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  ...

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 g...

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,...

Over the years of being a personal trainer, I've worked with dozens of people, each of them needing their own custom programs, and coaching.  Each with a goal in their heart that was theirs alone and needing my help. Although each of these people are so different in their own ways, over time you start to have common themes, conversations and issues come up. When I talk to other trainers, they also find that they have similar conversations, issues and themes brought up between their different clients.  There are things when I will discuss with other trainers that we share the same thoughts that we just wish that our clients knew.  Things we want to tell each of them to help them understand where we are coming from and how we want to help them succeed. So I've compiled that list.  A list of things we as personal trainers want you, our clients to know.  A list that I want to send to each of my current, past and future clients.   Here it is, the 10 things ...