Why setting performance-based goals helps for long-term success One of the most common phrases I hear as a personal trainer is " I want to lose   X lbs ".  Most people like to put a specific number on their weight loss goals, whether it's a number they want to lose or a number they want to weigh, it's usually the first goal that comes to mind.  This usually stems from stepping on the scale and seeing the number creep up and up and seeing in the mirror something they don't exactly love, so they decide that they want to lose "X" number of lbs and that will be the ultimate goal for them to achieve.  As much as I love it when people have some goals in mind, I'm here to play a little devil's advocate when it comes to setting a specific weight loss goal. You may wonder, what's wrong with setting a weight loss goal? It's not so much wanting to lose some extra body fat or get in better shape that's the problem. The problem comes up when you

You've decided to start lifting weights! First of all, I'll welcome you to the dark side!  Now that you're ready to start lifting some weights, you may want to know, should you start with free weights or on the machines? Whether you're at the gym or looking for equipment for at home, is one better than the other? What is the difference between free weights and machines? And does one really provide more benefits over the other? To  help make this decision a little easier, I will give clarity on both in this article. I will give you all the details so you can make the best decision for yourself and I will also give my recommendations based on my experience not only for myself in my own fitness, but as a trainer and what I do with my clients.  First, let's go over the basics, what exactly is a free weight and what is a machine? A free weight is classified as any workout equipment or weight that is not on a fixed track, machine, seat or cable. Examples of free weights  

  If you have a significant amount of weight to lose (or any at all really), it may seem completely counteractive to take a break from your diet, especially if you aren't at your weight loss goal yet. However, it is not counteractive at all, in fact, it may help you not only reach your goal but sustain it! Taking diet breaks can actually help you to not only achieve your weight loss goals but also be able to maintain your weight loss better. Weight loss can be a frustrating and long endeavour, so taking a break from a calorie deficit can be not only good for your mental wellbeing, but it can also help counteract the metabolic changes that eating in a calorie deficit for a long period of time can cause.  What does it mean to take a diet break? When I am saying "diet break", I am not referring to taking a break from a low-carb or another restrictive diet, because i deally, you are on a non-restrictive diet and you focus on eating habits that you don't need a break from.

It seems that over the past couple of years, protein has become a big topic for nutrition and diet.  But protein isn't just a fad that one day showed up on the internet and muscle-bound bodybuilders started pounding it in shakes. Protein is actually a very important essential nutrient that many of us are lacking in proper amounts in our everyday diets. What is protein and why is it so important?   Protein is one of the 3 main macronutrients we require in our diets, the other 2 being carbohydrates and fats. They are classified as "macro" because we require them in large amounts in our diet.  The 3 macronutrients make up all of our foods, with many of our foods being a mixture of at least 2 macronutrients. For example, potatoes are mainly carbohydrates, but also have a little bit of protein.  Most animal protein sources have protein and fat as well. Protein plays a large role in your health and fitness goals. Whether those goals are weight loss, weight or muscle gains or ev

Intuitive eating may be the answer to an unhealthy relationship with food.  But what about weight loss? If you have been on any fitness influencers' social media or fitness page over the past year, chances are you've come across the words "intuitive eating". Intuitive eating seems to be the latest anti-diet buzzword being tossed around by trainers, nutritionists and influencers everywhere.  But what is intuitive eating? Is it just a new diet craze promising you to lose weight? Or is it deeper than that? In this article, I will discuss intuitive eating. I will discuss what it is exactly, whom it will benefit and the biggest question surrounding it, is it meant for weight loss? What is intuitive eating? Intuitive eating was first made prevalent in 1995 by Registered Dietitians Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch. They wrote their book called Intuitive Eating after seeing many of their own clients struggle with yo-yo on and off dieting and losing weight just to put it back

Food doesn't have to be terrifying. In my last blog post ( HERE if you didn't read it yet), I talked about what it means to have a bad relationship with food and how it can negatively impact your weight loss or fitness goals.  I also discussed the importance of working on that relationship for not only your fitness and health goals, but also to help your mental health. Having a bad relationship with food can be in many different forms.   It can be feelings of guilt or shame when eating certain foods.   It can be binge eating everything in the cupboard when you feel sad or lonely.  It could be that you're afraid to eat any sort of "junk" food so you say you're not hungry at your kid's birthday because you're afraid to eat any pizza or cake.  It could be panicking and running to the gym after having a burger and fries because you need to burn off the extra calories.  It could mean that you eat only healthy food in front of the world, but in secret, you

How to change your relationship with food! Do you find when you're stressed you turn to food for comfort?   Do you then have feelings of guilt and shame because you "screwed up" your diet and then you think, screw it and throw your weight loss goals out the window?  Then restart in 2 weeks? Have you ever sworn off cake, chocolate, and pizza and promise yourself you're only going to eat "good" foods from now on.  Only to find yourself diving headfirst into a pizza and chocolate cake 3 days later? You're not alone! Do you wish you had better discipline and willpower?  Hoping one day you could just be like one of those  people that possess the magical discipline and motivation powers and don't eat junk food ever?  Sorry to tell you, those people don't exist!   I used to be that person too!  I used to believe that there were people who never ate junk food- ever! I believed for years that certain foods were evil and should be avoided at all costs, and