Body Worlds Tour

Body Worlds - An incredible way to learn about what happens under YOUR skin!

It’s Saturday afternoon and I just finished touring the Body Worlds exhibit at the Calgary Science Centre with 12 enthusiastic members of the FRESH! Fitness community.  It was awesome!

For me personally, it was my 3rd time seeing the exhibit (previously Montreal & Edmonton) and it still blew me away.  There were some new features that I hadn’t seen, but the beauty and complexity of the human form is something that never fails to amaze me.  The exhibit is incredibly organized, the information provided makes you reflect on your past, appreciate your present, and become motivated about creating your future!

It was also great to see the wonder, awe and amazement in the faces of those who attended the tour.  During the visit I was able to use the various exhibit specimens to answer a wide range of questions from the group and explain about common fitness and health related conditions they may have experienced (or were still experiencing).  Whether it was that nagging IT Band, plantar fasciitis, or muscle injury, to a more detailed explanation (with visuals) of the broken bone or orthopedic surgery they had, the answer was easy to provide due to the surrounding exhibits.

One thing I found nice was [Read more...]

The Top 7 Reasons to Exercise

Young women playing beach volleyball

Summer has arrived and along with it the dreaded bathing suit season.

Whether you can’t wait to bare it all on the beach, or if you’re still working toward a weight loss goal, exercise is the key to looking and feeling great in summer months.

But why else should you exercise? Here are the top 7 reasons to exercise this summer: [Read more...]

Vacation Tips to Keep You Fit

Yoga on Beach

With summer vacation quickly approaching, you’re probably planning your next getaway.

Whether you go on a cruise, an African safari or a low-key trip to the beach, warm summer days are the best time to get away from it all.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a pound a day while on vacation?

Between missed workouts, extra large restaurant meals and indulgent snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your waistline.

So before you pack your bags for your next adventure, read the following 6 Vacation Tips and come home fitter, not fatter.

[Read more...]

Lies, Misinformation and Feeding Your Fantasies

Just stand there and shake off the fat! Yeah Right!

Just stand there and shake off the fat! Yeah Right!

OK, this is a last minute post that I just had to write.  I’ve been doing trade shows in the fitness industry for the past 10 years and I’m used to hearing outrageous claims made by manufacturers and people selling various products.  But this past weekend I was beside a booth at the Outdoor Adventure Show that was worse for my stress levels than nails on a chalkboard.  The bad part was that the lady selling the product was so nice, but I just couldn’t handle the drivel she was spouting all weekend.  The worst part was that streams of people were eating up the marketing hype and falling “hook, line and sinker”! [Read more...]

27 Fitness & Fat Loss Tips

It’s New Year’s Day, and you have a clean slate.

2010 is an blank slate.  What will YOU do with it?

2010 is an blank slate. What will YOU do with it?

I don’t know if you are one to make New Year’s Resolutions or not, but either way you’re probably thinking about how you can become fitter, healthier and happier than you are right now.

These 27 Fitness and Fat Loss Tips will get you on the right track for this New Year:

  1. Visualize the accomplishment of your goals each and every day. Experience the taste of success and feel that sweet satisfaction.
  2. Push the intensity of your workouts. Don’t kill time, burn calories by maintaining a challenging intensity.
  3. Use smaller plates at home. This effortlessly reduces calorie intake and promotes weight loss.
  4. Build accountability into your workouts so that you resist the temptation to take days off. The best way to ensure accountability is to work with a personal trainer either one-on-one or in a group training setting.
  5. Believe in yourself. Know with conviction that you CAN accomplish your goals.
  6. Drink water throughout your day. Do this by carrying a water bottle and opting for water rather than calorie-filled beverages. This simple action is extremely beneficial.
  7. Maintain your metabolism by eating a healthy snack or meal every three to four hours. This food should be unprocessed, good quality, high in fiber and a small portion size.
  8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
  9. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into your cardio workouts by performing bursts of high intensity rather than exercising at a single steady pace.
  10. It’s not about will-power, it’s about want-power. You have to want it. [Read more...]

The New Years Resolution Trap

Are you making a New Year’s Resolution today? If you do, keep this in mind: It has been reported that 92% of New Year’s Resolutions end in failure. Why? Because most people make resolutions that are simply unrealistic. They quickly get discouraged and then abandon the idea entirely.

To ensure that you accomplish your New Year’s Resolution, stick with a goal that is realistic rather than intimidating. Check out these examples:

Download and follow the tips in this report if you actually want to REACH your GOALS and MAINTAIN them!

Download and follow the tips in this report if you actually want to REACH your GOALS and MAINTAIN them!

  • Instead of resolving to lose 70 pounds by summer, commit to exercise 3-4 times each week for at least 15 minutes each time
  • Instead of resolving to give up all carbs, commit to bring healthy lunches to work instead of going through a fast food drive thru.
  • Instead of resolving to drop 3 sizes in 3 months, commit to losing 1 pound each week until you reach your goal weight.
  • Instead of resolving to never eat out again, commit to eating healthy all week and rewarding yourself with one meal out on the weekends.

If you are ready to take action on these tips and want to learn more about setting (and reaching) SMART goals, download my Special New Years Resolution Report titled, why Resolutions will make you FAT…unless you do these 3 simple things!

Martin is tackling the "impossible" in 2010. What will you be doing?

superman-standingOne of the main reasons I love my job and am passionate about fitness is because it allows me to witness and be a part of the amazing transformations that happen in my clients lives.  There is nothing better than getting high on the infectious enthusiasm and happiness that comes along with seeing someone create an extraordinary change in their life.  In fact, it starts with creating a healthy, and confident mindset and spreads like wildfire to every part of your life.  People who create this change improve their jobs, relationships, self-esteem, social networks, and open up unlimited opportunity in their future.  Oh yeah, they get in great shape and feel awesome about themselves too.

Do you need fitness to make this happen?  No, but fitness is a great shortcut to creating the mindset, confidence and sense of achievement that is a prerequisite to changing your life!  Why do you think so many athletes (not just the famous ones) go on to do great things outside of sport?  Because they think differently, welcome challenges, have a dogged determination to get things done, even when the deck is stacked against them!  Those are the same traits that you need to succeed in any aspect of life from work to relationships, to weight loss!

Check out what Martin is up to!

The reason I’m writing this post is for  two reasons [Read more...]

The 5 Biggest Fitness Mistakes

Take a walk through any gym, and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember – if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?

[Read more...]

Fat is literally killing you!

Obese women are 80% more likely to be disease riddled and die sooner than non-obese women

Obese women are 80% more likely to be disease riddled and die sooner than non-obese women

There have been a number of articles and studies published recently pointing to the fact that overweight and obese people die sooner and have higher disease rates. Other similar studies show that regular exercise helps people lose weight, feel better and live longer.  The Calgary Herald ran a story this morning on Obesity in middle age women which stated that women who are obese in middle age lower the chance of living past 70 and being free of chronic diseases by 80%.

For most people this is nothing new. In fact if you were surprised by these facts I would be worried!  The funny thing is that they called this a “landmark” Health Study by U.S. Nurses. While the actual numbers may be new and that it was done only on women (previous studies focused on men), the basic principle is so simple and has been demonstrated in virtually every study ever done on obesity and health.  To summarize decades of research in one sentence…the fatter you get, the shorter your life will be and the more aches, pains, ailments, and diseases you will have…all of which will cost you and the healthcare system (read “taxpayer”) bucketloads of money!

So why are so many of these seemingly redundant studies still being conducted? [Read more...]

21 Universal Rewards of Exercise

The number one reason that most people are out-of-shape is that they don’t exercise enough.

I’ve often wished that I could give each and every one of you a personalized pep talk to get you up off the couch and into the gym, day after day. So here’s my pep talk in bullet form – 21 rewards that you will gain from regular exercise.

Do yourself a favor and print this list and post it where you’ll see it every day. When you need motivation or encouragement simply read over this list and feel your motivation soar.

Are you ready?  Here are the 21 rewards of regular exercise!  How many were you aware of? [Read more...]