Posts

Abby Bolton

/in /by

This month our member of the month is one of our own team members! Abby has been working with G&M at the front desk for 1 year now. Many of you know her already but what you may not know about her is how much she has accomplished in her fitness journey already. Here is her story:

Abby was always active in her childhood. She competed in gymnastics from ages 8 to 18 as well as in track and field through high school. But once her gymnastics career came to an end she knew she had to find something else to challenge her, keep her active and in shape.

In grade 10 Abby had a fitness class where she was introduced to weight training and was hooked. So naturally when gymnastics ended she transitioned into weight lifting and started working out consistently in the summer of 2016.

Her goal was to get stronger, beat her 1 rep max’s and just lift as much as possible. And then last summer she decided that she was going to pursue a new challenge and compete in Fitness. Her new goal had her switch from heavy lifting to more hypertrophy training. Fitness competitions combined her gymnastics background with her new found love for weight lifting and seemed like a natural fit.

In December 2017 she competed in her first competition coming in 1st place! Since then she has competed 3 more times claiming 2 more 1st place finishes and one 2nd place finish just a few weeks ago at the Toronto Pro Super Show.

Her next competition is coming up on August 4th at the Natural Canadian Pro Qualifier show in Toronto.

“My main goal is to get my pro card and compete at the Olympia whether that happens this August or it takes me a few years.”

Abby has had to overcome a few injuries, one shoulder injury that kept her from being able to lift weights for 3 months which set her back a bit. Also, she has had to learn how to manage her time efficiently between going to classes, studying, working and getting her workouts in.

“I am most proud of my 1st competition. I proved to myself that I have the discipline and commitment to push myself and my body.”

Abby also is grateful to see how many people have reached out to her and let her know that she has inspired them to get into fitness and working out.

Currently Abby is at Brock University going into her 3rd year of Kinesiology and hopes to pursue a career in the fitness industry helping others better themselves.

Abby’s Words of Wisdom:

  • Goal setting is huge. Make sure you set goals. They are what help you stay on track.
  • Be willing to put in the work. It will be worth it.
  • Don’t give up when it gets hard. That is when you see the best results, when you push yourself through the hard times.
  • Find a way to make fitness fun for you, and
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions

“Thanks to the community at G&M Fitness for making this job fun and for all of your support!”

Congratulations Abby! So many huge accomplishments already! We are lucky to have you as part of our team. Good luck with your next competition and we look forward to seeing you on stage at the Olympia’s one day!

kate ostryhon-lumsden

/in /by

Kate has been self employed for 32 years and has always had a hectic schedule with a busy real estate business going from appointment to appointment. This caused her to put what she knew was important, her own health, on the back burner and feeling increasingly less fit.

Although Kate has a busy work life she has always been concerned about her health staying active walking, doing yoga, golfing and curling. She has also joined G&M twice in the past, once participating in step aerobic classes and the other time attending with a friend, but when her friend moved out of the area she stopped going. Again, work took priority and her health and fitness fell behind.

More recently, Kate’s daughter who works with her and Kate’s niece started with personal training at G&M Fitness.

“I finally realized that if they could work going to the gym into their life, so could and so should I!”

“My goal was to lose weight but also increase my strength.”

Kate says it was time to stop talking and thinking about getting to her ideal weight and start doing something consistently to get there. Kate has had this goal for probably 20 years she says but always felt like she was too busy to fit regular workouts into her schedule. She also felt like she didn’t really know what to do at the gym, how to use the equipment properly or what kind of routine to follow.

“Turning 60 gave me the wisdom to finally put my health and fitness as my #1 priority!”

Kate was getting frustrated with nuisance injuries and tired of being overweight. It was time for a change.

Since beginning the personal training program Kate now knows she can fit workouts into her schedule and treats it with the same importance as any other appointment.

“I love the feeling of accomplishment and time out from a hectic schedule. Many times I am rushing in for my training session but then know the next hour is just focused on one thing. I always leave feeling more calm and ready to continue my day. I now feel comfortable in the gym and know what to do.”

Kate has had great success. Over the last 4 weeks she is down another 4.5lbs and overall has dropped over 9% body fat since beginning!

“I do have a lot of people noticing that I have toned and lost weight. That is encouraging to me to stay the course!”

Kate is most proud of being able to stay the course and being consistent.
She also shot her best round of golf ever recently, a 94, and attributes that to her training program as well.

“I truly enjoy working out and have committed to continue with the 1 on 1 training program.”

Going forward Kate plans to add a third workout on her own each week outside of her 2 weekly personal training sessions and knows that it will help accelerate her goal.

“I have found a slow but steady weight loss so I know that I need to stay focused.”

Kate believes that had she not started her personal training program she would still be at the same point she was for the last 20 years… clothes not fitting well, feeling frustrated with her weight and having more nuisance injuries.

“Just get started. You are not too busy, you are not too old, just make the commitment to yourself and do it… not for weeks but as part of your life routine!”

Congratulations Kate on all of your success so far and creating time for yourself in your busy schedule! Your story is a huge inspiration. Keep up the great work!

STRENGTH TRAINING AND WEIGHT LOSS

/in /by

Do you want to dramatically increase your chances of weight loss success? Of course you do! Who wouldn’t? And while you are at it become stronger to do activities of daily living with more ease then ever? Yep! The answer to this is strength training.

We talk to a lot of people who are either struggling to lose weight or have hit a plateau in their weight loss but are afraid to incorporate strength training into their routine out of fear that it will make them gain weight. This is especially true with women.

Let me give you the run down on why we believe strength training is a MUST if weight loss is your goal. (We actually believe that strength training is a must no matter what your goal is but let’s focus on the goal of weight loss.)

Strength Training Increases Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is the amount of energy you burn throughout the day doing every day things. Getting ready for work, walking up and down stairs, getting up from the couch etc. Basically, it’s the amount of energy you use up outside of planned exercise. Muscle is metabolic tissue, meaning that it requires energy to work. When your muscle contracts, energy is spent. The more muscle you have and the more efficiently it works, the more energy you use up throughout the day. This in turn allows for better weight loss results. And the best way that I am aware of to increase muscle and its efficiency is through regular strength training.

Without Strength Training You May Actually Be Losing Muscle and Decreasing Your Metabolism

This is a big point. If you take the route of just dieting or dieting and doing cardio to get to your weight loss goals you could actually end up in a scenario where you could be doing more harm then good for your body long term. For every pound of weight loss, up to 25% of that could come from muscle loss. If you kept this up it would have the opposite effect on your metabolism then we want. Decreasing your muscle mass would also end up decreasing your metabolism, which then slows down your weight loss results. And what is the best way to combat this 25% muscle loss? Regular strength training of course! Strength training keeps the muscle stimulated and significantly decreases the chances of it getting broken down in the weight loss process. We want our weight loss from fat loss not muscle tissue!

Use Compound Exercises

Strength training itself burns quite a bit of energy, especially when you do it right and focus on using compound movements in your workouts. Compound exercises involve multiple joints. Think squats or push-ups versus a bicep curl or calf raise. These types of exercise recruit several different muscles which in turn burns more energy compared to any single joint exercise. Again, over time, this increase in energy expenditure adds up to better weight loss results.

How Often Should I Strength Train?

The minimum would be two times per week, ideally 3 times per week would be most beneficial. There are many different ways to structure your strength training program but however you do it just make sure that you are setting yourself up for success. If you only realistically have time for 2 sessions a week then plan for that. Don’t use a program that is set up for 5 days a week and then get frustrated with yourself because you were not able to complete all of the workouts. Consistency is the key and you want to set yourself up to stay consistent for the long haul.

Final Thoughts

One last big point is that for strength training to be effective, regardless of your end goal, it must be done with effort. You want to use enough resistance to cause what is called temporary muscle failure, meaning you couldn’t do another repetition while keeping proper form. And please make sure that you are performing the exercises correctly. Proper form is crucial to getting the most out of the exercise and to ensure that you do not get hurt.

If you have read this and you get it, great, now go out and get busy. If you are confused or still unsure of how to incorporate strength training into your routine or how to perform exercises properly, don’t hesitate to ask for help. That’s what we are here for! Schedule a free consultation with us to see how we can help you reach your health and fitness goals!

I’m Not Losing Weight! Exercise Doesn’t Work!

/in /by

You decide that it’s time. Time to make a change. You want to lose 20 or 30lbs and you know that exercise is going to help burn that fat, so you do what most do and join the gym. You start working out 3 or 4 times a week and bust your butt in the gym. A few weeks go by and you step on the scale… no change. You get discouraged and skip your next workout, then another and before you know it you have lost all momentum and the desire to even try anymore. What’s the point right? You worked hard for a few weeks and the scale showed nothing.

This scenario happens over and over and over again at the gym. Let me assure you that it’s not exercises fault.

The problem usually occurs because most of us think that exercising 3 or 4 times a week will just melt the fat away. Don’t get me wrong, exercise is a very powerful weight loss tool. We talk about that all the time and it is true. But in the grand scheme of things weight loss comes down to burning more energy in a day then you take in. A typical 1 hour exercise session with a mix of strength training and cardio will burn approximately 200 to 400 calories depending on your weight, gender and your exercise intensity. Let’s say you workout 3 times a week and burn 400 calories each session. That’s 1200 calories burned in a week. It takes about 3500 calories to make up one pound of body fat loss. So, exercise alone will not get you there.

What is almost always missing is the attention to your food intake. If weight loss is your goal and you only focus on exercise but don’t address diet you could be setting yourself up for failure. You are using exercise as your only tool, and we just showed how exercise alone leaves you short, and then you are most likely using the scale as your metric to measure success. This is the formula that is to blame for so many people giving up on their weight loss goals. It’s a cycle of hard work met by disappointment once they step on the scale to measure their success.

I won’t get in to the best ways to address your diet here because that is a whole different conversation but you can download our book Eat Smart, Eat Often, Eat Small for free above this article and learn everything you need to know.

Hopefully this gives you something to think about. We have to rethink the way we talk about exercise. The amount of health benefits that come from regular, consistent exercise is a list a mile long. Don’t stop. Just because the scale isn’t showing dramatic weight loss, don’t give up.Weight loss happens over time, not in an instant. Address the missing piece of the puzzle, your diet. Just don’t blame exercise. It does nothing but good things for you!

The Power of Regular Activity

/in /by

What if we told you that you have the power to add years to your life span, perform daily activities easier or prevent disease and sickness?

The truth is we all have this power and it can all be accomplished through consistent, regular physical activity!

This can be planned exercise or any activity really that requires you to expend energy.

The power of regular movement, be it planned exercise or not, has many proven positive benefits. The more consistent the physical activity is, the greater the potential benefits.

Here is a brief list of what you can expect to achieve by introducing regular physical activity and movement into your lifestyle:

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Lower blood sugar
  • Improve cholesterol
  • Reduce your risk of heart disease
  • Reduce your risk of diabetes
  • Lose weight
  • Gain strength
  • Improve bone density
  • Improve range of motion
  • Stronger joints
  • Improve joint conditions (eg. arthritis)
  • Help with depression
  • Improve sleep
  • Increase longevity
  • Perform daily activities better/easier
  • Maintain independence
  • Reduce risk of some types of cancer
  • Improve cognitive abilities

This list could go on and on.

The human body was meant to work. Today we sit more then ever in the history of our existence so building regular physical activity and exercise into your life has become a necessity. The more we move and challenge our bodies, the more fit we become, the more efficient and effective we are and of course the healthier we are. So, get moving!

The “Spill Over” Effect of Exercise in Your Life

/in /by

When most of us think about the many benefits of regular exercise in our life we usually think of losing weight, getting stronger, or having better stamina, but they are typically some type of physical benefits.

Achieving these types of outcomes feels great. It changes how you look, how you feel and how you perform, and with that comes a huge increase in your confidence.

This confidence “spills over” into other areas of your life, into your work and your relationships. We hear it all of the time. Things like how losing weight gave them the confidence to get back into a dress they used to wear when they were in college, or getting stronger made them feel more confident in themselves to take a trip of a lifetime mountain climbing, or that they are a better husband, wife, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother because they are happier with themselves.

These kinds of benefits are priceless. This is what we mean when we say we want to help members achieve a superior quality of life. We are not only thinking of the physical benefits, but all of the other benefits that spill over into your everyday life as well.

Another example is how regular exercise creates discipline. Taking care of yourself, eating healthier, going to the gym, that all takes discipline. Again, becoming more disciplined will carry over and positively impact other areas in your life.

Whether you know it or not, building regular exercise into your life is helping you in more ways then is normally thought about. It not only has the power to change your physical appearance and abilities, but also who you are and how you live your life.

Your Membership Dollars At Work

/in /by

Your membership dollars gets you more than just a membership, it empowers us.

Yup, you walk in, sign up at the front desk, pay us and you are on your way. Easy breezy. Well, not quite. Here’s what those membership dollars do while you are getting in or staying in the best shape of your life. Your membership dollars:

1. Help pay the bills. After all, this is a business.

2. Help to sponsor an additional orphan child from a third world country each and every year. We are now up to seven.

3. Help us to provide a local family in need at Christmas time with a substantial gift of grocery dollars and gifts for their children.

4. Help to provide our members with a Summer Family Barbeque with food, drinks and fun.

5. Help to provide our members with free monthly seminars like the “Start Right” class, the “Strength Training with Machines” class, the “Strength Training with Free Weights” class, the “Nutrition” class, the new “Stretching” class coming soon, and our guest speaker series coming soon also. All for you…..no charge.

6. Help to provide and maintain the 24 hour access system for your convenience.

7. Help us continue to provide our members with a top notch health club and the opportunity to continue to look for more ways to improve our services and our facility like our recent renovations and our defibrillator.

We truly want all of our members to be proud members. Not only proud of themselves for choosing to exercise regularly and take care of themselves, but also to be proud of us as owners for what we do with your membership dollars on your behalf.

Thank you for being a member of our club.

Gino

A Sneaky Reason We Gain Weight Over Time

/in /by

Whether you realize it or not, there are things that happen in our bodies without us knowing about it constantly. Some of it is good, some of it not so good. Today I wanted to touch on one of those things that is not so good, BUT we do have a certain amount of control over. That would be natural age-related muscle loss.

Up until we are somewhere in our 30’s, our bodies are growing muscle and getting stronger. After we get past this point it reverses and muscle begins to deteriorate and quickens as you get into your 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

This not only poses a problem because of the loss of strength and therefore your abilities to perform tasks as well as you used to, but also is a sneaky reason of why we tend to gain more weight as we age.

Muscle is metabolic tissue that requires energy to work. The more muscle you have the more energy you use up in a day. This is your metabolism at work.

As we age and we start to lose muscle, that also slows our metabolism, which means your not using as much energy as you used to going through the same daily routines. If you keep eating the same as usual, you start to gain weight. That is why it can seem like you haven’t changed anything but then all of a sudden over time you notice you are slowly gaining weight.

There is some good news though! There is a way to prevent and or slow this process down. Regular exercise, specifically strength training!

Strength training causes your body to adapt to the stress and make your muscles grow and become stronger keeping your metabolism higher. Instead of getting weaker, less independent and a slower metabolism as you age, you can get stronger, gain more independence, increase your metabolism and get or stay leaner! And you can begin at any age and still receive these benefits.

The current recommendations for strength training are only a minimum of 2 times per week so it’s a pretty low time investment for a very big return on your quality of life!

Strength training is our specialty here at G&M. If you have any questions at all about how to incorporate it into your routines, let us know, we are here to help!

MARIE HOCKLEY

/in /by

Marie was always active as a child and competed in synchronized swimming. During her training as a competitive swimmer she began weight lifting at 14 years old.

After competitive synchronized swimming, Marie began cycling and continued working out but that slowly started to change as she entered University and then again as she began teaching and became a Mom. She was now spending 3 hours a day commuting for work and just felt that she didn’t have the time to dedicate to a serious workout program.

Up until a little over a year ago Marie still exercised because she knew it was important, but wasn’t serious or consistent with it.

On her 49th birthday she received a dress as a gift from her sisters and also stepped on the scale that day and vowed to lose 50lbs by her 50th birthday.

One month later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Cancer treatment causes some people to lose weight, and others to gain it. The steroids that you have to take during chemo and the hormone therapy that I’m currently on put me at a high risk for weight gain. This paired with the physical fatigue and pain that you endure during treatments makes it hard to stay active. Being overweight increases the risk of breast cancer reoccurrence. Fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body and this can make hormone receptor positive breast cancer like mine develop and grow.”

Exercise and getting strong became a priority. She made the gym part of her routine just like brushing her teeth.

Marie also changed her diet, first cutting out processed foods, sugar, diary and red meat as recommended by her Naturopath and now has recently went to a vegan diet.

Marie says that the gym gave her a feeling of control back while what she was going through left her feeling out of control a lot of times.

On her 50th birthday she had reached her goal. She had the same dress that she received for her 49th birthday from her sisters altered to fit her new physique.

“If you had asked me a year ago if my body could look like this, I would have never guessed it. My body composition is amazing.”

Marie’s biggest goal now is to stay strong.

“I remember when you first had me do push-ups and I did 3 and it was really hard. Now I can do 3 sets of 20.”

Marie’s advice to others is to start wherever you have to. For her while going through treatments that was bands and 3lb weights. She also says to strive for consistency not perfection.

“You can’t always have a perfect workout but just get here. Anything is better than nothing. Excuses are poison.”

Marie also believes that the atmosphere and encouragement from other members at G&M was really important to her progress.

“Nobody ever made me feel uncomfortable and were always encouraging. I would not have been able to have the same results working out on my own at home.”

“Beating cancer is a lifelong commitment for me. I am so grateful that I’ve had the help from Matt at G&M Fitness, my Naturopath, and the support and encouragement from my family and friends.”

Making Exercise Work

/in /by

Let’s get clear on something. Getting and staying in good shape and in good health is work. The concept is simple, exercise a few days a week, eat better, move more, but make no mistake it is not easy.

Results are not immediate and that can really test us on our journey to better health and fitness. You can’t do a workout, wake up the next day and look in the mirror and see change. Like anything worth while, you have to stay at it, work at it over a long period of time and then once you achieve your goal, you still have to continue to work at it to maintain your achievement or you risk losing it and wasting all of that time and effort to get there.

To make this exercise thing work for you it has to become part of your lifestyle. The trick is to fit it in to your life but not have it take over your life where it becomes a burden. Here are a couple tips to help you achieve this.

Plan Ahead. If you treat exercise as something that is a nice to do when you have time you will never have time to do it. You have to plan ahead and schedule time for your workouts like any other appointment you have that you wouldn’t miss. Figure out what a realistic schedule is for you to stick to and schedule it. We recommend 3 days a week but if you can only fit in 2, that is ok too. Consistency is the key so whatever amount works for you. Remember that this is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. Working out 2 days a week for the rest of your life is much better for you and will give you much better long-term results then working out everyday for 2 weeks and then quitting because it is too much.

Keep it Short. Don’t Over Commit. This is in regards to your workout time. In and out in an hour or less should be the goal. You can do everything you need to do in that amount of time. You could even get a good workout in in 30 minutes if that is all you have. The point is to not make your workouts take up too much of your day, otherwise it becomes a burden on your schedule and you will skip it.

Whatever your goal is, whether it is weight loss, strength gain, better quality of life, the results don’t happen in a moment, they come over time. The longer you stay at it, the better the results. The members that we have seen have the most success seen it come over years, with some ups and downs along the way, but they were consistently staying at it and still are today. Nobody loses 80lbs in a month, or fixes joint pain from a couple of workouts. It does take time, but if you plan ahead and keep it short, it doesn’t have to take up too much precious time and you will be far better able to enjoy more time actively doing the things you want to, for as long as you want to, because you invested a few hours a week into yourself!