Blog
I hate to say it, but we all age even if we don’t want to face it. Ive been working out for well over 27 years and like anything, things will wear down over time. But there are ways to lessen the severity and even slow down aging, primarily in the joints and tendons. Here…
We all want to look great and feel young like we were in our 20s, but it takes work to slow down the aging process. It’s something we need to work at daily from: what we eat, to our sleeping habits, training style, and coping mechanisms when it comes to stress. I can go on…
Whether you’re a man or woman who works out, you’re probably looking to gain muscle to some degree. We all have our goals and areas to focus on, but there are some essential things to consider if you want to maximize your gym efforts. 1 – Prioritize your goals If you want to build overall…
I want to share my top 4 biohacks to fight off cravings. It seems like now people are finding it harder to follow their food plan or even start one because of being home all the time. After all it can get pretty boring And when you’re watching shows it’s easy to want to grab…
We all know the benefits of weight training, especially when we lift heavy and create the stress response. It’s when we lift that the hormones which elicit growth (namely, testosterone and growth hormone) are at their highest. A way to piggyback on this surplus is to finish your workouts with a few sets hitting the…
Most of us know by now the importance of the key components in losing fat and getting stronger: train hard (heavy resistance training), do cardio, eat well, and recover (get enough sleep, etc). If you’re not balancing your sympathetic system (think adrenaline) with your parasympathetic system (rest & digest) then you won’t get far in…
For the last few days, I’ve had a nasty cold and despite sleeping lots, and taking my vitamins, getting a good sweat helps get the toxins and infection out quicker; especially when there’s a deep nasty cough involved :(. This is what I do to speed up recovery from a cold, and even follow as…
I don’t know about you, but I have never questioned nutrition labels before. Call me naive but I always trusted what was stated on the label was true. Didn’t we all? …. Luckily, we have a governing body called the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) that does this for us. They follow strict…
Whether we love it or hate it, Winter is here and that means less time outdoors and less exposure to the sun. It may not seem like it should really affect us, but it does. When vitamin D exposure is hindered, it results in less serotonin release (the ‘happy’ hormone), less energy, poorer mood, more…
Who doesn’t love Fall, with the fresh crisp air and the changing colours of the trees. And of course we can’t forget all of the pumpkin related drinks and pastries being marketed everywhere. Hence this month’s blog, three recipes that are a healthier version of the originals; yet still taste great. Pumpkin Spiced Latte The…
Nicole is in the spotlight this month because of her commitment to living the fit life and sticking to the program just as fully as when she was competing in our 10 Week Body Transformation Challenge (which she won :)) She came to us to lose weight and look great for her upcoming wedding in…
This is something all women should be aware of as a way of understanding why things change throughout the month, when it comes to our fitness program. Hormonal changes do cause a number of changes when we workout; whether we are at our strongest or struggle with finishing a cardio session. And there is a…
This is one of my daily meals that I look forward to each night. Its quick to prepare, has a mix of different textures and great flavours. Call me strange, but I consider it a mock version of a peanut butter & ham sandwich. The barbecue flavoured broad beans are crunchy and tastes just like…
As most people have probably heard, there’s a new diet around and its called the Ketogenic diet. Although there is more to it, it’s basically the Atkins Diet, but with less protein (back from the 1970s when the rage was all about bacon and eggs for breakfast and minimal to no carbohydrates). Things tend to…
Kent is one of our clients who came to us last February after getting frustrated that his usual ‘juicing diet’ didn’t work this time to lose the weight he had gained. He was in a bad car accident in the previous October and was limited in his activity for many weeks, hence part of his…
With the popularity of our 10 Week Body Transformation Challenge, we’re getting requests to run a Spring into Summer Meltdown Challenge. Normally we have these contests in January and September, but with the amazing transformations people are creating, the word is out and we’re listening to the demand. What does it entail? A commitment of…
A 60 minute information session all about training the glutes and getting them to grow. If you struggle with feeling the glutes when you work out, then this is a must. Learn 20+ exercises on how to isolate every angle of your glutes and build them to be round, shapely, and strong. If you have…
This has been my go to breakfast for the last couple of months and it has a great mix of protein, healthy fats, fibre to fill you up, plus negligible carbs. Here’s what’s in it: 1 bag of Enlightened beans snack (I use either sea salt, cocoa, or sweet cinnamon flavour) 1 Tbsp macadamia…
Getting started on a fitness regime doesn’t have to be a feared thing. Often I’ll meet people who want to get healthy and fit, but they first want to lose some weight first before starting a program with me. Or they won’t commit to anything until they’ve gone to the gym for a few weeks. …
It’s funny oftentimes when I talk with my clients about their food choices and what they’re eating, they will often mention foods they think are healthy, not knowing what’s hidden in the label. They are typically snacks that have hidden sugars in them. And the main culprit is fructose, also known as: ‘high corn fructose…
We all try to be productive and adhere to our daily routines of work, gym, family but sometimes it can be overwhelming. With the constant ‘go go go’ from one thing to the next, that can wreak havoc on our bodies, especially raising cortisol levels through the roof. With heightened cortisol levels comes halted fat…
For some of you who are gym veterans or athletes who have competed before, you may already know this, but it could be new information for others. And I’m going to assume you already know to eat more vegetables since that should be a staple in anyone’s diet, whether for fat loss or just general…
Unless you’re very self-aware of your body and know the science behind lifting and your nervous system, most people don’t know when too much is too much. This video talks about how to determine if you may be doing too much in the gym, and not enough resting. Or maybe you don’t put enough effort…
Lately I’ve been playing around with using three simple products as a pre-workout formulation, and noticed it has increased my energy and fat burning potential triple-fold! About 20 minutes before training, I take a caffeine pill, 3 grams of taurine (in my bcaa drink), and 1500 mg of l-carnitine. If you’re unfamiliar with these products…
Here’s an amazing transformation in progress that we wanted to share with you, Kent started at 245 lbs, and lost 30 lbs in just under 3 months! He made it a priority to prepare his meals, have alternative options when dining out, and commit to the time needed for his workouts. A goal without a…
For most people who follow a fit lifestyle, traveling can sometimes be hard, in terms of sticking to their typical nutrition and training routine. And don’t get me wrong it is hard, but not impossible nor does it have to be frustrating to control. It’s just a matter of planning and preparing before hand, and…
Come check out our Boutique Edmonton Gym. It’s been one year since opening our doors and we’d like you to come and celebrate with us. Its crazy how time flies! Imagine just over a year ago, I was in my 20′ x 22′ gym that totalled 460 square feet. Despite it being rather small, compared…
This is a great activation exercise that should be done at the start of every leg and/or glutes workout. It doesn’t seem like much but it is much harder than it looks. And it forces the glute to work alone as you perform the movement. You can’t really cheat on this one. But, note there…
I had one of the best leg workouts yesterday and wanted to share it with you. I trained hard with my new training partner and we just kept pushing each other until we literally had nothing left in the tank. I actually started feeling my legs get sore and tired just a couple of hours…
This topic came up when I started working with a new female client who stopped training legs because she felt they were getting too big. I want to discuss the impossibility of this happening, unless a couple of things occur concurrently. Because women tend to have a higher predominance of stubborn fat (alpha or –…
Happy New Year to you and yours! Despite many people saying its never good to wait for New Years to start a fitness / fat loss program, it’s actually the best time. If you’re not already on a structured routine, and perhaps struggling to know what to do in the gym and/or what to eat,…
If you’re like most people who train at a gym, you’ll probably find there will be at least one thing that irks you on when dealing with proper gym etiquette. I know in some cases people just don’t know what they should be doing to be considerate of the other gym-goers. Thats why Im writing…
I’ve always had a sweet tooth and absolutely love ice cream. So, I thought if I can make a relatively healthy dessert that mimics the texture and taste of ice cream, it would be that much easier to stick to my program. And, voila, I created a tropical dessert that has tons of protein, fibre,…
This has been a controversial topic for years and there’s still people who think you should avoid static stretching before training. I’ve been known to follow my instincts and try things to see how/if they work and then decide. And the research shows it is okay to static stretch before a workout. But there’s a…
When I was young and eager to get strong, I would just lift and always try to get that extra rep in. I didn’t know much about periodization, recovery methods, or the importance of bracing for the big lifts. But I was able to make decent gains and get stronger without injury, or so I…
The short answer is no. If you’ve been training for at least a few months, then you’re muscles should be conditioned to the stress loads you put them through. Of course, there are those times when you get so sore you wish you skipped that workout. But, that’s how training goes. If you’re trying a…
So, in case you aren’t on Facebook or a current client of mine, you probably don’t know that we’re expanding spaces. For the last 5 1/2 years, I’ve been running my gym out of my garage, albeit a decently equipped garage; california knockdown, crown moulding, designer ceiling fans, etc. And with the current success of…
If you know anything about the importance of muscle recovery, you may have heard or read about contrast showers. Basically it’s alternating between hot and cold water when you shower shortly after finishing your workout. You can apply this principle using a sauna or steam room for the hot part of the treatment, and the…
This past Christmas, my husband and I went away like we usually would for our Christmas and New Years break. Normally, I would stick to somewhat of a routine, because being a strong type A, I can’t help it lol. Plus, its just part of my lifestyle; so why wouldn’t I work out while vacationing….
Are you one of those people who does everything right 90% of the time? What I’m referring to is when you start your day on the right track, and it looks something like this: Get your high protein breakfast in ✅ Pack your meals for the workday✅ Hit the gym and push it hard✅ Include…
I get it, it’s great to have all the amazing content and resources at our disposal via the internet, but that could be a dangerous thing too. If we don’t use some common sense and a few general guidelines, you may get duped or worse. When we’re talking about fitness and you hear an ad…
This is a super low fat / carb-free / high protein version of the vietnamese soup known as ‘Pho’. I’ve tweaked it a bit to my own preferences, so please feel free to exclude some of the non-traditional ingredients (ie. mushrooms, bay leaf, garlic) if you like. Hope you enjoy! Ingredients: 2 900 mL No…
In case you don’t follow me on Facebook or know what’s going on in my life, I’ve decided last minute to compete at the 2015 WBFF Worlds event in Las Vegas. So my workouts have been pretty gruelling, especially these last couple of weeks. And I thought I would share my workout with you; not…