Need To Get Stronger!

So my last blog post was my June challenge. Well I am officially admitting I have to amend my goal date lol. I am very much lacking the upper body strength to hold myself up with my arms. However I plan to correct that. I have been trying to get myself to hold the L-handstand facing the wall. And this is how I learned I need to get a lot stronger. I found this great tutorial on how to do handstands and am trying to follow what he says.

I have been doing some really great challenges through tribesports.com and I am already noticing the benefits. I am going to push a little harder and hopefully this summer in July or August I will be doing hand stands. What I really want to be able to do is lift my own weight. The infamous handstand push up that you see these amazing athletes do.

Some of the challenges I have really enjoyed from tribesports are:

The Sexy Leg workout is a lot more challenging than I expected. And the core workout was not has hard for me as I thought it would be. I always thought my legs were strong but obviously not nearly as strong as I wanted them to be lol. I was also surprised at how strong my core was after having my baby 13 months ago and feeling like I had fallen short on my core work outs. I have also decided to take on the 30 Squat challenge to strengthen my legs. I happy to say today is a rest day for me. ;)

Taking these challenges is not only worth it but a great way for me to see where my strengths and weaknesses are. I think until these two workouts become easy for me I will continue to do them. Maybe the leg workout twice a week and the core at least once. I still find both work outs challenging at the moment so it only makes sense to master them.

But now I also need to find a great workout that I can do at home to increase upper body strength. I do have a small home gym but it is limited. 

In order for me to reach my goal of the handstand push up I really need to get stronger. I have started by increases my push ups for each day. I actually was able to do 65 push ups yesterday. I broke them up into reps of 15 or 20. I am very happy with this. As of April all I could do was 5 of the modified push ups (commonly called the "girl push up"). 

So if you have any recommendations for a good upper body work out I can do at home let me know. I am a newbie so be kind ;)

June 2013 Challenge

So it's been a while since I wrote anything. Once again I got caught up in some awesome spring weather. And with spring comes gardening, hiking, running and for some reason more visiting.

A while back I joined a website called TribeSports.com. I have to say I am enjoying it. There are mini challenges and others encourage your activity. There are a ton of different groups, called Tribes lol, that you can join based on your interests and discussions. You can create your own challenges to challenge others, you can create discussions and tribes too. It really is a great social tool for people looking for like minded fitness seekers and doers.

However as much as I am enjoying it I have recently decided to challenge myself for June with a goal that I have not found on TribeSports (not saying it isn't there though). I found this pic on Pinterest.com and decided I want to be able to do this.

So my goal is to be able to at least hold a free standing handstand by the end of the month. OK, actually my goal is to be able to do this but I will be happy with a regular hand stand too. Now that does not mean I will stop trying to achieve this at the end of June if I have not yet mastered it. I will do this. It's just a matter of time. 

What are your goals for this month?

Spring in Canada

I love living in Canada and enjoy almost every season. The few weeks where it is no longer fall and not quiet winter are not my overall favourite. I usually avoid outdoor activities at that time. 

Give me snow, give me a warm spring rain, give a hot summer day but rainy cold weather that seeps into your bones... not my idea of fun.

But right now it is SPRING! It is so invigorating to see everything starting to grow, new life, all the green returning and the smell of the trees unthawing.

I haven't written a new blog in a while because I have been loving the outdoors too much.

Not only do I go for daily walks with my dogs and my little one in the hiker pack.

I also made myself a new goal this year. I want to become a runner. But not just running down the road or regular path. I want to be able to run all the trails I love to hike so much. Now I have never been a good long distance runner. So this is going to be a great challenge for me.

My spouse and I are planning to have one more baby hopefully next year. We want them somewhat close in age but before I go and get big and awkward I have pledged to be in the best shape of my life. I gave birth 100% natural and let me tell you if there is anything you ever need to be in shape for, labour is it! I can honestly say there is nothing that can prepare you for the pain or euphoria that follows.

So here I am 30 years old working out 4-5 times a week at home and running 4 times a week. Once I get stronger I hope to be able to run everyday. I do hike every day even if I don't run but my muscles and lungs are still adjusting.

I learned a long time ago I need something to keep me accountable so that I don't lose interest or get bored. I am not always a good self motivator. So I joined a website called Tribesport.com. I like it because everyone is very encouraging and you can take short or long term challenges where people will encourage your activity. You can also join conversation if you want. It has been great to help me stay motivated.

For running I decided to try the Vibram Five Finger shoes.

I wanted them for hiking anyways (nothing like losing a shoe in a muck hole to make the hike a little longer lol). I have to say I love the Vibram shoes. I was able to run my whole 2k hike the first time with only stopping 3 times for about 30 seconds each to catch my breath. Granted I wasn't going to break and speed records but my goal was to go from point A to point B with the least amount of stops possible. And man was I happy with myself lol. I never thought I could do that much so I was stoked. 

Keeping your expectations of yourself small and your goals a little bigger sometimes has the advantage of making you very happy when you go above and beyond what you expected. 

Right now my goal is distance. When I can run my 2k regular hiking trail with out feeling winded or my legs burning the next day I will speed it up and start to make it longer. 

I have become addicted to the feeling of running. I never expected that. I use to hate it in highschool but whether it is the change in my diet or just my new determination it feels completely different than it use to and I am loving it.

Don't let anyone tell you, "You can't". That is the biggest lie. They probably don't want you to because that would rub in how they didn't do it or didn't go for what they wanted. Because YES YOU CAN. YES YOU CAN. Look in the mirror every morning and tell yourself that. Don't let your fears stop you. Because YES YOU CAN. 

Trying New Things

So lately I have been in the mood for experimenting. A little with raw food recipes and I have learned raw food can taste as good as it is for you.

I'll be honest I have made more raw desserts than anything but I mean really isn't that where most of us run into trouble? With our junk food or desserts. A lot of it is our portion control and lack there of but I think the piece of cake or ice cream after supper can be the kicker.

That being said I ended up eating these desserts as meals most of the time because they were more than filling. And they made me feel really good after I ate them. Not once did I feel bloated, sluggish or tired after my meals. These raw food experiments have definitely proved to me I need to do more.

First I tried chocolate banana cream pie. I have to say avocado chocolate pudding completely blew me away. Man it tasted good. Who new? Now my meat and potato eating boyfriend wasn't overly impressed lol but what can you do. It definitely tasted different than a Betty Crocker cake. ;)

After that I tried raw carrot cake. Sorry no pics but it was once again an amazing thing. Talk about a revelation. I could eat my cake and instead of feeling yucky from eating all that icing and sugary goodness that I would normally feel, I felt energized and light as a feather from eating all the raw goodness in the carrots, dates, oats & raw cashew icing.

The next was a chocolate caramel tart. Now that was fricken good. Dates creamed make an amazing caramel. Even my boyfriend liked that one. I added some raw agave nectar to the carob topping. A little vanilla to the creamed date filling, helping the caramel flavour along and a little salt in the nut & date crust. This was beyond my favourite :D

The last recipe I tried was raw cheesecake. Made with cashews, dates, banana's and some oats for the crust. I made raw chocolate, melted coconut oil with some agave and cocoa powder, to go on top with my just peanuts, peanut butter. Man that was yummy. However I found it to be a meal in and of itself... which really wasn't that bad.

I did learn I love raw chocolate. So easy to make too. I keep mine in the freezer for storage and to keep it from getting soft. Very easy to snack on and I love the coconut oil mixed with the cocoa. I didn't add too much sweetener (real maple syrup) so it kept a dark chocolate flavour, just a little bitter. Very yummy.

I have also experimented with raw sweet potato noodles, raw zucchini noodles. These have both been very good.

However I have also tried some vegan cooked meals and really liked them as well. Recently tried some vegan burgers, which where gluten free, dairy free and very good. Loaded with nuts, mushrooms, onions, oat flour and more. They were very tasty. Even my 11 month old daughter liked them.

I love wraps too. I often lightly fry some of my veggies just to warm them up and put them in a wrap. Zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and onion warmed up. Add a little grated ginger root and garlic. Fry gently in coconut oil until just warm enough to eat. Sometimes I add a nut of my choice, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds etc. Then I put them in a wrap or pita with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers & maybe some salt. The ginger and garlic in the coconut oil make a great dressing. And the strong flavours seem to help curb any cravings I may be having.

All the dessert recipes can be found on www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com. I have a ton of recipes from all over I want to try. I will keep you posted.

In summary I have to say I have never felt better. It has been several weeks now since I have decided to make a conscious effort to eat more raw foods, more vegetables over all and drink more water. (I may have to write about water consumption soon) Actually when I think about it, it has probably been two months now. Part of me feels I should have been doing this my whole life but I suppose if I hadn't eaten junk food first and learned how yucky crappy processed food can make me feel I may never have appreciated how good real food makes me feel. I had started to change my diet a year ago but it never really stuck. This time I am sticking to it. Why? Because I can. ;)

If you have recipes to share I would love to hear them. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy spring. :)

Who, What, Why

Hi, for those who do not know or those who do not know me well my name is Jessie. I am the creator of Y3s Y0u C4n, which can be found on Facebook, Google+ and now here. I haven't yet but if this get's popular I may work in a Twitter account as well.

My goal with Y3s Y0u C4n to inspire others to do whatever it is they have wanted to but maybe haven't done yet. Or maybe to finish something already started. I believe most of us can do whatever we put our minds to. The challenge of letting go of our fears, thinking outside the box, trying new things, trying again even after we fail and never giving up can be hard. I suffer from these as much as anyone. That is part of what inspired me to do this blog.

I am 30, not old and not really young - granted matter of opinion I suppose, either way I have reached a wonderful point in my life. I live with my common law partner in crime in a nice house in a great location. We are exact opposite in almost everything accept our taste in movies and twisted humour, so we keep each other on our toes. ;)  We have a beautiful daughter Anola, 11 mnths, (I am hoping we have one more  - after that he wants to get "snipped" lol), he has another beautiful daughter Reagan who is going to be 10 this year. I have 2 dogs and 1 cat. Really I couldn't ask for much more... ok maybe a pool lol 

Jokes aside I am very content with my life ..... accept for one small thing. My health. I am not "unhealthy" by societies standards. I am not really over weight, maybe a little chunky in the bum, but nothing serious. I walk almost every day for 2 miles or so plus work outs at home. I eat a pretty clean diet, make all my own foods from scratch and only indulging in junk food maybe 3-4 times a year. (Usually around holidays) But I still want more. I know I can do more. I feel it. And I WANT IT.

Have you ever had that. Something you really really really want. You know you can do it. You just need to buckle down, dirt to the grindstone sort of thing and you'ed have it. But for some reason you keep procrastinating. Maybe your like me a suffer from a little passive aggressiveness. Or maybe you just don't take enough time for yourself, or maybe you just haven't taken the time to really think about it period. 


Well this is it for me. I want to set a good example for my kids and all those I affect. I want to prove to myself once and for all I can do it. Because if I can, ANYONE CAN. I mean that with every fiber of my being. Why because I am nothing special. Just your average every day person you see cruising around in an old rusty car with nothing to make me stand out more than the person next to you at the check out line.

That being said, this is no simple thing I want to do. I am not aiming to just lose 10 lbs for the summer to wear my bikini. No, what I want to do is change my lifestyle. Exercise more, eat better, get stronger, and most of all get healthier. I have a 5 year goal. When I am 35 my kids are in school and I have been work my butt off for 5 years I want to join every obstacle race and marathon with in driving distance of me. 

And I don't care if I make it first or 121st but I do want to enjoy running by a few 20 yr old's in their prime to prove to myself that age doesn't matter when it comes to being in shape. Don't get me wrong I want everyone to do there best and if it meant running by some one or helping them I would help them first but when I am 35 I am sure it will feel good to smoke them too.

So this blog is to share my journey, have those reading help keep me focused and hold me accountable. I hate failing when people are watching, waiting and expecting me to finish and be successful. And at the same time I hope some of you share your dreams and success stories with me. Maybe you're on your own journey or want to start one. Let's help each other out and find a way to get there. I love the saying "Where there's a will, there's a way." No matter what your beliefs are or spiritual preference is there is usually a certain amount of faith and belief required. Whether you believe in yourself, God, Buddha or which ever it is we all need to believe because "Yes. You. Can."


I will try to post min. once a week. Maybe more if exciting things happen. I will post about foods I try, work outs, hiking trips and over all positive experiences. I think keeping a positive frame of mind when trying to complete a goal is important and I would love any positive stories that you may have. Maybe some will even let me share them here online. So tag along, follow me, join me or just watch silently. Which ever you choose  Thanks for Reading.