FRESH! Fitness - A division of FRESH! Wellness Group» Motivation

Teen’s Need Exercise Too

freshva — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:45:13 +0000

So get ‘em off the couch, pull the cell phone out of their hands, and send them to the field and the gym.

Remember the good old days, when the only video game available was a pinball machine down at the local soda shop? Well, those days are long gone. Today’s teens have access to more video games and other technology that keeps them away from the great outdoors and off the basketball court. Instead of moving their growing bodies, they spend countless hours pushing buttons, texting friends and playing video games.

But if exercise isn’t a regular part of your teen’s life, big trouble could be right down the road. Why should your teen get into the exercise routine, and how can you make it happen?

Why Exercise Matters

Take a look around at teens. They have countless social media tools that are supposed to help them be more connected with others than ever. Unfortunately, these social sites can cause teens to forget how to socialize with real people in real life. Get these kids to the gym and encourage them to exercise with other teens, and you give them an instant lesson in socialization.

But exercise is about more than being socially adept. It’s about good health. And in case you’ve not picked up a newspaper or magazine in the last 10 years, you should know that there is an obesity epidemic currently taking place. It’s affected plenty of adults, but it is now affecting teens as well – especially as they spend less time exercising and more time sitting around watching television, playing video games, texting, and chatting online. Get your teen exercising today, and you’ll help them obtain and maintain a healthy weight and develop lifelong healthy habits.

How to Get Them Moving

Sometimes, getting a teenager to do something is as easy as teaching a rhinoceros to fetch. Don’t let their attitude get you down. Remember your own attitude problems as a teenager, take a deep breath, and prepare to put up a fight. When you’re going into battle with your teen, try these tips out.

Make It Fun. Remember when your teen was a toddler? Exercise wasn’t something you forced him or her to do. It just happened, via hide-and-seek, tag, or just running all day long. Find what physical activities interest your teens, and encourage him or her to get out and do it.

Up the Chores. Is your teen lazing around the house doing nothing, while you’re working frantically to keep everything in order? Flip your teen’s world upside down by having him or her take over some of the more physically demanding chores. Have your teen rake leaves, plant flowers, scrub toilets, and take out the garbage. It may not be the same as lifting weights, but it’ll get your teen’s body on the move!

Do It Together. If your child isn’t motivated to get in the gym on his or her own, offer to do it together. Whether you lift weights, ride bikes, swim, or hike, doing it as a family makes it easier to keep your teen on an exercise schedule.

Take It Easy. Your teen needs to exercise. There is no question about it. Just don’t let this need override your parenting know-how. Ever tried to force your teen to do something he or she didn’t want to do? Didn’t work so well, did it? Remember this when working with your teen, and encourage your teen gently. You may be surprised at the end result.

How Much? While medical experts normally recommend adults get 30 minutes of exercise five or more days a week, the same doesn’t hold true for teenagers. Instead, try to get your teen to exercise for at least 60 minutes most days of the week. It doesn’t have to be incredibly vigorous. A light jog, a game of kickball, or riding bikes will do the trick.

If you want to expedite you and your teen’s results then consider working with me on a fitness plan that will turn you both into fat burning machines.

Call or email today – I look forward to hearing from you.

Resistance Training Principle #9: Get in Touch with Touch Training

freshva — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 06:45:13 +0000

If you have ever watched a great Personal Trainer working with their client, you may notice that that the trainer will often use their hands and touch their client while training. They are not trying to get “fresh” with their client (no pun intended); they are using an actual physiological principle to maximize training effects.You see, you have sensory receptors on your skin.

When contact is made with your skin, the sensory receptors pick up the pressure of the touch and send a message through the sensory neurons to your brain. Your brain then picks up this message and sends a message via your motor neurons down to the same area to pay more attention to this area. Remember in one of the previous tips we talked about the brain muscle connection? Well, this increased sensory awareness increases the focus on that particular muscle and allows you to recruit more motor units and produce greater force/activation of the muscle.

This is a lot of technical jargon that basically means that each rep will be more effective. That will result in a more focused and beneficial set, which ultimately leads to better results. Ah, more results – that’s something we can ALL understand!

So, this is one of the many reasons that people who work with a (good) Personal Trainer, will consistently see better results. You can help yourself out on specific exercises by periodically touching the working muscle, but when trying it on your own, there are logistical limitations depending on the exercise you are doing. For example, if you have to hold weights in your hands, it makes it challenging to incorporate “touch training”.

One final note of caution. This concept of touch training is only one SMALL part of learning correct movement skills and getting the results you want. There are many other aspects that contribute to long-term success and continual results. The best examples would be regular and continuously varied exercise programs, proper nutritional habits, effective sleep, lifestyle, and stress management practices, and finding reliable source of information, support and encouragement.

As a Professional Personal Trainer for 20 years, I’ve found that this practice is very beneficial when people are starting off in a program, or learning a new movement skill. While it can be used at almost any time, you will get the most out of incorporating “touch training” at these times. Making the commitment to get help and feedback from a professional when learning new skills and making significant program changes is a vital part of achieving long term results. As we always say to clients…why work harder, when you can work smarter?

To get help with your program, just contact us. That’s our job, and we LOVE doing it!

Transform From

freshva — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:45:41 +0000

Have you ever seen a really impressive “before” and “after” photo on a weight loss product?

Well, there’s something that the diet industry doesn’t want you to know. There is more involved than just the diet product, and it’s the same across the board.

Look into the eyes of any person in their “before” picture and you’ll see that they are deeply disturbed. The body they have is no longer in sync with the body they are able to accept.

They changed the body that they accept, and became disturbed.

Now look into their eyes in the “after” picture – see the sweet satisfaction? They now live in the body that they decided they could accept. What an amazing feeling that is.

Why are you still living life in your “before” body?

Sure, you have obstacles that get in your way – your schedule, your job, your kids, the weather, your knee injury from college…but ultimately you have the body that you accept.

I’m going to repeat that so it will really sink in.

You have the body that you accept.

Transform from “Before” to “After”
You may not realize it, but you already posses everything you need to transform your body, and it all starts with taking responsibility for the body that you have today.

You are in your current shape because, until this moment, you’ve been OK with it.

Oh I know you aren’t thrilled with it, and you even talk about losing weight and getting fit – but you haven’t changed what you’ll accept.

Here’s how to transform your body in 3 steps:

Step One: Feel Disturbed
It has been said that emotion creates motion. This is essential when it comes to personal transformation. Just like those folks in the “before” pictures, to transform your body you must first decide that you can’t live another day in the body you currently have.

Get your emotions stirred up. Make a list of all the reasons that you’re ready to lose weight and get fit. Get disturbed.

Step Two: Decide What You Want
Without clarity you’ll never get where you want to go. Now that you’re disturbed with the body you have, decide what the body you can accept looks like.

Think in concrete and specific terms. Just like the captions under ‘before” and “after” pictures – “Shannon lost 50 lbs,” “Matt lost 8 inches from his waist,” “Catherine went from a size 20 to a size 4.”

Get a clear picture in your mind of what you’ll look like in your “after” picture and decide what the caption will read.

Step Three: Take Action
The time spent between your inspiration (now) and taking action determines whether you will succeed or fail. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck between inspiration and action – there is always something that you can do immediately.

Take action by emailing or calling me now to set up a fitness consultation.

I am here to take you from your “before” picture to your “after” picture. What will your “after” caption read?

Resistance Training Principle #3: Sets and Reps

freshva — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:45:52 +0000

One of the first questions asked in the weight room is “How many sets and reps should I do?” Well, let’s start by first understanding the difference between these two terms.The number of repetitions refers to the number of times you perform an exercise without stopping. The number of sets refers to the number of times you perform a complete series of repetitions. For example, you may perform 2 sets of 10 reps.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends at least one set of 8-12 (10-15 if you are 50 years or older) repetitions for each major muscle group 2x/week to improve overall muscle conditioning. This means that if you can’t perform 8 reps, the weight is too heavy. If you can perform 12 reps with perfect form, it’s time to increase the resistance by 5-10%. For beginner exercisers, this is all we have to do – 1 set of 8-12 reps. This equates to about 30-45 minutes in the gym 2x each week. Sounds pretty manageable!

The Canadian Physical Activity Guide recommends 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps 2-4 days per week with at least one day of (active) rest between each strength training day. The CPAG also recommends doing a combination of activities that exercise the muscles in your arms, mid-section, and legs. This will help develop balanced strength throughout the entire body. Strive for a good balance – upper body and lower body, right and left sides, and opposing muscle groups (e.g., both the front and back of the upper arm). Please refer to the Canadian Physical Activity Guide for more information.

The sets and repetitions listed above work well for beginner exercisers, but once a certain level of fitness is attained, greater challenges are needed to produce improvements. Remember, we need to keep pushing outside our comfort zone for improvements. If one level gets easy, it’s time to “step it up”!

While one set of 8-12 reps was shown to produce improvements in beginners, more advanced exercises or those looking to increase the size/power of their muscles, may find it necessary to increase their volume of training and include multiple sets and exercises for each muscle area or movement pattern.

Just because you are an advanced exerciser, doesn’t mean you have to do multiple sets of any exercise. You can achieve a high intensity, advanced workout using only one set of a variety of exercises. Years ago, trainers were taught to prescribe 3 sets of 10 reps for every exercise regardless of the person or the goal. Well, things have changed since then. Recently one-set training has received a lot of attention. One-set training is just that: one set of reps of each exercise. The trick is that each set must be performed to momentary muscle fatigue. Many studies are now finding that one-set training can yield almost the same results as two to three sets, but the key is to push your muscles to the absolute limit on EVERY set.

This is very exciting news for the busy exerciser who struggles to commit to spending hours in the gym. One-set training can dramatically cut down the time you need to spend in the weight room, giving you more time for other activities. Clients often have an easier time committing to their weight training program when they know they only need to spend hours in the gym. Because of this consistency, they experience great results!

Resistance Training Principle #2: Failure is Your Friend!

freshva — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 06:45:06 +0000

If you are scared of failure, I have 3 words for you…Get Over It! In life, and especially in Resistance Training, failure is a good thing. In fact, it is a necessity for continued improvement (just like life). To paraphrase Hans Selye, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”!In fitness, we often call this failure “momentary muscle fatigue”, or “momentary muscle failure”. A good exercise set will finish once you hit momentary muscle fatigue. This is the point during a set when you absolutely cannot do another rep with perfect form. If you can perform more reps, rather than just stop, you should perform the extra reps to hit momentary muscle fatigue and next time, increase the resistance by 5-10% so you can hit momentary muscle fatigue within the suggested repetition zone (the number of reps will vary depending on your current program phase and training goals).

You should rarely finish a set knowing that you could have performed a few more reps (with good form). It is important to note that technique should NEVER be sacrificed to complete more reps. Doing this will increase risk of injury and also create faulty movement patterns.In the beginning of your program or if you are new to resistance training, it’s OK to “leave a couple reps on the table” for the first week or two. This will help ease you into the new program, allow your muscles to adjust to the increased workload and style of training. Additionally, you will be less “stiff” after the workout, leading to a higher level of compliance.

However, once you’ve eased yourself into this style of training, it’s time to push your mind and body a little harder and welcome the momentary muscle failure (along with the greater results it will bring to your training). Learning to consistently challenge yourself in this aspect is a key component to long-term success in fitness and life!

Remember, in order to improve physically, mentally, and emotionally, we must continue pushing our boundaries, limits, and comfort level. It may sound cheesy, but it is absolutely proven to change your mind, body, and life if you embrace it!

5 Rewards of a 5K

freshva — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:45:53 +0000

Have you ever considered running a 5K? The benefits may surprise you.

A 5K race is 3.1 miles, the perfect distance for beginning runners. It’s a realistic, attainable goal that’s fun and satisfying to achieve.

Here are 5 rewards you will reap:

1) Tone Your Legs: Runners have awesome legs. Muscular, toned and tan. Training for a 5K will get you on pace for your own set of lean limbs.

Calves: Not the easiest muscle to tone in the gym, but these lanky muscles are quickly toned by running. A proper runner’s stride has your foot landing in a rolling motion, heel to toe. As you push off with your toe, feel a firm contraction in your calves. Push your calves to the limit by running in sand or gravel. No Thumping! You know your stride is stiff when you hear a thumping sound with each step. When you lightly roll your foot from heel to toe, you take pressure off of your lower back. Remember, thumping feet lead to a sore back.
Glutes: Running is a great way to firm up your glutes. To really raise your glutes take your training to the hills or do bleacher runs.
Thighs: Who doesn’t want slimmer thighs? Running does wonders for shaping and slimming your thighs, right where it counts.

2) Support A Cause

By participating in a 5K you get in shape while supporting a cause. Most 5K races are put on by charities or non-profit organizations. Many times you have the opportunity to raise funds and community awareness through your involvement.

3) Flatten Your Abs

Running burns a massive amount of calories. This means you’ll find your body quickly morphing into that of a lean athlete. Don’t over-compensate the extra calories burned by eating too many carbs. Manage your portions to reap the most belly shrinking benefits.

While running is an amazing way to transform your body, running alone won’t deliver complete results. Resistance training is an equally important part of the equation. With resistance training you get:

Raised Metabolism: Resistance training raises your metabolism for an extended period of time, even after the workout is finished. This means more calories burned. Also resistance training adds muscle to your body, which raises your resting metabolism to burn even more calories when you aren’t exercising.
Upper Body Muscle Tone: While running is great for adding lower body muscle tone, it won’t do much for your upper body. With resistance training you target the muscles of your upper body to create a symmetric physique.
Muscle Confusion: With resistance training there are endless variations of movements you can do in order to keep your muscles guessing. Never allow your routine to grow stale by doing the same motions over and over again.

4) Make New Friends

Athletic endeavors are a relaxed way to make new friends and form connections within your community. Join a local running group to assist your training or start your own group of 5K hopefuls in your neighborhood. Your group could run the 5K together for support. Who knows, you may make new friends for life.

5) Start A Habit

Although you may find it hard to believe, especially if you haven’t yet run your first 5K, racing is addicting. The satisfaction of accomplishing your goal, along with the exciting changes in your body, will likely lead you to another race. It’s not farfetched that you’ll build your training up to run a marathon.

Running is great, but as we touched on above, resistance training is essential for achieving outstanding results. The best way to get into amazing shape is with a challenging and dynamic exercise routine.

Call or email today to get started on your own exercise program that will lead to more rewards than you ever dreamed of.

Calgary Fitness Bootcamp Member Lyne H. lost 52 pounds in 4 months by following her FRESH! Fitness Exercise and Nutrition Program

freshva — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 04:16:21 +0000

Before joining FRESH! Fitness, I was registered by my family physician on the Alberta Registry as a high risk patient. I had many health problems & my doctor advised me to try to lose at least 20 pounds. I was overweight, had asthma, and other medical conditions.

Since joining FRESH!, my mind, body, and lifestyle have changed dramatically, the decision actually took me over a year to make!

I received a “$100 dollar off” Boot Camp Certificate from Sunterra Market for my birthday. I held on to it for an entire year prior to joining. During this time, I kept telling myself that I would join once I got fit enough. That day never seemed to come and I kept procrastinating on my fitness goals. I had tried going to the gym in the past, but always felt lost.

Lyne in September 2010

Lyne in January 2011

I was the lady in the back of class who was never coordinated enough to do the moves properly. The one thing that happened since I had gone on line to investigate boot camp at Fresh was that I kept receiving a monthly newsletter from this guy named “Tim”. As time went by and I turned 49, I was reminded of my dad’s passing. I was now the same age as he was & was feeling awful about not taking care of myself.

I was at a point in my life where walking one flight of stairs was excruciating & I often needed my asthma puffer. I went on line again & low & behold, Tim’s monthly newsletter offered a new program called the Human Billboard Program where they take your before & after shots to show you your progress. This reminded me of the Slice TV show called “ X-Weighted” that I always watch & so finally took the plunge to call & enquire about the Program. It’s ironic, since I later realized that Tim has been an expert on that show a couple times!

I was leery, but Tim walked me through some exercise techniques, and made me do a short circuit to assess my fitness level. Believe me, I felt out of shape, but Tim reminded me that everyone needs a starting point!

During our next appointment, he took the time to tour the many dining & fast food courts surrounding my office & taught me what to look for when dining out (which is something I did quite often at the time, but not near as much any more). He took the time to explain the FRESH! program to me, and answer all of the questions I had.

I was a little apprehensive the first day on my first class as I felt so out of shape & not healthy compared to the others in class. The many worries quickly faded, as everyone there helped & encouraged me. The first month I went about 3 days a week to boot camp. I remember the first time the trainer asked us to do stairs, & how exhausted & out of breath I was. Then one of the lady’s at Boot Camp walked back down the stairs behind me & told me, “Come on Lyne Marie, I am not moving until you go, you can do it I know you have it in you!” That small bit of encouragement helped me muster up the strength to climb the rest of the way up. After that any time I found things tough I found the trainer or someone else would always cheer & encourage me on. The trainer at the class would always modify my exercises if he saw that I was really struggling.

I have nothing but high regards for all the teaching staff at Fresh. It is not your ordinary gym. I did not feel like just another number in a crowd. They have made me feel like I am their only client in a room for of people. The trainers know you personally & check up on how you are feeling & think you are progressing. They really care.

After an experience like this, I would not ever fathom joining an ordinary gym again. The money I have spent on improving my health was the best investment I’ve ever done for myself. In four months I have managed to lose 52 pounds.

Now I aim to go to Boot Camp classes 5 days a week. I find the classes addictive & miss them when I do not attend. The exercises are always different and I am amazed how much fun I am having (I never found exercise fun before). I have made a lot of new friends here and feel at home. I still have asthma but don’t need my puffer as much.

I plan to lose another 68 pounds. My health and my asthma has greatly improved. My goal is to be able to climb 36 flights of stairs without having to take my puffer. With the team at FRESH!, I now know that my goal is not just a far-fetched dream but will become a reality very soon!

If you’ve been procrastinating on your fitness goals, I can confidently that taking the leap of faith and contacting FRESH! has changed my life forever. If I can do it, you definitely can! See you at FRESH! soon.

5 Obstacles to Fitness Success

freshva — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:54:10 +0000

You want to be fit. You know how much you should weigh. You know your ideal pant size. You can even picture how great those skinny jeans will look.

So why aren’t you living life in your ideal body?

There are many complex reasons that make weight loss a challenge, reasons that go deeper than simply calories-in versus calories-out.

I’m talking about the life issues that get in the way of your success.

Read the following 5 obstacles and the solutions to unlock your best body ever.

1. You don’t want to be bothered.

It’s in your DNA to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. Unfortunately this works against you when trying to get fit. In your mind, it’s painful (or at least uncomfortable) to deny yourself the tasty food that you crave and to exert yourself with exercise.

There’s a simple way to work around this obstacle: Find something painful about being fat to motivate yourself towards healthy eating and exercise. Focus on the negative impact your current weight has on your health, self-esteem and lifestyle. Convince yourself that the pain of being out of shape is much greater than the discomfort of losing weight.

2. You don’t want to wait for the good stuff.

Just as you wish to avoid pain, you are also an expert in seeking out pleasure – namely food. This served the cavemen well, but these days it ends up as extra pounds around your waist and thighs.

There’s good news: extra calories are not your only option to stimulate the pleasure center of your brain. Find an activity or two that make you smile and indulge in those regularly.

A walk outside
A good book
A night out to the movies or theater
A spa day

You can also retrain your brain to crave the pleasure of exercise-induced endorphins. Talk about weight gain kryptonite!

3. You are crazy busy.

Let’s face it, you work too much, commit yourself to too much and don’t even get enough sleep most of the time. The fast-paced way you live leaves you exhausted, stressed and hungry for comfort food. You even begin to feel too busy to take care of your health.

It’s time to reprioritize. Let go of your perfectionist standards and remove a few commitments from your schedule so that you are able to cook healthy meals, exercise and get a good night’s sleep. Remind yourself that taking care of your health is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.

4. You don’t deserve it.

I don’t agree with it, but you sure act like you don’t deserve to live the good life in the body of your dreams. Take a moment to think back on all the times you have self-sabotaged your weight loss efforts. If you don’t believe deep down that you are worthy then you’ll never give yourself a chance at a fit body.

I believe that you deserve to have a healthy body – and I urge you to dig deep down to uncover why you don’t. Once you conquer your feelings of unworthiness, getting on an exercise and healthy eating plan will be easy.

Take the time to take care of yourself. You DO deserve it.

5. You are afraid.

You’re afraid to start because you just might fail, and wouldn’t that be embarrassing? You’re also afraid to start because you just might succeed, and change makes you uncomfortable – even if it’s change in the right direction.

When you decide to get fit you will need to go through a bushel of changes:

New diet
New exercise routine
New friends at the gym
New clothes
New self-image

Focus on all of the ways that losing weight will make your life better. Envision that better life everyday so that it goes from being new and scary to familiar and comfortable.

I want to personally help overcome every obstacle standing between you and your ideal body. Call or email today to get started on a program that will change your life and body forever…in a good way

Are Crabs and Vampires Keeping you From Succeeding in Fitness and Life?

Tim Borys — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:48:03 +0000

Hey there everyone. I just thought I would fire out a quick blog post to you to get something off my chest.

I had a consultation with a new client today that really hit home. The session went well, but brought back a true story I heard a few years ago and made me reflect on many situations in my life that held me back from success. This story (and reality of the situation) highlight a common reason people fail to achieve their goals

Let’s start with the story (as told to me by Bedros, one of my mentors) that shows an interesting fact about crabs and the parallel with people in our lives…

On a trip to Alaska with his family, my friend happened to be walking by some fisherman on a pier. Beside the fisherman was a large white 5 gallon pail filled with a number of crabs. As he watched the crabs crawling over each other, one ambitious crab started climbing towards the top of the bucket. He managed to get a claw over the top rim of the pail and was well on his way to a “jail break”.

Being the good Samaritan that he is, Bedros informed the fisherman that he was about to lose a crab. The fisherman casually said “Thanks, but I’m not worried. Crabs ‘self-police’ each other. Just sit back and watch”.

As he continued to watch, my friend was shocked when the remaining crabs casually reached up, grabbed the trailing legs of the ambitious crab and dragged him back down into the bucket. The fisherman said “see, there’s no need to worry. The other crabs won’t let him get out.”

This story was a major “ah-ha” moment for me.

It brought to the surface a lot of situations throughout my life and that many of my clients have faced. It made me think hard about the people in my life who acted like those crabs and how I had even been my own crab in life by brooding over negative thoughts and self-perceptions. A lot has changed, but those situations are still a powerful influence on your thoughts and behavior when they are allowed to creep in. Thankfully I’m much more aware of my own limitations and those created by the crabs around me!

Back to my consultation today. My client was telling me how many people in her family and circle of friends do the same thing as the crabs I just mentioned. They blatantly tease and taunt her with fast food when she is trying to diet, and try to talk her out of starting a new exercise plan when she wants to get in better shape. Plus. in the past when she actually started seeing some results, they downplayed her efforts and even stepped up the intensity of their sabotage!

Hearing this from my client today got me very fired up.

I realized that this “Crab” story is a sad, but true picture of human behaviour.

Consider what we are faced with each day. Our path through daily life is surrounded by “crabs”, energy vampires, and haters who as my mentor says “suck up your precious time, quash your ambitions, motivation, passion, and enthusiasm.”

Our “crabs” in life can be anyone from strangers to casual acquaintances, to close friends and family members. Perhaps even your spouse.

These people are motivated largely by fear. They fear change, being left behind, and having their own inadequacies and poor self-image being damaged if you actually begin to change, grow, and flourish in a new way. Because they don’t have the courage or conviction to make these changes themselves, they focus their energy on sucking yours, dashing your hopes and dreams, and generally raining on your parade.

They may not even do it consciously, but the impact is the same. Too much time around the crabs and vampires and you will be a “bottom feeder” forever. You will be doomed to frustration by your lack of progress in life, business, health, or whatever you aim to accomplish! Maybe it’s even you who is the crab? Does any of this strike a chord with you?

So, what do you do about it?

First, you need to identify the crabs, vampires and haters in your life. Look and listen closely. They are there, waiting to drag you down.

Crabs kill Creativity!

They drain your Mojo!

They are energy Vampires!

If your own thoughts and behaviors are holding you back, start your changes there before moving onto others.

The next thing you need to do is begin cutting the crabs out of your life. This is easier said than done and sometimes hard decisions have to be made when close friends, business partners, spouses or family are the culprits. In situations where a person can’t realistically be cut out completely (i.e. family, spouse who you have kids with), the best solution is to limit distance and exposure to them. For example, we all have the “crazy” annoying family member who after every conversation leaves you feeling exhausted, depressed, and like you’ve been hit by a truck. Avoid these people like the plague!

So, take stock of the people, thoughts and ideas around you that are holding you back from success. Lose the crabs and start hanging around with those who challenge, encourage, and support your dreams, goals, and efforts in life!

Have a great day and watch out for crabs!

If you have stories about the crabs in your life, I would love to hear them. Just add your story to the comments section below!

Tim Borys is a Calgary Personal Trainer and with over 20 years of professional training and coaching experience. He is the owner of FRESH! Fitness, a top Calgary Personal Training company specializing in helping people live a better life, have FUN with fitness, and get the results they’ve always dreamed of!

Calgary Personal Trainer recommends the “15 minute rule” if you don’t feel like exercising

Tim Borys — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:53:05 +0000

As a Personal Trainer in Calgary for the past decade, one of the most common excuses I hear is that people are tired, unmotivated and lack the energy to exercise. This becomes a habit that leads you down the slippery slope of weight gain, poor health, and unhappiness with your mind and your body. Short of hiring a Personal Trainer to pick you up and drag you through each workout, you need to figure out a solution to get your butt in gear!

The good news is that I have a simple solution for you.

Do you feel like exercise is an uphill battle some days?

If you find yourself in this “low energy” or lazy situation, just show up and do SOMETHING for 15 minutes. The chosen activity must require you to move your body for the entire time, but doesn’t have to be intense of difficult. Think of it as an extended warm-up.

How does this help? Well, most of the time you will feel better after 15 minutes, your energy will improve and you will be able to continue with your workout.

That means you rescued a potential missed workout from the trash heap of procrastination! Congratulations, you are miles ahead of those people who gave in to their lethargy and decided to spend their time on Facebook or laying on the couch flipping channels!

After 15 minutes, if you still don’t feel better, then you are free to stop and call it a day. Hey, at least you got in a few minutes of activity! That’s better than if you had never started in the first place!

The hidden bonus of this behavior trick is that it programs you to build a healthy ROUTINE of making TIME for exercise on a regular basis (ideally daily). This is the key to long-term results and making a true LIFESTYLE change rather than continually fighting with exercise because you consider it a chore that must be suffered through a few times a week (if you are lucky)!

So, next time you feel sluggish or unmotivated to exercise, try this simple, yet highly effective trick. It’s something that I’ve used many times over the years and that I teach my Calgary Personal Training clients.

Tim Borys is a Calgary Personal Trainer and owner of FRESH! Fitness. His expert team of Personal Trainers specialize in Fitness Training, Nutrition Coaching, and Metabolism Testing that will get you “Fit for the Sport of Life!”