Fat Loss Supplements

This is going to be a bit of a rant about supplement companies that have no conscience.  I recently had a past client of mine call me to ask what I thought of a certain supplement company and their 90 day challenge to lose weight.  This person is getting married in a few months so when she heard about this program at the studio that she trains at she bought the supplements and program and was super excited about it.  She had called me to see what I thought and when I found out what the program was I had to burst her bubble a little bit. 

This particular supplement company uses questionable ingredients (ie artificial sweeteners and soy based protein shakes - soy based protein is highly estrogenic and women who have a family history of breast cancer are highly recommended to stay away from all soy based products.  This information is not on their website.).  Another red flag is that when you try to look up their ingredient labels on their website it's really hard to find - their key ingredients are easy to find, but not all the other crap they put in.  The actual amount of the key ingredients is not listed - this is info that you need to know before you put anything in your body.  The supplement industry isn't regulated so they don't have to put that info out there.  If someone's not willing to give you all the info on all the ingredients in their product there's something wrong.  Another red flag is that anyone who wants to sell their products can make money doing that as well as by recruiting others to sell it - it's a pyramid which is another huge red flag.  This company just wants to make money and has no interest in anyone's health.  As long as they get your cash they're happy.

This brings me to another rant.  This is about the gyms/studios that actually sell this crap to their clients!  Most people think that their gym is owned by a fitness professional and as fitness professionals it's our duty to educate ourselves on the latest in fitness and nutrition and help our clients reach their goals in the safest way possible.  Clients trust us to do that so when someone's gym or training studio offers a nutrition product they figure it has to be good, otherwise 'why would this person who is the expert and who I trust want to sell it to me?'  Why?  Money!  I think it's disgusting.  As a fitness professional myself, I value each and every one of my clients.  I will go out of my way to make sure they're getting what they need from their program and I will never, ever try to sell them something that can possibly harm them in the long run just to get some quick results.  The studio that sold that program and supplements to my past client has no business being in the fitness and nutrition business - apparently they're making quite a bit of money selling these products and jeopardizing people's health so I guess they must feel pretty good about that. 

I love my job, I love helping people and I love educating them on fitness and nutrition.  I take what I do very seriously so when I hear about stuff like this I can't help but get angry.  It's sad when people let money come before everything - especially their client's health and well being!

If you are looking for healthy supplements to add to your current healthy diet, try Vega (note: the link on my website to Vega is an affiliate link so I do get compensation when you order from that link.  That was not my motivation to get the link - my motivation was to be able to promote a company that I truly believe in and respect.  You can also shop for Vega products at http://shopca.sequelnaturals.com/ if you'd rather not use my affiliate link).  I use Vega products myself and I always give my clients free samples so they can try it out themselves.  Their ingredients are all natural and their protein is vegetable based - you'll actually recognize what each of the ingredients are!  They sweeten it with stevia leaf extract which is an all natural sweetener.  I must admit it took me a bit to get used to the taste - it's kind of like when you first switched over from white bread to whole grain bread - at first it's not what you're used to but then you develop a taste for it ;) 

If someone offers to sell you a supplement and it's part of some sort of program please, please go home and research the product before you spend any money.  If you're not sure please contact a fitness professional you know and trust - feel free to contact me if you like.  Fitness professionals are supposed to help people, not harm them!

Thanks!

My Studio

I'm in the process of setting up a studio.  It's not going to be your typical fitness studio where you go to workout and that's it.  My studio is going to be a place where people will actually learn how to take care of their health through exercise and nutrition - a sort of self improvement course.  Of course there will be weight loss if that's a goal, but that'll just be a nice bonus.  People who come to my studio will finally find out what foods they should actually be eating and when to eat them, how to set proper goals, how to stay on track when motivation starts to slip and what kinds of exercises work the best - and they're going to have a blast doing it.  It'll be like a little community of healthy, happy people!

That's not going to be it though - listen up aspiring fitness professionals!  I'm going to offer programs that will teach you how to teach a great class, how to engage your clients and how to keep them coming back for more.  You'll get to practice your routines in a studio environment until you're totally comfortable with it and then go out and teach at your gym of choice.  When I first started out the only way to practice my 'craft' was to convince a gym to hire me even though I had no experience (not an easy feat) and then get up in front of a large crowd of people who are expecting a great workout and have no patience for a newbie who seems nervous - it can be a cruel world out there!  Once you've taken my program you'll have the confidence to walk into any gym, teach your class and have a fun and positive experience.  I'll even teach you how to handle a not so positive experience - let's face it, it happens to the best of us.  I've been teaching for a lot of years and had to learn some hard lessons, but I learned them well and now I'm going to teach them to you so you don't have to go through any unnecessary pain ;)

Stay posted for my launch date!

Healthy Desserts!

I LOVE dessert!  I could eat apple pie until I popped but I don't like the consequences of that ;)
So here are some desserts that I indulge in quite often - they're delicious and nutritious!

All natural peanut butter and Banana, or apple, or raisins, or dates, or....(I love peanut butter!)
Hummus and grapes
Yogurt and papaya or mango - toss in some almonds for crunch and a bit of cinnamon
Almonds and raisins
Dates stuffed with almonds
Cheese and apple

What's your favourite healthy dessert?

Wholey Fit! My Studio!

I've been dreaming of opening my studio for years!  As of right now I'm on the brink of realizing that dream.  I've found a spot, I've met with the landlord and so far so good.  Still a few more things to be finalized before I can actually start working on my studio - stay tuned :)

My vision for my studio is a place where people will not only love their workouts but they'll also get an education.  It's going to be about self improvement.  Workout programs simply focus on the workouts and losing fat, but that's about where it ends.  My program will teach you how to make positive changes easily!  People will actually learn about proper nutrition - not just follow a calorie controlled eating plan.  They'll learn so much that they'll never fret about what to eat again - they'll have the tools and the confidence to make proper decisions.  The benefits will include weight loss of course, but the really valuable part is going to be what they learn.

I envision it as a sort of support group for people who are fed up with being confused by all the conflicting information out there regarding fitness and nutrition.  The workouts will be fun because I'll make them fun and there's nothing better than working out with friends who are there to motivate and support you.  The information sessions will shed light on just how simple proper nutrition is.  My studio will be a place where you can get a great workout as well as learn whatever you need to learn in order to start living your best life possible!  Proper fun exercise + proper simple nutrition = a healthy body and a healthy mind.

I'll teach everybody who comes in my doors how to make proper fitness and nutrition an easy and enjoyable part of their life.  I did it for myself and now I want to teach anyone who will listen how they can do it too.  I have so much great stuff to share and I can't wait to get started!

Grand Opening Date: to be announced :)

Thank You Honey!

I very rarely get sick, so I was outraged when I came down with a nasty cold last week.  I was in denial as I dragged myself to teach my classes, and almost dead after teaching 4 spin classes and a bootcamp class in one day.  I was not going to let this cold get the best of me! 

It was pretty bad, but one thing saved me!  Manuka Honey!  If you haven't heard of it check it out.  One of my bootcampers told me about it and it is amazing.  I always have it in my house now just in case I get sick.  My bootcamper told me that she actually takes it once a day as a preventative and I can't remember the last time she missed bootcamp due to illness.  I think I may start doing that myself :)

I like to mix a teaspoon in some hot water and lemon - very soothing.  You can also just take a teaspoon of it on it's own.  Finally!  A delicious medicine that works, has no chemicals added to it and has no adverse side affects.   

Great Balls of Energy!

Healthy eating is so important - many people don't even realize how important it is!

Today a friend of mine asked if I had any recipes for energy bars or balls.  She wanted a natural alternative to the sometimes not so good protein bars that are on the market.  This particular friend does triathlons and is currently in training so she really knows the importance of healthy eating.  She needs to eat properly for energy without taking in a bunch of low quality calories - every calorie counts when you're in training so each calorie should be of the highest quality. 

When I got home I started looking through some old recipes and came across a few great ones!  The one I'm posting is a delicious high energy, high quality snack that's not only good to eat if you're in training, but is also a great healthy snack for anyone who has decided to start eating healthy to lose weight.  So whether it's weight loss or training hard that's on your mind here's a convenient snack to get you on your way!

Date Nut Ball Recipe

½ cup pitted dates
½ cup soaked walnuts (soak for 8 hours)
¾ cup oats
3 tablespoons unpasteurized or raw honey
¾ cups shredded coconut unsweetened
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup dried cranberries unsweetened
2-3 tablespoons greens powderExtra coconut for rolling balls or sprinkling over the top of the bars (optional)

Grind oats into a meal texture in a coffee grinder. Add the rest of the ingredients, and process into a dough type mixture.For bars, press the dough into an 8x8 pan and sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cutting into bars.To make energy balls, roll dough into 16 to 24 balls and roll each ball in coconut. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Recipe inspired by Kim Wilson's book Everyday Wholesome Eating…In the Raw.

Get more great recipes, fitness tips and much more by signing up (top right of this blog) or go to http://www.wholeyfit.ca/Home_Page.php

Fat Blasting Smoothie!

This time of year I think a lot of us have our weight on our mind.  We don't want to starve ourselves!  And we don't want to work out for hours a day!  We want to learn how to eat to lose weight and how to workout without it becoming an all consuming obsession.

The good news is it's really quite easy.  You can lose weight and you can even keep weight off just by making some small and easy lifestyle changes.  When wanting to lose weight you first have to realize it's going to take time - and it should take time.  The last thing you want to do is overhaul your entire lifestyle and drop pounds rapidly.  Sure you may lose the weight, but it'll only be temporary if you made changes you can't live with and chances are, if you've lost weight rapidly you've done it in an unhealthy way that can't be maintained without damaging your health and driving yourself crazy - believe me I know what that's all about!

When trying to switch over to a healthy lifestyle the best thing to do is try one or two very small changes that you're pretty sure you can live with.  This might be adding a half hour walk to your day, or signing up for some online personal training that you can do at your own pace, or simply trying out a healthy recipe.

I actually have a great one to share with you!  I don't know about you, but I love to watch Dr. Oz - he is so wise :)  I was watching the other day and he had a guest who shared a very interesting looking Fat Blasting Smoothie.  I want to share that with you so you can try something new and healthy right now!  Here it is:

1 Cup Swiss Chard
1 Cup Green Tea (cooled)
1/2 Cup Blueberries
2 Brazil Nuts 
1 Tbsp. Flax Seeds (whole seeds - they get ground up in the blender)

Throw all this in a blender, blend for 30 seconds or so and you've got yourself a quick snack that's packed full of healthy nutrients and the healthy fats your body needs! 

I tried it and it's delicious!!  Hint: If you like it a bit sweeter add more blueberries ;)

So there you have it!  Go enjoy your smoothie and notice how great you feel :)