Category Archives: Happiness

ahhhh… ROUTINE!

August 2, 2014attitudes, exercise, Happiness, health, kids, Life, student, teacher, Uncategorizedenjoy life, patience, relaxhappyrunningmad

Well, its been awhile since i had a good routine going. From all the ups and downs of my pregnancy it just never seemed to happen. Then the baby and Summer arrived and … well… just never happened!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a routine and schedule kinda gal. My thought is it keeps me organized and I get stuff done. For the kids routines are great too, keeping things consistent is important for them. However, not everyone is all about the routine and keeping in line with one (of my dozen) ‘Life Commandments’ I need to remind myself to “Lighten Up”!!

In doing so… my love of being in a groove often gets tossed and I go with the flow. It actually has been really great! My husband is not a routine kinda guy. He likes to do whatever whenever and not stress about the small stuff (like housework, bedtimes, chores etc) especially in the summer.

At our house, Summer is about makes memories and spending time together. So, if the dogs got footprints and dog hairs all over the house and we want to go to the beach, we go! Typically, I would not be able to go because I would want to clean the house first and be sure everything is in its place… BOROING!!! I Know… hence the ‘Life Commandments’ were put in place and I now say “Screw It… TO THE BEACH” 😉

Its way more fun and how many kids get to see the fun and exciting side of their parents?? How many of us are caught up in routines and chores… work and rules? How many parents say “well its 9pm and its bedtime… so No you can’t go outside and look for night worms?” (My kids like to look for Night Worms…LOL) There are a lot of us who have gotten “boring” now that we have become parents!

Its important to have rules and things in place don’t get me wrong… we have chores for the kids, weekly allowances, time outs and screaming kids who don’t get their own way. I just mean ‘Lighten Up’ on the little things! Whats the big deal really? Its summer and the kids are suppose to be able to have fun!

However, this brings me to my next point… How the heck do Momma get some ‘me time’ with the lack of schedules and routines???? I mean really… by the time 8pm comes I wanna stick the little guys in bed and sit down in quite … whew! Its tough sometimes ya know! So its kinda bittersweet really! What are we suppose to do? Finding that out can be challenging but the main thing is to just remain calm… and it will work out!

Tips:

1. Include the Kiddos: It allows you to do things you like without feeling too guilty about them doing nothing while you enjoy something 😉

2. Stay Calm: Its short term remember. By the time they are in grade two they don’t wanna hang out with you. Soon they will be packing their bags and moving out. (I am so not ready for my oldest to be heading to grade 1- where the heck did those years go too??? Full days… nope I am not ready… Wanna keep him here with me forever sniff, sniff)

3. Laugh: It really is the best medicine (well It ties for first with exercise) … Try not to be too serious about things that are not really that important… Who cares really if you want til supper to do the dishes? Go enjoy the sun with your kids.

4. Take You Time: How?? Just do short intervals… for example my run last night was 30mins. The baby was crying yes… but ya know what it was 30mins, he wasn’t hungry or needing changing and Dad was with him! Momma needs a little “Sweat Therapy” and after the whole family feels the benefits! Just take “YOU” time quickly! 😉

Last night I escaped and did a quick run to re-energize and then I took the older boys in my gym with me to workout with me.

working on our fitness ;) — working on our fitness 😉

It can be frustrating at times when they are hyper and all you want to do is decompress in peace but for me I remind myself that this is short term and allowing them to be here with me is great bonding time as well it teaches them about health and balance.

Because I am a Night Owl and and Early Bird, I take advantage of these time of the day. Everyone else is in bed and I like to be up. So, I took the baby down to the gym this morning for his first “workout”… (he likes early morning as well) It was basic but it was something 🙂 And that is perfectly Ok… there will be days where I long to have them here with me and they will be gone doing their own things…

see how much he LOVES it! LOL

Never too young for exercise ;) — Never too young for exercise 😉

As a person who like to get a lot done… remind yourself that everything will get done eventually! But for now… just roll with it!

THE POWER OF SOUP- Red Pepper Switch UP!

April 14, 2014colds, flu, Happiness, healthy, meals, peppers, roasted, soup, yummyflu seaon, healthy, roasted red pepper, souphappyrunningmad

cold and flu season :( — cold and flu season 😦

It seems like everyone around us are sick!! Its been a long winter and with the way it is in Newfoundland we often get four seasons this time of the year. So the warm, wet, cold and snow is really sending everyone into cold/flu mania!!

My Fam Jam was sick as well (thankfully all better now… **KNOCK ON WOOD**) and when they are I always resort back to the old fashion ways and make soup! For some reason, it just makes us feel so good! I typically would make Chicken Noodle Soup but it seemed like the kids (hubby too) were sick forever so i also made a delicious Roasted Red Pepper Soup. It was marvellous! You can make it as spicy or mild as you like and the heat from it just seemed to open airways and energize everyone. We didn’t make ours too spicy because the kids are not a big fan but it seemed like it made them feel really good and it was a nice switch up from the norm.

Red Peppers are sometimes called one of the “super foods” because of all there health benefits. So why not try and add them into your family’s diet… this soup allows you to get them into your kids easily without fuss! Kids love soup 🙂 I recently read in article online (chatelaine.com) that explained some of the benefits of red peppers… here are somethings I read:

-Red peppers are loaded with vitamin C. Besides being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C is also needed for the proper absorption of iron.

-Red bell peppers are a great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium. This vitamin and mineral combination helps decrease anxiety, especially related to PMS (hello?!?) . Vitamin B6 is also a natural diuretic, so get ’em in ya to help reduce bloating and prevent against hypertension… why not?? we all want to be less BLOATED… ugh!!

– Red bell peppers are packed with antioxidants. The combined effects of vitamin A and C and lycopene. This combination in the red bell pepper becomes superfood. Red peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene, which has been successfully tested in the prevention of many cancers including prostate and lung.

-Burn more calories with red bell peppers. Recent research has shown that sweet red peppers can turn up your system to burn more calories. Red bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, which is what makes peppers hot and causes us to sweat, but they do have a mild thermogenic action that increases our metabolism without increasing our heart rate and blood pressure like the hot peppers do. BONUS!!!!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup:

Ingredients:

3lbs Red Bell Peppers, halved and cleaned (8-10) I didn’t have all red peppers so i used yellow (2) and orange(1) as well!

5 Cloves of garlic, in peel

2 cups Onion, chopped

2tbsp Olive Oil

1Tbsp Italian Seasoning

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 tsp Hot Sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1-2 tbsp rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Half the peppers and remove all the seeds and membranes. Press them flat with your hands and lay them on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. Place the garlic cloves on the baking sheet.

2. Set the oven on broil and raise the rack to the upper position. Broil the red peppers and garlic for 15 minutes.

3. Once the skin has blackened, remove them from the oven and place in a large zip bag to steam (10mins)

4. Preheat large pot to medium heat. Add oil, seasoning and onions. Cook for 10 minutes, until onions are soft.

5. Add broth, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels into the pot.

6. Peel the charred skin off the peppers and place win the pot.

7. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for another 20mins.

8. Then using a hand help immersion blender or standard blender, blend until smooth. **if you are using a blender be sure to remove the lid and cover with a towel instead- this will allow heat to vent without a big mess**

9. Add the vinegar and salt if needed.

10. You can add a little sour cream or plain greek yogurt to mild out the spice and heat. Just thin it out with a little milk and swirl it over the top!!

This recipe I found online (www.aspicyperspective.com) and made some changes to make it more suited to our likes! Feel free to do the same!

I hope this helps with the cold and flu season! We really enjoy it and even froze some to have later.

(check out: http://www.chatelaine.com/health/diet/five-health-benefits-of-red-peppers/ to read more about the power of the Red Pepper and they also have a couple recipes there for red peppers :))

I’M PREGNANT!! Now What…Can I Exercise??

April 1, 2014attitudes, exercise, Happiness, healthy, kids, Life, positive, pregnancyexercise, fitness, healthy, pregnancy, stronghappyrunningmad

being fit during pregnancy — 7 Months Pregnant- My Boys and I 🙂

Pre-pregnancy most people have goals and visions that they are working towards… Tighter Thighs… Trimmer Tummies; They hit the gyms or join fitness groups like “yummy mummy” or “Better Butts” or “Abs, Ass and Arms”! Its about transforming the body to look and feel a certain way, to be faster, better, stronger.. healthier… Right? Thats all wonderful! So what happens when you move from that mindset to “I’M PREGNANT!!!” Do you just stop working out due to fear that you will hurt the baby? Do you keep rocking those workouts at maximum intensity?? Are you slamming the baby around inside belly if you run on the treadmill?? Its scary for some people to think that you can still exercise when you are pregnant as it may harm the little “bun in your oven”. It’s relatively new for women to be encouraged to exercise during there pregnancy and in the last three decades guidelines has changed tremendously and these studies are showing that women and babies are much healthier and happier when fitness is maintained during the wonderful months of pregnancy. According to Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine “research supports the recommendation that a moderate level of exercise on a regular basis during a low risk pregnancy has minimal risk for the fetus and beneficial metabolic and cardio respiratory effects for the exercising woman.” In fact, pregnancy often triggers women to be more conscience of their health and lifestyle choices. Thoughts on pregnancy are much more positive and being pregnant does not mean you have a disease or disability. Your life do not have to change dramatically if you are a low risk healthy woman. As a Personal Trainer, Athlete and Momma of 2 (Almost 3… currently 7months pregnant with Little Boy #3) I feel first hand the effects of exercise during pregnancy. I believe in eating well and exercising on a regular basis. So when I get pregnant its never a question of “should I or should I not?” … its okay “now I am exercising differently!” By differently I mean with the thought that I want to be healthy and strong for my baby as well as myself. I move form being in competition mode to being in “mommy mode”. You do not need to focus on gaining weight or getting “FAT” (I don’t like that word) because you are going to grow your body is going to change and its all because there is a precious little miracle growing inside you. So DO NOT think of it as a negative thing instead think of it as a 10month period of maintaining strength and conditions and preparing for a big event at the end of the ten months. Anyone who knows me knows this is my mentality when it comes to labour… its a race and I will be strong both mentally and physically… I have to prepare! If your wondering “where do I start?” I have created a list of some simple guidelines that I have been following throughout my pregnancy: 1. Avoid Crappy Carbs & Sugary/Salty Foods – These types of foods poison your body and do not provide any nutrition for your baby or fuel your body! 2. Eat Healthy Fats and Protein- Eating healthy clean foods that will help you feel so much more energized! Don’t be afraid of healthy fats… your body needs them. 3. WATER!!!! – Has anyone every heard me mention the importance of water ?? *insert sarcasm* … Water has so many benefits including fighting fatigue, aiding in digestion and flushing out toxins. Drinking it will help you fight a lot of those pesky pregger symptoms. 4. Rest & Sleep- This is a must… your body is working in overdrive to grow a little human. If you are exercising you need to allow proper rest and lots of sleep! 5. Do Exercise that You Enjoy- Pregnancy is not a time to force yourself to do exercise you don’t like. Keep it simple and what you love. 6. Lift to Strengthen – Just because you are pregnant does not mean you can’t strength train. Keep your weights lighter and add some reps. Muscles are are great addition to your ammo on delivery day 😉 7. Wear Clothes that Feels Good- This is a big one for me! If I am not wearing something to support my growing belly or is uncomfortable it ruins my workout! Wear what makes you feel good! 8. Listen To Your Body – This is the most IMPORTANT point you can ever listen to. Your body knows when you need a break or less intensity so just listen. If your tired.. rest! If your thirsty… drink water! If your hot… take a break and cool your body down! Its not worth risking harm to your baby or yourself so always listen to your body 🙂 These are just somethings I do to keep the my fitness simple and fun during pregnancy. As well, start exercising before pregnancy to already have yourself ready to transition. Exercise is such a positive thing to add to you life… don’t wait! Just get up and Move… Let me know what exercising adds to your life!! **Talk to your doctor to be sure its okay for you to exercise during your pregnancy.** Exercise truly will make your pregnancy much more enjoyable! CHEERS!! ~L

“Soft”… You Could Be Called Worse!!!

March 29, 2014attitudes, bullies, Happiness, kids, Life, positivebullies, happiness, kids, love, positivehappyrunningmad

Have you ever been called “overly sensitive” or “soft”? Why is it that it comes with a negative connotation?

Too many people hurt and insult others not because the person deserves to be insulted but its often a way to make themselves feel better about who they actually are. They feel threatened by a person who is kind and loving and sensitive towards other people because they are not.

If you are a kind, caring and thoughtful person with a soft heart fight to keep it. Do not let the negative thoughts of others keep you from being you. You are not weak or “overly sensitive” you are strong! The world needs more love and less hate. People should focus less on judgements of good people and more on fixing the reasons they feel it necessary to focus on someone else’s life.

Don’t let someone make you feel like your pure heart is a sign of weakness… Stay true to who you are… it makes you brave. We all need to be less hateful, less jealous, less resentful, less vengeful! We need to spread love, kindness, happiness and compassion.

Think about what you are showing your children. Do you want more bullying and cruelty in your child’s life or would you rather your child go to school and feel safe and happy to be who they are?? Kids are products of their environment and we see it so often the effects of the poor attitudes of parents and how it spills over.

There are bullies not only around our children but there are equally as many ADULT BULLIES! Its time for people to see that being “soft” is a great thing!! More people should spread the “softness” instead of poison others lives with their toxic attitudes and judgements!

Happy Friday!!!

Saying “hello” and giving a smile is so EASY and can be really IMPORTANT to someone who is having a crummy day. It may help them switch their “state”!

Heres the result of my paying it forward today:

I was just at a store with my kids and said “Hello, how are you?” to the sales rep that was there and made some small talk about the weather. After a few minutes the sales rep said “Do you mind if I give your kids a treat?” I told him “No not at all, Thanks so much!!” … He let the kids pick out a snack of their choice!!! How nice was that…?? Sometimes when you see someone that may be having a bad day… simply try to brighten their day with a smile and a “Hello!”

I practice “paying it forward” everyday… its a very powerful practice and so simple!!

Hope you all are the victims of the people who pay it forward… and if you are don’t forget to keep it going!! 🙂

What’s Going On!!!

December 18, 2013Happiness, Life, quotes, Uncategorizedhappyrunningmad

So I been busy lately with life, work and family!! There has been much going on in the last 6 months.

First, we are pregnant with Little Bean #3, due in June 2014!!

So that’s exciting! So far this pregnancy has been filled joy and excitement as well as much sickness! Eye on the prize right?? Mind over Matter?? We are just delighted and for it means the Little Bean is growing and healthy. Patrick and Nathan are so excited and filled with questions. Nate is scared to be a big brother… no longer wants to turn 4 (he turns 4 in June when new baby is due). Where as Patrick is ready to continue on the role as Big Brother… creating a list of things he is going to do and how he is going to help. Family is what its all about really isn’t it?? They are so precious! Here they are the other day at a friends Birthday Party!

I also just ran a big race in Toronto, Canada… The ScotiaBank Half Marathon!!! It was such a blast! I haven’t been training too much and I was in the early stages of pregnancy so wasn’t sure if I would even be able to run. But I set my mind to a goal and I did it! I set my watch to run 1:23 and sure enough I crossed the line at 1:23.31 … CRAZY!! !st in my age group and 9th overall in women’s and 65th outta 11000+ people! I was so happy!!

Second, we have been working hard on developing a brand and a website that we will be launching in January (fingers crossed)!! We are very excited to show you all what Lisa Sheppard Fitness is all about so stay tuned!!!

Here is me in NYC recently… Being silly as per norm!!

Mangos!!!!

December 18, 2013Breakfast, dessert, Happiness, lean, Life, meals, quotes, smoothies, sweet, Uncategorizedhappyrunningmad

MANGOES- so yummy… So many health benefits!
1. Good for Your Skin
2. Lowers cholesterol
3. Prevents Cancer
4. Prevents Dry Eyes
5. Promotes good Eyesight
6. A Treat for Diabetics
7. Improves Digestion
8. Boost Immune Systems
9. Source of Iron
10. Improves Sex
EAT YOUR MANGOES PEOPLE!!

Why am I soooo TIRED!!!

December 18, 2013Happiness, Life, quotes, sweet, Uncategorizedhappyrunningmad

Feeling Tired?? Drained.. Pooped… Tuckered Out??

No matter how you say it… its all the same! Sluggishness can be caused by many things.. But most experts say nutrition absolutely has a huge impact on our energy levels. How we fuel our bodies is so important and often ignored!! Busy lives and easy choices are some excuses that we hear… but healthy food doesn’t have to mean difficult!!

Here are some suggestions when wanting to fight that pesky fatigue:
-honey
-apples
-eggs
-sweet potatoes
-salmon
-oranges
-bananas
-oats
-beans
-spinach
-yogurt
-almonds

Adding these to your diet will be so beneficial… and with the fall now here we are getting less Vitamin D in our diets… we need to be aware!!

With the weekend rolling around.. be mindful of what you put in your body! its not a free-for-all … we often wake up monday morning feeling like we got hit by a bus!! This weekend enjoy yourself… but try and not over indulge and add a few fatigue fighters into your life!!

Happy Weekend Folks!!!
Photo: Feeling Tired?? Drained.. Pooped… Tuckered Out??

Here are some suggestions when wanting to fight that pesky fatigue:
-honey
-apples
-eggs
-sweet potatoes
-salmon
-oranges
-bananas
-oats
-beans
-spinach
-yogurt
-almonds

Adding these to your diet will be so beneficial… and with the fall now here we are getting less Vitamin D in our diets… we need to be aware!!

Saying Goodbye to Summer!!

September 18, 2013Breakfast, Happiness, lean, Life, meals, quotes, sweetHome, Oatmeal, Peanut butter, Protein, quick, recipehappyrunningmad

As the summer has ended its kind of bitter sweet!! So many fun moments and memories that were made… yet it went so fast it left me wanting more!! Its funny because there are times or events that happen in your life that make you take a step back and re-evaluate. I think summer ending done just that for me! September for us means adjustments. My husband goes back to work and its back to the grind with kids, focusing on my business, working towards some big fitness goals of my own, and just juggling life!!

However, this September was different!! Both my boys experienced milestones this September… My oldest started Kindergarten and my youngest started Preschool!! And as Nate, my youngest, always says “BOY OH BOY” wasn’t it tough for me which I am sure a lot of mothers out there experienced and can relate to!! I mean sure I knew it was coming… I knew they had to do this but for about three days I was just emotional over the fact they were growing so fast and already the first part of their little lives has gone by.

Kids grow in stages and as they grow things become not “easier” but more manageable as they become independent. I like to call the first part of life for the mothers “survival mode” because that’s what we sleep deprived, often malnourished, hormonal mommas that is fueled by coffee are doing… SURVIVING!!! Now that the boys are starting to become so independent (I mean really Patrick takes the bus… ALONE!?!!) I feel like we should slow down during those crazy times and soak them up more. As I watched the bus drive by all I could think about is “Lisa you need to slow down…” the boys are gonna be grown and all they will remember is me telling them to “hurry up get your boots on” or “stop carrying on and get dressed” or “eat your lunch we need to get going!!!”

But really where are we going? Why can’t we slow down and take 5mins to jump in on the pillow fight or crawl in the fort to read a book. Why not pause and listen to the most creative and amazing story that they just are so excited to tell you about? Instead we are rushing… impatient… angry… is that what I want my kids to remember? or even worse turn out like that? Wouldn’t it be better if they saw patience, happiness and love??

So… Are we moving too fast.. are we rushing around so much that we are missing opportunities to capture each moment and savor it! ?? I think so, Yes!

Another Life Lesson that I learned by paying attention to my kids!! They truly are innocent, pure, happy little creatures that really spend their days trying to be HAPPY. And if we slow down we might just see that by embracing some of our children’s habits its may not be so bad. We definitely well have more moments cherished in our hearts and our children will have so much more joy!!

In honour of our summer… which we spent (SLOWED DOWN) on many road trips, camping trips, sight seeing and spending a lot of great quality time together with friends and family… I present to you: “Lisa’s Road Trip Cookies” !!! We enjoyed these delicious little snacks many times on our adventures…

Ingredients:

2 Banana’s (mashed)

1 Cup Oatmeal

3/4cup Butter (can use apple sauce instead)

1 egg

3/4cup Splenda (or Stevia)

1/4 cup honey

1tsp Vanilla

1tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes

1/2 Cup Wheat Germ

1/4cup Flax Seed (ground)

1tbsp Chia Seeds

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/3 Cup Soya Nut Butter (or your fav nut butter)

1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (or your fav type)

1/2 Cup Pecans

Directions:

1.Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees

2. in a bowl add coconut, baking soda, wheat germ, flax, chia seeds and baking powder… stir and set aside

3.In a mixing add add egg and beat well

4. then add splenda, honey, vanilla, nut butter and mashed bananas. Blend well!

5. add wet and dry ingredients together and stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

6. Drop on a non stick cookie sheet ( I line mine with parchment paper)

7. Bake for 10-15mins or until golden brown

SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY!!

CHEERS!

Protein Pancakes!!!

June 11, 2013Breakfast, Happiness, Life, mealsBreakfast, Cook, Cottage cheese, Diet food, Egg white, Food, Pancake, Proteinhappyrunningmad

Well for anyone out there that wants a quick protein packed breakfast… Here is a SUPER DELISH idea!!

Protein Pancakes:

1/2 cup cottage cheese ( I use fat free)

1/2 cup oats ( I use large flakes)

1/2 cup egg whites

1. Mix all together… whisk so its mixed really good!

2. heat pan to a med-high heat

3. Spray a little cooking oil before you pour your mixture into the pan.

4. Heat 2-3mins then flip 1-2 mins and it done!!! Makes one pancake.

Tips:

–If you want extra protein you can add a scoop of your fav protein powder when you are mixing your ingredients… no matter the flavor.. or add blueberries or bananas!!

– Use a sugar free topping or top with yogurt… so many possibilities!

HappyRunningMad

Staying Sane and Finding Joy … While Juggling The Chaos