremendously as she is a cancer survivor and an incredibly courageous woman. She organized the whole event!!


Erica and I. Not only are we long time pals, we are also Dutch!! We love coffee.


One of the first looks of the event. I love red!!


Dean and I working the leather.


I got to rock the Oscar de la Renta one more time!!


Another very close, long time friend of mine, Anita, and her handsome partner work the runway.


Oops!! My long time friend, Franca, has a clothing malfunction. Luckily she caught the straps before too much was exposed.


Franca, July and I after the show. We are friends and Sisters in Iron.

I'll be on EXTRA! again!

I just got word that my segment on Extra will air on Wednesday October 14th, 2009! Check your local listings and Extra's website to see what time the show airs in your city.

The last few days have been pretty exciting! On Tuesday, I did a great TV appearance with Melissa Lamb from CHEX TV about Eating Clean and on Wednesday I was featured in one of the largest newspapers in Canada! 

Have a Great Thursday! 

Tosca 

Watch Tonight!!

I filmed a segment with CHEX TV this morning in Peterborough, Ontario.

You can catch it tonight at 5:30pm EST on CHEX Television.

It's also available via satellite across Canada on Starchoice (channel 348) and Bell ExpressVu (217).

Check it out!!!

Heading out to the Peterborough Womens' Business Network event tonight! More tomorrow...

Food and Fitness

I am glad everything is cleared up with the treadmill post. Phewf! You all are such fantastic readers and I love your comments. Please keep them coming. I read them this morning and they pumped me up for the Oxygen shoot I have today!
I told you I was knee deep in canning materials! I spent Saturday at home training and canning. Food and fitness are my 2 favorite things. Here's a photo log of the day:

Kickin' it in the gym:

Ham curls and leg extensions!!

Leg press! Killer! I’m pulling my legs in nice and close to my chest.

Straight arm pullovers. A favorite of mine after leg work. It gets lots of air into my lungs bringing my breathing back to normal after heavy leg work.

Gotta' love a strong finish with ab work!

Now it’s time for the kitchen:

Getting prepared for ratatouille and tomato sauce. Look at these goodies!

Tomato sauce: the mill requires strength!

Pickled beets in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner coming up in less than a week here in Canada.

YUMMY!!!

I Hope This Clears Things Up...

I usually run fairly fast. I have never tested myself to see how fast and for how long I could run. I do love to sprint. When I posted about how fast I was running I certainly did NOT mean I ran that fast for miles on end. Rather, I am doing HIITS (intervals) so I am running at a slower pace (usually the 4 - 5 setting) mixed in with faster sprints for 1 or 2 laps on the treadmill at speeds between 7 and 9. I do this for about 30 mins or more. Don't forget these are treadmill speeds that are different from outdoor running speeds. Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT a world class athlete. Not even close. I intend to find out what I can do by training for a sprint distance triathlon but will take my time to train since the event is not until next year.

I did not mean to mislead anyone with that post but it seems I have confused most of you. My mistake. But I do want to maintain that I do have a bit of speed even for an old gal. And my calf is much better – today I ran 3 miles uphill on the treadmill at a pace of between 4 and 5. Now by posting this I wonder if you all are thinking I am full of crap or just royally confused! Guess you will have to ask Bob – he was in the gym with me.

To my Sisters (and brothers) in Iron! I hope this makes sense!
Tosca

Skin Care and More...

A few posts ago a blogger asked about my skin care routine:

My favorite tool is the Clarisonic Plus skin brush. I use it every other day without fail with a mild cleanser containing AHAs. I switch up the brand, but right now I'm using an Obagi product. I also use their Vit C serum on my face, neck and chest after washing. I am using the Aveda Green Science line for moisture and eye cream. I also put an SPF 30 on after all of that.

I eat so very little sugar in my diet and I think this really contributes to the look of my skin. I also drink A LOT of water. These very basic things can make a huge difference!!

In regards to running at 9 mph:

It really wasn't a typo. I really do run between 7 - 9 mph for about 30 min right now. My legs are pretty long and I've always been pretty fast... I was a dedicated soccer player long ago! Perhaps I should have waited a little longer to recover before resuming this speed. My injured calf tightened up quite a bit after that!!

It Must Be Fall

Hello Clean Eaters,

So I'm still on the mend from my calf injury. I am doing much better though. I managed 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday at a pace of 9mph. Phewf!! It was tough. I had physio yesterday afternoon to assess my progress. So far so good. I am really happy to have so much mobility back after such a short period of time.

I also decided to make homemade applesauce today. I had a bushel of apples that needed to be put to good use. Tastes delicious!!! There's a recipe for No Cook Applesauce in the original Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook if you're looking for something to do with apples you have lying around. It pairs so well with a handful of nuts, on a healthy muffin instead of butter, and atop oatmeal in the morning. Yummy!!!

Of course, talking about all of this delicious food is no fun for me right now. I am preparing for an Oxygen photo shoot and need to be in tip top condition. Cooler #1 all the way!

I've been crazy busy with appearances this month on The Doctors, and Extra, and more and will continue to be. Keep an eye on my Appearances schedule for things in your area. I'll be in Peterborough, Ontario on Wednesday. Read about it here!

For those of you who have a copy of the NEW Eat-Clean Cookbook I'd love to know what you're thinking about it?? Any favorite recipes yet??

-Tosca