… but I like to think it looks something like this:

I had the pleasure of spending the last three days here:

Each day I jumped in the car with a massive one of these on my face every time (even at 6:30am)…

And drove the stretch of the 401 between The ‘Loo and Oakville (a grand total of 6 times), often enjoying these…

…and these…

Why did I do this?

As you may have read last week, I was attending the Nutrition and Wellness Specialist course, created by Can Fit Pro. The purpose of this is to become a certified Nutrition and Wellness Specialist, which I discussed in this post. The class was run by a Pro Trainer in the region who was unbelievably informative and experienced in the industry. In addition to discussions with her, we also listened to guest speakers – a naturopath, a holistic life coach, an iridologist (I had no idea what this was until she told me what her job involved – I’ll explain more in tomorrow’s post) and a colon hydrotherapist (there’s no pretty way to put this one – essentially this means a poo specialist, and she was awesome!!)

As you probably expected, I ate like a princess.

A few of the bowls I enjoyed…

Raw kale, tuna dill salad, bell peppers, peas, teriyaki grilled tofu steak, and edamame caviar salad (under the tofu. Nothing to do with caviar, but this is one of my favourite salads.)

My attempt to save money with a made-at-home salad: Mixed greens, bell pepper, tuna, edamame, herbs, balsamic - but nowhere near as tasty as lunch the day before!

Rosemary roasted sweet potato, teriyaki grilled tofu steak, 'kamut power blend' grain salad, tuna salad, bell peppers, mixed greens, purple onion, raw kale.

Mixed greens, raw kale, tuna salad (coz it was just so good!), steamed broccoli and onion, raw bell peppers, 'detox salad' (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sunflower seeds, currants, parsley, lemon juice, kelp granules, salt and pepper).

And just in case that wasn’t quite enough, there were plenty of samples around the store.

Falafel chips - a bit like a spicy tortilla chip.

Bite-sized oven baked tortilla chips with salsa.

The weekend wasn’t just about eating. I learned TONS. Last night I fell into bed completely exhausted, but this was perhaps one of the best, most interesting and relevant courses I’ve ever taken. We talked about milk and eggs for a solid half hour one night, and I was still excited about them after. Food nerd? Yes, that’s me. I was fascinated! I’m literally shaking because I’m so excited to tell you about some of the things I learned. However, unless I meter it out over a few posts you’ll probably go numb in your chair from reading for so long – and that wouldn’t be very Nutrition and Wellness Specialist-esque of me to recommend.

Our time was completely filled with listening to speakers, practicing counseling skills, reading through course material, and group activities. The class was small – just 8 people – so there was plenty of time for questions and discussions about anything and everything. The course covered 3 key areas: physical activity, nutrition, and holistic/spiritual health. The third was one that I began the course not so well-versed in, so a lot of learning went on there.

Amidst the madness, I also managed to squeeze in the compulsory trip to my other favourite happy place:

Much fun was had here! On Sunday afternoon, we were taken on a guided tour through Whole Foods to learn all about the company and what makes it special relative to other grocery chains. If you’re wondering, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!!

Have a wonderful Monday!