Get Motivated

In the Madison episode of X-Weighted Families Season 4, we met her Mom, Michelle. Michelle was struggling to be a role model for her daughter: Madison knew that her mom was unhappy with her appearance. Seeing Michelle change and grow until she was a fantastic role model was powerful and inspiring.

When the snow falls thick and heavy, it can seem like getting out there and exercising is impossible. Thing is, there are a lot of winter activities that you can do with the family that are actually high-impact calorie burners. Here are 7 fun ways to play in the snow, bond with your family and burn some fat:

Because the best way to stay fit is to have fun while working out, we spoke with Linda Marsella, who teaches swing dancing at the Joy of Dance Studio, in Toronto, about the benefits of taking up this energetic dance.

These days, many of us are disconnected with our bodies and this affects our lives in many ways. Dr Jeffrey Brantley, MD, is the co-author of Five Good Minutes in Your Body, and numerous other books concentrating on psychology and mindfulness. We asked him a few questions about his philosophy on connecting with our bodies.

We spoke with Craig Copeland, avid hiker and co-author (with wife Kathy) of the Where the Locals Hike and Hiking from Here to WOW series of books, about the joys of hiking. When Copeland and his wife moved to Calgary (from the US), they fell in love with the Canadian Rockies and took every opportunity that they could to hike them.

There are thousands of workout DVDs out there, so how do you choose the one that is right for you?

Follow your interest

Sandy Morris is a Judo Instructor at Kelowna Judo Club. Since she was 13 years old she has enjoyed the physical combat, wrestling grappling and groundwork this sport provides. We figured she was the perfect person to give us the lowdown on what it takes to start Judo.

How easy is it to start if you have never tried Judo before?

Dear Paul,

Is there a not too expensive way to bring my bike indoors in the winter?

I think that when it comes to hair, one of the biggest challenges that people with bigger bodies face is proportion. Curvy bodies require curvy hair, that's just the way it is. The shorter or flatter the hair, the smaller the head becomes in relation to the rest of the body. So, if you have a full figure, there should always be fullness in the hair. There is no prescribed hair-do that is best for someone that is bigger, but certainly the relationship between the shape of the hair and the body needs to be considered.

When we are on a weight-loss journey, most of us will have good days and bad days, and when we cheat, the best thing to do is get back on track as soon as possible. However, it can be tempting to think that after cheating for one meal or even a day, that an extra workout will set things right. Sadly, unless you only cheated a little bit, it won't.