Nanner: A Hero, A Mentor, More Than Your Average Nana

Today, I pay tribute to someone I did not have the chance to know as well as I would have liked to. Today is a day to give thanks for having someone who you hold near and dear to your heart. January 24th 2012 is the day a good friend says goodbye to her Nana.

The best, the strongest, the biggest heart, the cutest, the most courageous... The list goes on and on. This is how Ange describes her beloved Nana on a daily basis. Nanner, as she likes to refer to her, lived to be nearly 92 years young. Quite a feat in itself, if I do say so myself. The most amazing part to me is not the life she lived, but the legacy she leaves behind.

Angela DeFrancesco ranks within an elite group of people who I see as very strong women. I talked a bit about strength before, so you can understand that I don't mean only physical strength. She's there when you need her, always ready to work, compassionate when she needs to be, but never a pushover... A solid friend, employee, trainer and teacher only to name a few attributes. I feel like I surround myself with strong friends, and Ange fits right in there. Where does this strength come from? In this case, I was lucky enough to get a glimpse.

I don't think strength is something you are born with, but rather something that you learn. Ange, her sister Gina, their 2 brothers Michael and David, and all of their cousins were very lucky to have such an excellent example of strength in their Nana from what I understand.

She came to this country as a young woman, and as most immigrants, did not have much to her name. She and her husband had a family and made a nice life for themselves here in Sault Ste Marie. Her husband passed over 20 years ago, so she alone welcomed many grandchildren and even great grandchildren after his passing.

Even in her days as an elderly woman, Nana enjoyed going for walks and riding her indoor "bike" one of Ange's Christmas presents to her since she always enjoyed physical activity and liked to jog on the spot and stretch... Anything to remain active. She was always in great spirits and was the head of her family right until the day she passed.

Surrounded by many loved ones, January 24 2012, was her last day here and she leaves behind many saddened friends and family members, but she also leaves behind all that she taught her children and grandchildren.

Patience, great strength, determination and a "big heart" are just some traits that I have seen present in this family. A family first attitude and a great passion for life... She will live on forever in those she left behind. My deepest condolences to the DeFrancesco family, but your beloved Nana will live on in all of you!

Nana cruising her way to being 92 years old on her "bike"

All set to go for a walk and learn some Italian.

You Wanted UnComfOrTabLe???

So I know I have been the voice of reason in these blogs. I know all there is to know about the number on the scale not meaning anything, or that inches count more than weight, or that feeling better is worth more than whatever the scale tells you. Sometimes, even the biggest believers in this can falter.

I am a true believer in the downfalls of scales. A scale never tells you that you look great, or that you have been doing a great job with your diet and exercise lately. You have people who do that for you AFTER  the scale has made an attempt to ruin your day. Ange has often asked me, "Do you trust me or not?" after me having what seems to be a losing battle with my scale. Of course I trust her. She knows EVERYTHING there is to know about fitness, is a great friend, and an amazing trainer... but sometimes, common sense means nothing. You feel like you would rather give up than face the scale again.

I can't figure out why we feel this way sometimes. We don't get the results we are looking for, so instead of wanting to try harder we decide we're going to give up for a few days? Feel sorry for ourselves, or beat ourselves up for not getting it right? That's craziness people!

Today I am going to buy a new scale. I hate that I am relying on it as a measure of anything, but I'm doing it anyway. I know that I shouldn't care and I will preach about how it doesn't matter, and I do understand that it is not the be all and end all of the universe, but sometimes, I am a SLAVE TO THE SCALE! I don't weight myself daily. I try to save that for only once per week like a good girl, so when I do weigh myself I'm tired of trying to get an accurate reading from the one I have and feeling frustrated. 

I am also going to break down and do my measurements. You should too. It's a WAY better way to tell your progress and the feeling is so crazy when you find out how many inches you've lost! I can remember Tamarack telling me I lost a combined total of 24 inches or something nuts like that... That's a small child people! Come on, that's good! Better than the scale saying you've lost 10.8 lbs, or whatever the number is. Measurements are a necessity! Get on it! 

Something I also encourage is pictures. I have never done pictures before and I never saw the big deal, but Ange did my BEFORE pictures on Sunday. It was one of the hardest things I think I've seriously ever done. I don't really know why, but it made me feel nervous... like sweating from my armpits nervous. And I don't ever get that nervous!  I put on my bathing suit bottoms and bra, had a look in the mirror, put my pyjamas back on and refused the photo. After much arguing and me become extremely uncomfortable, we just let it go. A couple of hours later, I put the bathing suit back on and got my sick room mate out of her bed.

"Come on, just do it. Take the picture, hurry up, I'm sweating. Come on, before I change my mind." I hadn't even given the poor girl a camera, she was throwing up all day and I woke her up anyway. If this isn't a sign of a good friend, I'm not too sure what  would be! I know for sure that I wouldn't have been happy if I was her. She just simply woke up, asked for her camera, got out of bed and made me move this shoot to the living room. I'm sure she was extremely annoyed by my actions, but she didn't show it.

"One shot. You only get one. The front, no back, I'm not turning around, no one needs to see my ass. You better make this one good because I'm not doing this again." Outrageous behaviour from someone who should have been happy to have a person who was not judging (or at least not showing that she was judging, thanks for that by the way) and just trying to help. I got forced in to the back shot, and then I was out. To quote Meatloaf, like a bat out of hell I was gone, gone, gone. I got back into my clothes and didn't even LOOK at the pictures. I still haven't seen them. I'm too worried that I will delete them and have to do it all over again! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! 

Scales are brutal and "BEFORE" pictures are the devil, but without a before picture, you can't have an AFTER... and I hope I'll be sweating during that photo shoot... Because it will be taking place on the beaches of Montego Bay! In just under 14 weeks I will be chillin' in the sun in Jamaica... and I know this will all be worth it!

Uncomfortable I asked for, and uncomfortable I have received... I guess that means it's working!



A LittLe LuLu iN my LifE...

I have been struck by sickness! Don't be alarmed, it's just a cold, but this morning I really felt like nothing could move my butt off of my couch. I ate breakfast, said I was going to go to the gym, then put on "A Knight's Tale" which I LOVE and got at Wal mart for $5!!!! Anyway, I sniffled and coughed under my blanket, and I truly didn't think I would ever make it to the gym... and then I heard the mail lady drop something in my mailbox!

I leapt off of the couch and threw the door open, and there it was! My lululemon order had arrived! I waited just over a week for it, but now that it was here, I forgot all about my sickness and I ripped the package open. 2 pair of crops, just as I ordered! I had to try them on and get Ange's opinion. Once they were on I  loved them and I just felt too guilty to take them off and put them in a drawer! These things needed to be worn out and performing a proper workout! Thanks to my lovely new crops, I was ready to hit the gym.

To some people, this will be a hilarious story because I used to be a person who did not wear lulu. Not only did I not wear it, I found it over priced and I thought it was ridiculous that people wore the stuff out to the gym, or the bar, or the mall... In my mind, this was workout gear... How the tide has turned.

In all honesty, I can now tell you it wasn't that i didn't like lulu, I was afraid of it. I thought it would look horrendous on me. How could something THAT TIGHT look good on me. Impossible. Well folks, I think an elephant could even pull off a pair of these pants! They suck in what needs to be sucked in, tighten up where it needs, they're better than lipo...at least in my mind anyway!

The moral of the story is, find your lulu... Buy yourself that new iPod, or workout gear, new running shoes, whatever it takes. Treat yourself after your hard work. It may be the difference between watching a movie and feeling sorry for yourself and getting in what needs to be done in the day!

Here's To the Little Things and Small Victories

I have to make this one short and sweet because my computer is dying and I didn't bring the cord to work, so here it is.

Today I cooked here at the bar. French fries, burgers, wings, deep fried everything.... And it all looked and smelled delicious! I didn't eat any of it. Not a even french fry to "make sure they are cooked"! GO ME!

I stepped on my scale and it showed me my number. For the sake of accuracy, I always do this twice. Different number. Try again, different.... So folks, I guess I need a new scale. I don't even care though. Get over the number. I feel dyno. That's all! Small victories count!

Weight for the week will be up by Monday. I think I killed it this week though. I predict at least a 2 lb loss. Careful everyone, I'm fading fast!

STrEngtH....

When most people think about strength, they think about physical attributes like muscle or size, or they think about how much weight they can lift. Neither of these things are signs of true strength in my eyes. To me, true strength is being able to control who you are and what you are giving to the world.

Not too long ago, I felt angry all of the time, always ready to put someone in their place if they even looked in my direction in the wrong way or at the wrong time. For anyone who thinks I'm too much to deal with these days, you should feel lucky not to have crossed paths with me a few years ago. I felt out of control. Nothing I did was easy, I was always high strung, I would constantly snap at people for no good reason, and I was alright with that. After all, I had the right to act this way... Didn't I? One thing I learned is that I come from a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG line of over-reactors, but, as most people know, no one is entitled to be like this. I was unhappy with myself and I was taking it out on everyone around me.

Making this discovery was not an easy thing to do. For me to admit fault in myself and my actions was nearly a miracle then, but as  I grew up I began to realize that I could not control everything that was happening around me. I had to loosen the reins a bit and allow the people around me to make decisions for themselves, no matter how stupid I thought those decisions might be. 

As I let go of everyone else's baggage, I began to let go of some of my own. You would be surpised at how much you miss about your own life when you're so busy worrying about everyone else's. I started a diet and sort of a self discovery. Once I had lost my first 10 lbs or so, I began working with a trainer.

Tamarack Zeppa was my trainer at the time. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes of training and after sessions, we would sit and chat about the workouts, or just life in general... and the weight kept coming off.

With Tamarack's help, I reached the goal I had been chasing for a long time. At the time, we both thought that meant passing the PREP test, but looking back, I can now tell you that I much surpassed that. I had self control. No one could MAKE me act in a certain way, not even my mother who drove me insane on a daily basis. I always knew how to deal with situations in a pretty calm, cool manner. No more flying off the handle. This is still true today. I always feel better, more in tune with myself when I am into a good fitness regime.

Now my fitness guru is Ange DeFrancesco and she's on the ball when it comes to giving me the push I need to stay on track. She is a really great example of strength. This girl is always rockin' life the way she wants to live it! It's very admirable to see someone who can turn off the haters and crank out one of the best workouts you can imagine. Ange leaves it all out there. As she likes to say, "We don't stop when we're tired, we stop when we're done." She's a shining example of everyday strength and making your own way. No taking the easy way out when she's around, that's for sure! And no one better think it was easy for her to get to where she is in the fitness industry. That's ALL work.

I also think of one of my closest friends, Alicia Dorazio, when I think about true strength. This person has overcome a lot in her life. Her mother passed away when she was still in highschool and she has been fending for herself ever since. I'm sure some people may have doubted that she could do it all on her own back in the day, but she has always worked hard for everything in life and now has a lot to show for it. Her life is truly amazing and I'm sure there are a lot of people who would agree. She has a good job, a wonderful husband and two of the cutest and best kids out there! But to get to where she is now was a fight and I can tell you first hand, she knocked it out!

It doesn't matter how physically strong you might think you are, true strength comes from within. Find yours and roll with it.

Here's a little bit of motivation for anyone who thinks their day sucks. Tomorrow I am having my "before" pictures taken by Ange, a person who won the overall award for figure at least year's WBFF World Championship.... Got anything worse to compare that to? Give it your best shot!

No Zeros Here

So, as all of you who follow this blog know, I have posed a challenge to myself to become a cleaner, leaner, MEANER, me. A challenge to beat the goals of yesterday that have eluded me, meet newer, bigger goals, get down 20 lbs and see what happens from there. What I really want to let everyone know is that it's not about the weight.

Since I have started writing this, I have been bombarded with comments, which is awesome because now I know I'm not writing this for no reason. People are reading it and forming opinions which is great. I have been getting a huge amount of positive feedback and I hope that continues. I have also had a number of people tell me that they don't think I need to lose 20 lbs. In a lot of ways, this is a huge compliment, but I want everyone to know that this is more about me getting stronger, leaner and tighter than it is about the number on the scale.

Believe me when I tell you, I will reach the 20 lb weight loss goal, but you will not be seeing me doing anything crazy or unhealthy. No diet pills, no starvation diets, no shortcuts, just getting down and dirty into the hard work of it all.

The number is part of the goal, but it is definitely less about what the scale says and more about what my body says. I set this challenge to prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. I have sat at a comfortable plateau for long enough. I hope it makes people uncomfortable to think about me getting down to my goal weight... remember, nothing gets accomplished if you get too comfortable.

So for all of you who tell me that you think I look good enough now, hang on to your hats. Angela has made up her mind. Get ready to see a strong woman. The way I look will be strong, but the way I work will be even stronger! Stay tuned for the week 1 weigh in coming up!

I also want to throw in a little progress report for those who are curious. I already feel like I have more energy than I did two weeks ago, I have been to the gym every day this week, and I have been killing my diet. The word diet should not even apply here. I have been doing my best to eat consistently every 3 hours and making a conscious effort to drink more water.Only a couple more days until I get to see if my hard work has paid off on the scale! Whether it has or has not, I can promise you it won't be ending there! Much more work to come!

Did you know that January 19th of 1966 gave India it's first female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi? I didn't either... Man, I love the Internet! I wonder what January 19 2012 will bring the world? Maybe today is your day to make history!

 

You're CRAZIER Than You Think

I think this might be a sign that I'm getting old, or maybe living with Ange is really beginning to rub off on me, but I have this new love for quotes. I often find Ange her writing in her journal, copying down some new piece of inspiration and tucking it away for a day when she may need the extra boost.

To be honest, when I first met Ange, I found it a little strange that she kept a book of quotes, but as time passed and situations came and went, she had a good quote for nearly everything! I 1find that it is actually comforting to be able to find a quote that fits your mood. It kind of makes you feel like you might not b abnormal after all! Everyone can use a little inspiration now and again... Thus began my love of quotes.

Although I'm not hardcore enough for my own quote book yet, looking around the Internet, books, commercials, or magazine ads, I am finding a lot of things that are inspiring to me. Just yesterday, I found my very favourite quote to date. I found it in text form, but after doing some research on it, I found this video with Steve Jobs narrating, using my new inspiration.

I think I like this so much because I feel like it really relates to my life. I never want to do anything on a small scale. I want to change the world. No matter how often friends or family might tell me that I'm crazy, I always want to push the limits.

It reminds me of all of the challenges I have taken on, including this new weight loss one. I could just quietly go about my business and push myself and reach my goals, but that's not good enough. I want to document the daily challenges and pass along a little extra motvation in hopes that someone who reads this might want to change their own lifestyle. Maybe I'm helping a friend who doesn't know where to begin or feels unmotivated. Maybe one day, someone will be quoting me!

Until then, I just want to throw out a couple of big thanks. One is to my friend Tammy who never really realizes just how awesome she is. The other is to Ange, who makes time in her schedule to go to the gym with me and encourages me to eat properly and train hard.  Not everyone can say they get a chance to train with an International Figure Champ, but I do all the time, and that's pretty cool.

Also, on the note of changing the world, I have set out another pretty big task for myself... and one for all of you, should you choose to accept. I have recently decided to try to raise $10,000 for Plan Canada in order to build a school for 80 children in Ghana. First fundraiser is a ball hockey tournament on January 28th at my bar, Bossy's Pub and Grub. This truly isn't a plug for my bar, but I hope all of you can make it out, put a team in, donate, volunteer, get prizes... anything to help! Contact me or call the bar for more details!

Become one of the "Crazy Ones", or at least join THIS Crazy One in trying to change the world! I bet we're all a little crazier than we think! 

One last thing, I got out of bed this morning with a very sore set of legs, and I have to tell you, being UNCOMFORTABLE never felt so good!

The Real Reason For Your iPod

As if it's not already hard enough to get your butt to the gym! It's freezing outside, you have a million things to do before you can even THINK about going, you worked all day, the house is a mess, who knows what the problem is today! Let's fast forward through all of that. You've made it to the gym! Congratulations, excellent work! Now all you have to do is get your workout in. Put on your shoes, fill your water bottle, put on your iPod and hit it! At least until someone tries to talk to you...

First off, I can't understand why anyone would try to talk to me when I have my iPod on. I am a very social person and I love that I get to see a lot of people at the gym, but when I am in the middle of a workout, I think that a wave or a head nod or a simple "Hello" is sufficient, and it usually is. There are those times though, when you give the head nod and smile and the person starts to walk over to you.

In my head, I am always thinking, "They must not be coming over here to talk to me. I'm working out with Ange. She's in fitness magazines, wins figure shows and is the definition of fitness and seriousness in here and we're alternating equipment. They can't mess with that.... Can they?" And the answer is YES! How can I avoid it now? I've already made eye contact. Now I have to take my headphones out and hope for the best.

As I am trying to rush through whatever the conversation is, I can feel the daggers flying from that 110 lb blonde waiting to get into the squat rack that I am SUPPOSED TO BE using! I'm not easily frightened, but I can sure tell you, you should never mess with the Blonde's workouts. It's like being locked in a cage with a hungry lion! You may get out alive, but it's not a risk most are willing to take.
As the conversation drones on, I can see her losing patience with me quickly, as though this interruption is somehow my fault. Now, as I am looking back, this is funny, but at the time I could have sworn that her head would start to spin and that Ange would start breathing fire.

I am sweating, out of breath, tired, and most likely hungry, which anyone who knows me understands that you should never bother me when I'm hungry! Nearing the ends of my workouts, what usually gets me through is the fact that I MUST eat immediately after I am done in order to get the full benefits of my workout. When a person interrupts the workout, they are also interrupting the meal after it, which in most cases, has been carefully timed and is being used as motivation in my mind.

When I can finally shake the individual, who at the time seems to me to be ruining my life, it's hard to get back into it AND I have to answer to my workout partner! Questions like, "Who IS that?" or comments like "Holy, chat a little longer! I thought we came here to workout!" always follow! I must say, I am just as guilty of doing this if Ange is the one talking, but at the time, I am already annoyed and these little nuggets of encouragement just really fuel the fire burning inside of me. It usually leads to a classic Ange and Ange back and forth squabble (which is enough to drive anyone batty, just ask the third wheel to this tricycle, our good friend Tammy) and when all of that is over, we can get the work done! Success!

To everyone reading this, please don't take any of this the wrong way. Chances are, I truly do like you and I would really love to talk to you, just not in the middle of a workout, or a meal, but that's a whole different rant for a different day!

If you are getting anything from reading this, please let it be that individuals at the gym use iPods to discourage others from talking to them MORE than they do to listen to music! Don't talk to someone with headphones on! It's an easy concept!

Let's please all get together and chat. I love to talk more than the average person... but please, do not let it be when I have a heavy weight in my hand, sweat dripping from every part of my body, and a fired up little muscle girl waiting to get on whatever piece of equipment I am using. I love you all dearly even though you're only getting the head nod or the wave, and I love you even more if you nod or wave back, and keep on pushing out those reps without skipping a beat! We can share a mental connection, knowing that we both have something to say to one another, but now is not the time!

If you have interrupted one of my workouts in the past, don't be offended. You are not alone! Now you just know better, so maybe next time, we too will share a head nod and a wave, and you can walk away proudly, knowing I truly do care for you, I just can't talk because I'm running low on oxygen and food!

Enjoy your day folks! Make it a great one because this day will only come around once! Make today extra special and go chat up someone wearing headphones!

The Definition of ME

When I think about myself,  I usually think pretty good things. I think I am smart, confident, strong willed, a good friend, open minded... the list can go on and on... Usually. Then there are those days when you just can't find one nice quality about yourself.

You're having one of those days and you think "I wish I was more like ________." Well, here's a newsflash folks! Hope you're ready for it! That "someone else" you're wishing to be more like... She has days like this too, and chances are, she's probably looked at you once or twice and thought, "She probably has a great _______, I wish I was more like her." Whether the BLANK is great friends, a great boyfriend, a great body, a great job, it doesn't matter! Everyone has times like these. It's how we deal with them that matter.

When will the time come that we look at ourselves in the mirror and think "You are gonna ROCK your day today. You are EXCELLENT!" These days are WAY MORE few and far between than the days that we beat ourselves up for having that extra piece of bread, or not doing enough cardio, or not having enough time in the day... I think that if we can just take those moments when we want to freak out because something hasn't gone our way and really look at our lives and find all of the things that are good about us, we're pretty much unstoppable.

Don't let the stares of others, negative comments, or bad moments bring you down. Make these things your inspiration. Push harder and rise above it! You can only go as  far as you allow yourself, so loosen up! These things can only define you if you let them. I say, define yourself! Today is a good day to be amazing! Get at it!

It's about to get UNCOMFORTABLE in here

My name is Angela Caputo. My life is awesome. I am a 27 year old new business owner. I have a good family, AMAZING friends, a boyfriend who would do anything for me, THE BEST dog in the whole world, and a fitness model for a room mate. Why is this so significant to my life or this blog? Well, my fitness model room mate, Angela Defrancesco, was just named part of Canada's 100 Hot and Fit of 2011 by Inside Fitness Magazine. Bitch, right??? Wrong. This is a person who would give you the shirt off her back (you probably wouldn't fit into it, but she'd still give it to you.) She's among some of the most humble people I have ever met and never EVER wants to flaunt her success. She is what a lot of women would aspire to be. But guess what? She's on her own chase for perfection.  I want to showcase both of our roads in the never ending battle.

After having a "cheat meal" of multigrain pizza loaded with veggies and chicken last night, I came to the conclusion that enough is enough. I want to lose 20 lbs. i can do it, it's not unreachable or unreasonable. It's something I want to do for me. About 4 years ago, I set a goal for myself, which at the time was a BIG goal. I wanted to go from my weight of 214 lbs, to what I thought would be a "perfect" 160 lbs. For about 3 years now, I have sat at 170 lbs because, as I told Ange, I got "comfortable" here. I am not fat, I am not skinny, I am strong, in good physical shape... Good enough, right? NOOOOOO! Not only did I not reach my goal, the goal I set for myself all of those years ago is now not good enough. I have put this new goal out there for everyone to see, including my 2011 Arnold Amateur Figure Class A Champion room mate and friend. Ange immediately rolls with it, as any true fitness lover would. She's offering her diet and fitness expertise. I take it all in and Ange doesn't harp, which is excellent, because that's the last thing I need. I go to bed and think about my newest challenge...

I am woken up by the PING of my BBM. I open my messages to find one that wakes me immediately. It's from Ange, she's in the kitchen drinking coffee and surfing for inspiration, as she often does. Her message reads, "If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there; you must go beyond them. Happy Saturday." I get out of bed, and we pour over the Hot and Fit 100, scour body after body, and drink protein shakes. My room mate and dear friend tells me she thinks I can achieve whatever I put my mind to and gives me her total dedication to my new project.

As I explain that I got comfortable where I am, she poses an interesting question. "Who wants to be comfortable? You're not comfortable with being comfortable. Don't you want to be more?" She's right. That's who I am. I always strive for the most out of everything, why not make the most of myself? So I am now on a quest for excellence within myself. It's about to get UNCOMFORTABLE in our house!