Mariska Richters Digital Dogmom Life

Announcing my F R E E Clean Eating Challenge, starting Sept 19!

After a summer of patio and BBQ spoils, I’m sure we all have a little maintenance to do on our eating habits. I know I do! So I’m hosting another 5-day clean eating challenge to help you get back on track.

This 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge Includes:

Results From My Last Clean Eating Challenge Group:

It all starts on September 19th! Comment “I’m in!” below or message me if you want to join!

Back January of 2014, I experienced the power of this Napoleon Hill quote:

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

I had created a picture in my mind of myself at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. I pictured the perfect 2-week adventure and then worked backwards to make it a reality for myself in a very short time. Through a Kickstarter campaign and the support of my incredible network of family, friends and supporters, IT HAPPENED!

So today, in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 3, I’m going to create a new challenge, goal and adventure for myself to achieve.

My Perfect Day

I wake up, feeling refreshed, to Roxie and Cash (our dogs) cuddling up to me and my man (Adam) in bed. The sun is shining in through the window and we drink a cuppa coffee together in bed before we begin our day.

We get up and drink our superfood nutrition shakes outside on the sun deck and then Adam hops on his bike for his daily 2-hour ride. I spend a few minutes checking and responding to email and then spend 30 minutes doing my daily at-home Beachbody workout in our living room (the dogs try to distract me, but I don’t let them… much…) The dogs are excited for their own workout, which is going to be a great one today!

I use the time while Adam is out riding to work on my business, check in with clients and work on post scheduling for the week. When Adam returns from his ride, we have day trip planned out to Sandcut Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s one of our favourite beaches near our house, you can see why here.

We pack a picnic full of clean, healthy foods (and a few treats): quinoa salad with roasted chicken, cheese & crackers, fruit salad, some cut up veggies, a bottle of prosecco, a couple of Soda Stream water bottles.

Oooooh! Today is going to be so GREAT!

During the hour-long drive, we have a little strategy session about The Cycling Co. (our cycling coaching company). We are deciding which coaching camps and clinics we want to offer in the coming months. This chat continues as we hike down to the beach.

There are so many beautiful places on Vancouver Island, so my camera is always in hand to create new content for my blog and flickr feed. (Travel photography is a passionate hobby of mine.) 

We spend most of the day at the beach. The dogs love it here. They run, and run, and run, and play, and dig, and swim, and chase, and play! They’re in heaven! They will sleep all the way home from pure ecstatic exhaustion. 

Adam loves to cook (boy did I luck out with this guy!), so he comes up with some delicious meal for us to share and I do some work on my health business for about an hour while he prepares dinner. I use some of the photos we took today as social media content.

The day winds down in our ocean view backyard, sipping on a glass of French wine, enjoying a wood burning campfire, watching the sunset. We’re planning our next travel adventure to a place neither of us has been before…

I’m ready for my mind, my efforts and the universe to work together on this to bring this perfect days to reality. I’ve seen the power of Napoleon Hill’s quote before, and I know I’ll see it again!

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Does this exercise inspire you? – Join the Blog Challenge!

If you’re interested in joining the 10 Day Blog Challenge, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 2]

The best part of any day is the hours that inspire us to do the things that we love. And I find that when I’m able to do the things that I love (spending time outdoors, with my fiance and my dogs, when the weather is nice), I am also more productive in other areas of my life.

The last thing that I want to be doing on a beautiful sunny day is: sit indoors, in a dark office with few to no windows, and stare at a computer screen for 8 hours.

THIS does NOT inspire me.

I would much rather take a couple of hours out of my day for a hike up a mountain, or along a river, or for a walk on a beach or a swim in a lake. And then when I get back to my laptop, I have all sorts of new ideas!

What does freedom mean to me?

Freedom means that I meet my deadlines while working on my own schedule. I am able to spend the daytime hours to do the things that I love (when deadlines allow), and then get my work done around those things.

Freedom means that when I sit at my laptop to work, I am in a space that inspires me. This space has lots of light! Whether that’s a coffee shop, my backyard garden, a shared office space, on a ferry, or on a beach in Bali or Costa Rica. One thing I know about myself is that I produce higher quality work when I’m in a well-lit, comfortable space.

Freedom means that I am inspiring my clients! I am helping others become a better version of themselves. I am inspiring people to live a more balanced life, and they are doing it!

Freedom means that I am inspired by those I work with and they help ME become a better version of myself as well and hold me accountable to my own goals and desires.

Leaving the Office Life For Freedom. Again.

I’ve never been someone who thrives in a Monday – Friday, 9-5 office job environment. Being locked in to a schedule that is determined by someone else is not something that inspires me. Logging the time I spend in the washroom or to fill my water glass/tea cup, or being told what I can and cannot do during my lunch breaks does not appeal to me. In fact, this environment sucks the life and soul right out of me.

I chose to work in the online/internet industry to allow myself the flexibility to work from anywhere I chose, so it’s about time I did just that!

In 2013, I left my Vancouver office life, and I was SO inspired! Three years, and a bunch of life events later, I am in a similar position in Victoria.

I’m a little freaked out about it, but that’s ok! Nothing great ever happened while hanging out inside our comfort zones, right?

It’s Not Too Late – Join the Blog Challenge!

If you’re interested in joining the 10 Day Blog Challenge, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

Have you ever had a great idea that really inspires you and then when it came to making it a reality, you come up with all kinds of excuses that make you get in your own way of the focus you need to make it happen?

Yep, me too.

As a way to help me find my focus, I’ve joined a 10-day blog challenge with Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur and this blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 1.

What Are My Excuses?

Since starting my Beachbody coaching business, I’ve come up with all kinds of excuses as to why I’m not able to put more time and effort into building my health and wellness business.

Excuse #1: There’s so much to do around here. (Procrastination)

With a full time job, 3 big dogs, a side-hustle with my fiance, and a house to maintain, I feel like there’s not enough hours in the day to allow me to do the work required to build my business and I get to every other chore possible before getting to the work.

Excuse #2: I’m So Tired.

Some days I just don’t feel like putting in the effort necessary to build my business. I know what I need to do, I know how to do it, but for some reason I go into lazy piggie mode and use the “I’m so tired” excuse to let myself off the hook for “one more day.” On top of that, after spending 8 hours a day at the office, plus traffic stress getting to and from work, I would rather spend my time with my man or outside with my dogs than add more screen time to my day.

Excuse #3: Rejection Sucks

This is my go-to (and probably the one that freezes me up most of the time). Being told “No,” is tough and so deflating, especially when you KNOW that what you’re trying to help the prospect with is something you KNOW can be successful for them.

Between procrastination, being tired and hating rejection, I’ve built up 3 REALLY nice walls for myself that block me from building a lifestyle of freedom and location independence.

Sometimes I’m Productive Though…

Occasionally I find my focus and I have a spurt of productivity and when I do, I see great results! It’s really odd how I just tend to get in my own way with an “I can do it tomorrow” attitude.

I’m really looking forward to learning from this blogging challenge over the next 10 days. It may be just the kick in the pants that I need to get out of my comfort zone and out into the world of “Freedompreneuring!”

Join the Blog Challenge!

If you’re interested in joining the 10 Day Blog Challenge, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

When was the last time you said YES to something new? When was the last time you said NO and regretted it? These two little words have the power to change your life!

Life changing opportunities come in all  shapes and sizes and usually show up when you least expect it. It could be something as simple as accepting an invitation from a stranger to go for coffee, or it could be more complex like taking on a new health and fitness challenge. Either way, you never know where an opportunity may lead. That cup of coffee may turn into a life-long friendship or even the love of your life, and that new fitness challenge may turn out to be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself. Like Forrest Gump’s mama used to say, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

New things used to scare me. I used to think that routine was what I needed to live a comfortable life. Then several years ago my life went through a drastic change (heartbreak can do that), and I learned how VERY wrong I was! While building myself and my life back up, I made a promise to myself that I would say YES! when opportunities came knocking. It was uncomfortable at first, but through this commitment to get out of my comfort zone, I’ve discovered so much about myself and about the life that is possible for me!

YES’es That Have Changed My Life:

• Applying for a media pass at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics – This is where my Olympic passion was born!
• A one-day (leave at 7am, return at midnight) media trip to the Yukon!
• Spending a night in an Ice Hotel in -30 celsius in Quebec (Brrrr! but awesome!)
• An invitation to spend a month in Bali in a gorgeous luxury villa (No-brainer, right? But I would never have dared to travel alone before!)
• Two months of travel in Thailand and Bali, including some of the best scuba diving I’ve ever done!
• A diving trip to the Great Blue Hole in Belize!
• An invitation to join friends at the London 2012 Olympic Games!
• Traveling to Costa Rica (alone) and spending a month learning Spanish, working out on the beach, releasing baby turtles into the ocean and exploring this incredibly beautiful country!
  
• Running a crowdfunding campaign to fund the Olympic Spirit Project at the Sochi 2014 Olympics – I succeeded in raising more than my goal, traveled to Russia (solo) and had a once in a lifetime experience.
• Buying a cyclocross bike and taking a 6-week road riding clinic! – Who knew riding would give me such a sense of freedom?! (Well… lots of people know this, but I would never have, if I hadn’t said yes!) — Mountain biking is next!
  
• Co-founding and building a road and mountain bike coaching business – The Cycling Co. (Good thing I bought that bike!)
• Taking on a fitness challenge to kick my health and fitness habits into shape! – I’ve lost more than 20lbs and I feel like a million bucks!
  

  A photo posted by M A R I S K A R I C H T E R S (@mariskar) on Jul 10, 2016 at 1:16pm PDT

• An invitation to a team of incredible women in an online health and wellness company so I can help others achieve their health and lifestyle goals too! (This opportunity is available to ANYONE, by the way, so if you are inspired to help people reach their personal health and wellness goals and you want to learn more, contact me!)
• And the most recent yes: I GOT ENGAGED last weekend to a kind, caring, generous, strong, amazing man! We are gonna ROCK the marriage thing! 😉

“Yes!” will change your life!

Life is too short to pass up new opportunities. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Maybe you won’t like it? Maybe you won’t have fun? Maybe you won’t be successful?  But…

WHAT IF you LOVE it??? And…

WHAT IF you achieve MAD SUCCESS??? And…

WHAT IF you EXCEED your goals and expectations???

You will never know unless you get out of your comfort zone, take that first step and say, “YES!”

YES. It’s a powerful little word. “Yes!” will change your life!

So my advice to you: Just Say YES! 🙂

The closer we get to the Rio 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremonies, the more people are asking whether I’m going to be making the trip to Brazil. After an epic adventure with the Olympic Spirit Project at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, it’s really hard for me not to get on a plane to Rio in a couple of weeks, but sadly, the answer is no, I’m not going.

As much as every bone in my body wants to be there, I’ve made the choice to cheer for my first Olympic Games since becoming officially Canadian from my home country in Victoria, BC. The Olympic Spirit Project will take a little twist for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games this summer, and it will be based at Bear Mountain Resort’s RioReady Fan Zone.

Why Bear Mountain? Because I live there! And because the resort is the official training centre for 3 of our Canadian Olympic Teams: Mountain Biking, Golf, and Tennis, which makes it a perfect location to get that Olympic energy I’m always looking for. Victoria is actually the training headquarters for eight national sports teams, so I figure, if I’m going to be watching the Rio 2016 Olympics from anywhere that isn’t Rio, my own backyard is the next best place!

The Rio 2016 Olympic Spirit Project at Bear Mountain’s Rio Ready Fan Zone

The Olympic Spirit Project will be on location at the Bear Mountain Rio Ready Fan Zone in Victoria BC for the duration of the Games capturing fan excitement, celebration, and commentary. Stay tuned to this blog for images and updates from the event. If you’d like to be featured, dress up in your best patriotic costumes (whichever country you’re cheering for) and come on up the Bear Mountain and cheer on your team!

The RioReady Fan Zone has been designed as a place for the Victoria, BC public to come together in to celebrate and cheer on our Canadian Athletes at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Rio, Brazil. RioReady is a family-friendly event, so bring the kids and inspire them to be active in sport for life! What better way to inspire the next generation of athletes to DREAM BIG than to expose them to world class athletes competing on the world stage!

Silken Laumann on RioReady

Last month I attended the RioReady press conference and heard Silken Laumann (Three-time Olympic Medalist – Rowing) and Andrew Byrnes (Gold & Silver Medalist – Rowing) as well as Langford Mayor Stew Young speak about the celebration of community spirit around the Games. (It gave me chills just seeing and seeing so many people speak with such excitement about the Olympics again!)

Olympic Medalist, Silken Laumann at the RioReady Press Conference.

Silken Laumann with children wearing her Olympic medals (rowing) at the RioReady Press Conference, with Olympic medalist Andrew Byrnes (rowing) standing to her right.

This interview with Silken Laumann, from Victoria Sports News, provides a bit more information and will help your excitement around the Games and the RioReady event.

Fan Zone Live Viewing Schedule for the XXXI Olympic Games

Bear Mountain’s Rio Ready Fan Zone will be open to the public from August 5th to September 18, encompassing both the 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Plan your viewing schedule and plan to get there early for prime viewing opportunities!

Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games Schedule: 

• OPENING CEREMONIES: Friday August 5 at 2pm (PST)
• Swimming: August 6 – 13
• Men’s & Women’s Tennis: August 6 – 14
• Rowing: August 6 – 20
• Diving: August 7 – 20
• Cycling Road: August 6 – 7
• Men’s Golf: August 17 – 20
• Women’s Golf: August 17 – 20
• Cycling – Mountain Biking: August 20 – 21
• Triathlon: August 18 – 20
• CLOSING CEREMONIES: Sunday, August 21 at 2 pm (PST)

RioReady Event Press Conference at Bear Mountain Resort

Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games Schedule:

• OPENING CEREMONIES: Wednesday, September 7 at 2 pm (PST)
• Sailing: September 12th – 17th
• Athletics: September 8th – 18th
• WheelChair Rugby: September 14th – 18th
• WheelChair Tennis: September 9th – 16th
• Cycling – Track: September 8th – 11th
• Cycling – Road: September 14th – 17th
• Paratriathon: September 10th – 11th
• Rowing: September 9th – 11th
• CLOSING CEREMONIES: Sunday, September 18 at 2 pm (PST)

Rio Ready Sponsors

The Rio Ready event at Bear Mountain is a jointly sponsored event with the combined efforts of PISE (the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence), the UVic Vikes, the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, and Sporthost Victoria.

I’ll post more details about the event, the venue, and event activities as they become available.

Look for me shooting for the Olympic Spirit Project at RioReady for the Opening Ceremonies and MORE!

#GoCanadaGO!

About a year and a half ago I went from working from home back to a full-time office job. It was a tough transition for both myself and my beastie. Going from choosing my own schedule and work times, with 2-hour mid-day hikes with Roxie to sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day was tough. I found myself snacking more and exercising less.

My healthy eating habits at home turned into convenience snacking on things like cookies, sugary granola bars and instant oatmeal packets for breakfast. My 2-hour mountain hikes with Roxie turned into quick hour-long fairly flat walks around Thetis Lake at the end of my day. It was a challenging transition and I found myself leaving my healthy habits behind me in exchange for making time for the commute into the office. I started to feel lazy and cooking easy nutrition-poor meals to save time. I felt gross.

So my 2016 New Year’s resolution was to eat clean and healthy, cut down on the wine, and get fit. I joined a 12-week Lifestyle Challenge at my local gym to kickstart these new healthy habits. I was looking forward to the program, but was also a bit anxious about the hard work it was going to take to find my healthy self again. But once I got started, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get back into it!

Not having had any concept of the caloric value of anything, the program taught me about what was good and what was bad about my food choices. It taught me about high-value calories and empty calories. With a calorie limit of 1200 calories at the time, I just didn’t see the value of eating a 330 calorie bagel, only to be hungry again in a half hour, so I started choosing better, more valuable food options. But once I had grasped the concept of caloric value, I was not a fan of the calorie counting, which was a requirement of this lifestyle challenge. The app was a great teaching tool, but eventually entering every little thing I ate and drank into an iPhone app was tedious and annoying.

What I LOVE about the Beachbody program is that there is NO CALORIE COUNTING! Yay!! Instead of counting calories, Beachbody uses color-coded portioning containers. Each food group has its own color and depending on your fitness goals and daily caloric target, you are assigned a certain number of each container that you should eat everyday to reach your goals. Easy!

• Red: protein
• Green: vegetables
• Purple: fruit
• Yellow: carbs
• Blue: healthy fats
• Orange: nuts, seeds, oils & dressings

At first this freaked me out, because when I looked at the containers it didn’t look like it was going to be enough food and felt like I was going to be hungry all the time. But once I got started with my first 21-Day Challenge, I found it difficult to eat all of my assigned containers in a day! Now THIS is a system I can get on board with! No counting. No reading the packages for portion size. No wasting time entering food into an iPhone app! Just good plain healthy portioned food! YES!

The program also provides an eating plan with lists of healthy food choices in each color coded food group, which has made meal planning and shopping for ingredients so much easier than my usual, “I’ll just go to the grocery store and see what I find” method.

This meal plan combined with 30 minutes of exercise a day, plus Shakeology has made a huge difference for the better in my health, fitness and overall daily life. Our next 21-Day Challenge begins on July 25th. Message me if you’re curious to learn more or to join the group. Your future self will thank you for it!

As with all the beaches in this part of the world, China Beach, Vancouver Island has it’s own features and characteristics that make it an easy favourite for many. I have a pretty long shortlist of the best beaches on Vancouver Island, and China Beach is one of them.

How to Get to China Beach

China Beach falls approximately at the midway point of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail between Jordan River and Port Renfrew on BC Highway 14. You’ll see signage for a campground and a little ways past that, you’ll see the day use parking lot entrance. The beach is about a 10 minute walk from parking lot on a clear and easy walking path.

Three Things I Love About China Beach

1. The Sand!
   China Beach is a gorgeous long sandy beach with large rocks at either end. The sand is soft and clean with very few shells or rocks to hurt your feet on when walking barefoot. It’s a great place for kids to build sandcastles while parents enjoy a picnic basket and an adult beverage.
2. The Waterfall!
   If you hike over the rocks on the west side of the beach at low tide between fall and spring, you’ll find a river flowing out into the ocean. If you follow the stream up, you will come to a beautiful waterfall flowing over the rocks into a small pool that could be used as a swimming hole on warmer days.
3. It’s Dog Friendly!
   We usually bring two of our three dogs with us on our day trip adventures and China beach was no exception. I love that the beach is dog friendly and the dogs had such an incredible time digging holes, chasing sticks and playing in the water.

 Tips For A Day Trip To China Beach

There are a few things to keep in mind when visiting any beach along Vancouver Island’s west coast:

1. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle. Thieves are active in the area and are not shy to break into cars. Be sure to take your valuables with you and to securely lock your vehicle.
2. Protect yourself from the sun. Always wear sunscreen and a hat. Even on cool cloudy days, the sun can still treat you to a burn. Everyone hates dealing with a sunburn. Be sun smart!
3. Respect the wildlife. Vancouver Island’s west coast is home to all kinds of wildlife, including deer, bears, cougars, wolves and raccoons. Be aware of your surroundings and if you happen to come across any local wildlife, do NOT feed it, do not approach it, and give it lots of space. Animals become dangerous if they feel cornered or if they have young with them. Steer clear, even if it means that you need to leave the beach for your and your family’s safety. We sometimes attach bear bells to our dogs’ collars to help alert any wildlife of our presence.
4. Pack it in, pack it out. If you pack food down to the beach, please be sure you pack out ALL of your garbage (even the compostables) and dispose of it responsibly. Don’t be a litterbug. Please keep our parks and beaches clean.
5. Bring a camera! The views and the waterfall at China Beach provide beautiful photo ops. We all have our camera phones with us these days, but it’s well worth the effort to carry your DSLR camera with you, you may even be lucky enough to see whales just off the beach!

Have you visited China Beach on Vancouver Island?

Please share your favourite part in the comments below.

Let’s face it, water is tasteless and can sometimes be a boring choice when choosing a beverage, but it’s a necessity of life for all of us. I’m going to bet that most of us (me included) could drink more water in our daily lives, and with so many other drink options, it’s tough to choose water over something a little more flavourful.

Our bodies are composed of 60% water, which means that when we are dehydrated, our entire bodies are affected. So let’s talk a bit about WHY it’s important to drink water everyday.

11 Benefits of Drinking More Water

1. Water helps you maintain healthy skin.
   Drinking enough water helps flush out the toxins that clog your pores, reducing skin inflammation and the chance of developing pimples.
2. Promotes healthy digestion.
   We need water for our digestion system to function properly. Waste and toxins get flushed out through our sweat and urine, if we don’t drink enough water, there is nowhere for the toxins to go and they collect in our bodies.
3. Improves your mood.
   Have you ever noticed that when you’re dehydrated that you are a bit grumpy or moody? Drink more water and you’ll be much more pleasant to yourself and to others.
4. Boosts your immune system.
   People who drink a lot of water are less likely to get sick. Water helps fend off the flu, cancer and other health problems like heart attacks.
5. Hydrates us after workouts/exercise.
   Hydration during exercise is so important to avoid cramping and other injuries. I make sure I’m adequately hydrated before diving into my Beachbody workouts, I drink a bit during and a whole lot afterwards to replenish my body. Make sure you do the same!
6. Pumps up your metabolism & lose weight.
   Staying properly hydrated boosts your body’s ability to burn fats. Studies have shown that drinking more water can increase the metabolic rates of healthy men and women by up to 30%.
7. Decreases the chance of headaches.
   Drinking more water is an easy and natural way to avoid or get rid of headaches. Our brains are made mostly of water, so a common symptom of dehydration is headaches and migraines. Drink your agua to avoid that annoying head pain!
8. Boosts productivity.
   Drinking enough H2O helps you focus, concentrate and helps you stay fresh and alert. Have you noticed that you feel tired when you’re dehydrated?
9. Helps you lose weight / helps keep you satisfied.
   If you feel hungry or a craving, reach for a glass of water and chug it down! If you feel full, you will be less likely to reach for that easy snack, treat or junk food.
10. Drinking water saves you MONEY!
    Unless you want some fancy bottled spring water or something with bubbles, in most cases, water is FREE! Save a few bucks by choosing water over that Starbucks fix, sugary beverage or wobbly pop.
11. And well, if you don’t drink water, you’ll die. It’s true!
    We can only live a few days without water and can live far longer without food. The vast majority of people should be prioritizing water consumption a lot more than we currently do.

How much water do we need?

But how much do we need to drink per day? Well, the answer to this question is different for everyone. The classic “8 glasses of water per day” rule is a good rule of thumb if you’re already struggling to get enough H2O into your body everyday, but everybody’s daily water requirement is different. A 140lb woman is not going to need as much water as a 225lb man – that makes sense, right?

The way Beachbody calculates the amount of water we need to drink is to take your weight and divide it by 2; that’s how many ounces of water you should drink each day.

So for example, if you are that 140lb woman I mentioned above, you take 140 /2 = 70. So you should drink minimum 70 ounces (8.75 cups) of water everyday. If you are that 225lb man I was talking about, you would take 225 / 2 = 112.5. So you would need to drink at least 113 ounces (14 cups) of water everyday to properly hydrate your body. (There are 8 ounces in a cup.)

10 Tips to Make Drinking Water More Fun

So now why water is so important and how much water we should be drinking each day, let’s talk a bit about how to make sure we are drinking enough water.

1. Make it a morning habit to drink  a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. I keep a glass of water beside the bed and I down it before my toes even touch the floor.
2. Buy a SodaStream and make your own carbonated water – this is the BEST thing I have ever done! I LOVE my SodaStream and drink 2 litres of water from it everyday.
3. 
   Add fresh fruit or herbs to your water to give it some flavour and colour. I add these right to my SodaStream bottle to make it easy.
   Suggestions: Lemon / Lime, Strawberries, Cucumber, Watermelon, Basil, Ginger, Mint, etc.
4. Always keep a glass of water on your desk at work and take a gulp every time you look at it.
5. Drink a cup of water every time you get back from the bathroom.
6. Buy yourself a cool new water bottle and take it with you every time you get in the car and finish it before you reach your destination.
7. Eat your water! Eat water-rich foods like watermelon and cucumbers.
8. Create a challenge and compete with a friend or co-worker: Who can drink the most water today?
9. Use a water tracking app with reminders. Try the Daily Water Free – Water Reminder and Counter app.
10. No one expects you to completely give up your other beverages, but make a commitment to drink a glass of water for every other bevy you drink (make it 2 glasses for every boozy drink).

I’ve always known that water was vital to a healthy lifestyle, but since I’ve joined Beachbody and started coaching, it has become top of mind again and I’ve found that I have been making more of an effort to get more H2o into my body. If you’re interested in learning more about Beachbody or if you would like to join the next challenge group, please comment below or shoot me a message.

What are some of your favourite ways to drink more water? Leave a comment below.

And in the meantime, DRINK UP! 🙂

If you’ve been following my blog you’ll know that I’m a huge Olympics junkie and have a great respect for athletic talent. So when the first Canada Cup XC Race of 2016 was hosted in my backyard in partnership between Cycling Canada, Cycling BC and Bear Mountain Resort (an Ecoasis Development property), you can bet that I was front  and center with my press pass and camera in hand to shoot photos of the athletes as they raced their first race of the season. And WOW, what a ride!

Things began with the Norco factory team managers Airbnb-ing it at our house and tuning up their team members’ bikes in our driveway the day before the race. It was super fun to have the Norco truck and trailer parked in our driveway surrounded by Norco and Canadian national team riders. (I can thank my Norco Brand Ambassador boyfriend for this awesomeness!)

My driveway has become the Norco Factory pit! The team is in full prep for tomorrow’s Canada Cup XC.

A photo posted by Adam Walker (@adam_sideshow) on Mar 4, 2016 at 10:06am PST

Canada Cup XC Race Day began with amateur races in the morning followed by the Expert Junior categories and the action packed Elite races in the afternoon.  Riders of all ages participated in the race from youths aged 11 and under to the 50+ Master’s Amateur category. It amazes my how these guys and gals fly around that course and don’t injure themselves! They are far braver than I am to throw themselves off hills and mountains on two wheels!

Canada Cup Elite Women’s Race

It was a real treat to watch Olympians Catherine Pendrel and Emily Batty ride their first race of the season to take first and second place in the Elite Women’s race, followed by Erin Huck in third place.

Elite Women’s Canada Cup XC Results

1. Catharine Pendrel (BC) Luna Pro
2. Emily Batty (ON) Trek Factory Racing
3. Erin Huck (CO) Scott 3Rox Racing
4. Haley Smith (ON) Norco Factory Team
5. Sandra Walter (BC) Liv Cycling Canada

Canada Cup Elite Men’s Race

The Men’s Elite race was dominated by Raphael Gagné taking first, Derek Zandstra in second, and Léandre Bouchard taking third place.

Elite Men’s Canada Cup XC Results

1. Raphael Gagné (QC) Cannondale 360Fly p/b Sugoi
2. Derek Zandstra (ON) Scott 3Rox Racing
3. Léandre Bouchard (QC) Cyclone d’Alma
4. Evan McNeely (ON) Norco Factory Team
5. Andrew L’Esperance (NS) Norco Factory Team   

Shoutout to Max McCulloch

I also want to send a special shoutout to local 17-year-old Victorian, Max McCulloch, for his incredible performance at the race. Max is a Bear Mountain and Ecoasis sponsored rider and he did them proud on home turf taking 4th place in the junior expert men category. He is the young prodigy to watch this season and beyond. Follow his riding on Strava and Instagram.

It was an incredible day of mountain biking on Bear Mountain, the first of hopefully many more. For more photos from the event, visit the album on Flickr.

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