Before we begin, please do these challenges with caution. If you are someone who has health problems or is coming back from an injury. I do advise to try these challenges at your own risk. If you feel any pain or discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw or arms at rest or during physical activity; dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting with exercise or exertion; shortness of breath with mild exertion, at rest, or when lying down or going to bed, please consult with your doctor right away.

Chris Heria (THENX)

This is Chris Heria and he is part of a YouTube channel called THENX. The channel has a wide variety of home workouts that focus a lot on calisthenics and High Interval Intensity Training (HIIT). The difficulty of his videos range from beginner level to elite level depending on how much work you put in. I was amazed when I first started looking into calisthenics because the amount of strength and power that these athletes can generate with their bodies look humanly impossible. A lot of people nowadays don’t have access to gyms and equipment which makes it seem a lot harder to get into an active lifestyle, but really all we need is our bodies and a strong mindset. The human body is complex and capable of accomplishing many feats that would amaze you. This first video is a simple HIIT workout that anyone can do from home and the best part is all you need is 10 minutes of your time! Time is important to a majority of people and it always becomes an excuse when it comes to fitness. I myself have used the excuse “I don’t have enough time for that” quite a lot. In reality, any amount of time you spend working out will be beneficial to you and it all depends on how much work you put in. By doing 10 minutes of work everyday, you’ll eventually see result. It may not be crazy progress, but it is still a difference.

Here are some other videos by THENX that I think you’ll enjoy

This lower body workout is great for improving strength, balance, and core stability. In this video he uses a lot of side movements and elevations using the lower body. My lower body is my strongest muscle group and so I was able to keep up with the exercises, but I noticed that my core stability was lacking. The video is a great workout for beginners who are trying to find new exercises for their lower body. The movements are easy enough to follow, just make sure to have enough space to do the movements properly.

This chest workout will for sure challenge you! I would recommend this challenge for intermediate to advanced level. This video consists of multiple exercises that will challenge the strength and endurance of your chest. The longest I have gone doing the circuit was 2x in a row. This is probably the most challenging chest workout that I have ever done.

Resistance bands are an inexpensive and effective gym equipment that are easily adaptable for any muscle group. This video shows you different exercises that you can do with a resistance band. In my opinion, resistance bands are great for anywhere you go, they are portable and they come in different sizes. This can be a new challenge for all skill levels because resistance bands can add something to your exercises.

Maddie Lymburner (MadFit)

This is Maddie Lymburner from the YouTube channel MadFit. Her channel is a fun mix of home workouts, dancing, yoga, and stretching. I came across her channel when I was looking for dance workout inspirations and I was amazed by her content. I have always liked Zumba and the idea of mixing exercising with dancing. When you’re dancing, it never truly feels like your working out and so it is a lot easier to get into. Her channel is available to all skill levels and she is pretty good at giving instructions as you follow along. In this video, she goes through 2 rounds of an exercise circuit that tackles the full body. I would recommend this for people who are intermediate, but if you are a beginner looking for a challenge, I suggest you try this as well. In the video, she provides movement variations to make it simple and easy to follow. The best part is that you don’t need any equipment for this video. All you need is space to do it and maybe some water because after two rounds of this, I was sweating.

Here are some videos by MadFit that I think you’ll enjoy

I’m a big fan of early 2000’s music, which made this workout fun and easy to do. The music just transformed this workout into nothing but a dance party. The moves were simple and easy to follow. I would say that the hardest thing for people to do would be staying on beat if your sense of rhythm is not the best. I would recommend it to someone of any skill level who wants to have fun and get some exercise into their day.

Taking time to recover, relax, and stretch is important whenever you start a fitness program. This video covers all of that and is a great way for you to get your stretching in. A lot of people forget to stretch before or after a workout but stretching is important to make sure that our muscles stay flexible, strong and healthy. I felt relaxed and I definitely got a good stretch in during this video. I recommend this to all skill levels, if you’re a beginner like me when it comes to flexibility, don’t worry too much about it and just try your best!

This is a HIIT workout for those who are short on time, but want to burn as much calories as they can with what time they have. You will need some dumbbells for this exercise, the heavier your dumbbells, the harder the workout will be. This HIIT training is suitable for all skill levels. After doing one round of this, my heart rate was high and I was sweating for sure. I definitely need to do more cardio! The moves are simple and easy, but the weight of the dumbbells add something different to the exercises.

Shaun T (INSANITY)

This is Shaun T’s INSANITY workout program, for those of you who don’t know, this was the program I talked about in the “My Fitness Journey” post. I managed to find a bunch of the workouts on Dailymotion but some of them don’t work as well. If you search up the title of the video however, your chances of finding the full video online is high. INSANITY definitely lives up to its name for being insane. I always had to push myself and be better after every workout. In my opinion, this was probably the hardest workout and best HIIT training that I have ever done. If you follow it correctly and push yourself to your limits, you will get all the benefits out of these workouts. The skill level for this is actually for any level, I was a complete beginner when I tried it, but I went at my own pace rather than try to match theirs. After a while, I was able to keep up with the people in the videos and sometimes I would do even better than them. I recommend starting with the fitness test video above, it lets you get used to some of the movements and you can see where your fitness levels are at. Make sure to have enough space to do the exercises and I would recommend two bottles of water, depending on how much effort you want to put in. Also, be aware that these workouts range from 30 minutes to 1 and a half hours, so please be prepared when you try these.

Here are some other videos of Shaun T’s INSANITY

Plyometric Cardio Circuit is the first full workout that you do after the fitness test. The layout of the video is warm up first, then stretch, then first circuit, second circuit, and a cool down at the end. My advice for you if this is your first time is to breathe. I remember my first time left me gasping for air after the warm up. Make sure to pace yourself throughout the workout, and again, don’t forget to breathe! Take a break when you need to, but otherwise work hard and stay strong!

Do not let the title deceive you, Cardio Recovery was supposed to be my friend but it ended up being an enemy in the beginning. After a while, I was grateful for Cardio Recovery because it was probably the easiest one to do out of all the workouts. The only reason I said it was an enemy was because Cardio Recovery is always usually in the middle of the week and it is supposed to be like a “break” for the intense exercises. Little did I know, it was actually a muscle burner and it made my legs feel like jello. If I had to compare it to anything, I would say it feels like intense yoga that will test your balance, core, flexibility, and endurance.

Max Cardio Conditioning is part of the program’s 2nd month workouts and it kicked my butt every time that I did it. Most of the other exercises follow the same pattern of warm up, stretch, first circuit, second circuit, and then cool down. You get rest typically between each one, which is something that you always look forward to while doing INSANITY. Max Cardio Conditioning is a little different. It goes from warm up, stretch, and then goes through more than 10 exercises back to back with no rest. At first it seems frightening, but eventually you get used to it and you actually start to compete with yourself. My advice for this is to pace yourself, breathe, and bring 3 bottles of water this time 🙂

10 Fitness Myths that I wish I knew before starting my fitness journey.

YOU CAN TARGET YOUR FAT BURN.

This refers to ‘spot reduction’ or targeted weight loss. Many people think that by working out a specific part of your body, you will then remove the body fat from that specific area. This is a total myth as burning body fat doesn’t work that way. You are able to gain muscle in specific body parts but you can’t burn body fat the same way. To put it in simple terms, your body burns fat from all areas and so by exercising your body, the fat breaks down into proper fuel for energy. The fat that is converted to energy comes from anywhere in the body, not only the muscles that you’re working.

NO PAIN. NO GAIN.

No Pain, No Gain. We hear this all the time in different forms of media and from others when it comes to working out. We believe that we don’t benefit from our workouts when it doesn’t hurt the next day. This is a myth, and one that I never knew in the beginning; I always thought that if my muscles were not sore the next day, it meant that I hadn’t worked hard enough. The fact is, when exercising, you should listen to your body and how it feels. Push yourself but not to the point where everything hurts because at that point you are doing more damage to yourself than anything.

EXERCISE MACHINES ARE BETTER THAN FREE WEIGHTS.

This is not necessarily true because you are able to do more variations of different exercises with free weights. You are also able to activate more muscles when using free weights and have full range of motion, which are both important when seeking the full benefits of an exercise. Exercise machines are also good in terms of targeting specific muscles. When you are starting to feel tired and your form is crumbling, exercise machines provide that extra stability and support that you may need. Be sure to incorporate both when planning your workouts; balance is everything!

RUNNING BEATS WALKING.

Both are cardiovascular exercises which means you will benefit from both of them no matter which one you choose to do. Running and walking on an incline burn quite a lot of calories, depending on the amount of time you spend doing the exercise. Running and walking both target the same muscle groups. The choice between these two comes down to personal preference and your abilities, but one is not better than the other.

MUSCLE IS CONVERTED TO FAT IF NOT USED.

This is completely false because muscle cells and fat cells are different from one another and are not interchangeable. The fat that you gain comes from a surplus caloric diet. This means that when you stop working out but keep eating the same amount of calories as you normally would when you were active, you will gain fat since the body now has extra calories that don’t get used during your workouts.

DOING JUST ABS WILL GET YOU ABS.

Doing abs will get you abs but you won’t be able to see them if you have a high body fat percentage. To get toned abs and to be able to see them, you need to first lose body fat. To do this, you need to have a proper diet and a caloric deficit, as well as keep up with your workouts and make sure that you get enough sleep so that your body can properly rest.

THE MORE YOU SWEAT THE MORE YOU BURN.

Everyone is built different which means that some people sweat more than others. Just because you’re sweating a lot does not necessarily mean you are burning more calories. It is the same vice-versa, just because you’re not sweating does not mean you aren’t burning calories. Sweating comes down to genetics and how your body is feeling that day, as its main goal is to maintain the optimal body temperature.

WOMEN WHO WEIGHT TRAIN WILL BE BULKY

This is not true because women don’t bulk up like men. Women and men have different hormone profiles. Men have more testosterone, which promotes muscle growth, whereas women’s hormones allow them to tone without getting bulky. This however, also prevents them from losing fat as easily as men. A clean diet and a caloric deficit can aid women, and men who want to lose more fat.

REST DAYS AREN’T NECESSARY.

YOUR BODY NEEDS REST!!! You may think that working out everyday is beneficial for muscle growth and becoming stronger, but in reality without proper rest, you are doing more harm than good to your body. Get proper sleep, relax, and have fun! Allow your body time to recover properly and you’ll be able to get more out of your workouts.

YOU NEED TO EXERCISE FOR AN HOUR AT A TIME TO BENEFIT.

Time is a big issue for a lot of people, especially when it comes to working out, but a half an hour workout is just as beneficial as an hour-long workout. It is not about the amount of times in a week or the length of your workouts; it is about the quality of your workouts and how much work you put in during each one. So the next time you run out of time, don’t worry and be happy that you still managed to put some work in.

Caloric Surplus vs Caloric Deficit

Lets talk about your diet and your goals!

Different goals require different amounts of calories. If your goal is to build muscle mass and get bulkier, then you need to be at a caloric surplus, which means you have to eat more than the amount of calories you burn. If your goal is to lose weight and body fat, then you need to be at a caloric deficit, which means you have to eat less than the amount of calories you burn. To maintain weight, you have to match your calorie intake to the amount you burn.

Now, is it possible to lose weight and build muscle at the same time? It is! However, it is not easy because your diet is restrictive and you must get enough protein while maintaining a caloric deficit. This takes time and you might have trouble seeing progress since you are trying to balance two different goals at once. In my opinion, it is easier to focus on one thing at a time because you will have a clearer goal in mind but everyone is different. Feel free to try what’s best for you!

To determine how many calories you should be eating, you first have to find your basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is the amount of calories your body burns at rest. Your body burns calories even when you do not exercise to maintain basic functions that your body needs to survive. Here is a website you can use to figure out your BMR (https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html). Now based on your BMR, you can figure out how many calories you need to consume to reach your goals. 500 calories is a good number to adjust depending on your goals. For reference, 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories, so for example, if you have a BMR of 2000 and you’re trying to lose weight, you would subtract 500 calories from the total amount you burned and the resulting number should be how many calories you should be consuming. Over the span of a week, rather than eating 14,000 calories, you end up eating 10,500, which is a 3500 calorie difference. That’s already 1 pound lost in one week!

You now have a better understanding of how to organize your diets and goals, but this doesn’t mean you should starve yourself or overeat. You have to listen to your body and adjust accordingly, which means not going into either extreme. If 500 calories seems like too many, then lower the amount and let your body adjust. Do not overdo the amount of calories you consume or don’t consume because you will not see the progress you want. The type of calories you ingest is also important since a balanced meal and clean diet are key. Junk food and processed sugars do not have the right nutrients to fuel your body properly. It is okay to enjoy them in moderation but not all the time! Be cautious of what type of calories you consume because it will effect your results in the long run.

Intermittent Fasting and It’s Benefits!

WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?

Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting. It’s a great way to lose weight, improve health, and simplify your lifestyle.

HOW I BENEFITTED FROM INTERMITTENT FASTING

I have always been a big foodie and it made it hard for me to stay on track with certain diets; I also had to balance school, work, exercise, and my social life which made it difficult. Through intermittent fasting, I was able to set a schedule for myself which made it a lot easier to follow my diets. I gave myself a 7-8 hour window where I would be able to eat and then for the rest of the day I would fast. My days would typically consist of going to classes and exercising in the morning, after which I would get home around 2-3pm where I would have my first meal of the day and be allowed to eat until 9-10pm. I stuck to a pretty clean diet but I gave myself some slack, which gave me a lot of freedom with what foods I could eat. By giving yourself a time window, you are less likely to eat too much, although I still made sure to not overeat and watch how many calories I was consuming. There were also days where I had to adjust accordingly because sometimes I wasn’t able to start at 2 or 3, and there were days where I had to eat earlier, but I always kept my eating window at 7-8 hours. After a while of doing this, I was able to adjust to it and it became more natural for me. I was able to focus a lot more on the things I was doing because I did not have to constantly think about meals. I also had a much deeper appreciation for my meals because they became something that I could look forward to throughout my day.

HOW DOES ONE GET STARTED ON INTERMITTENT FASTING?

To get started you must first pick what kind of fast/cycle you want to do. The one that I use is a 16:8 method, which means fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8. There’s also other methods out there like 5:2 method where you eat normally for 5 days of the week and then restrict yourself to 500-600 calories for 2 days, and 20:4 which is an extreme version of 16:8 where you fast for 20 hours and eat for 4 hours. I would suggest starting simple at a 12:10 or 16:8 so that your body can adjust to it. An app that I would highly recommend is called Fastic; it helps you keep track of your fasting throughout the days and sends you notifications of when your eating windows start and end. There are days when I lose track of time and Fastic reminds me when I am able to eat or when I should stop eating. You can also learn a lot more about intermittent fasting in the app and it has multiple methods/cycles for you to choose from.

The Mindful Eating Diet

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

You’ve probably never heard of this diet before and even if you have, you probably don’t have a clue of what it is. Mindful eating in my opinion is not a diet, but a lifestyle that focuses on the enjoyment of food, being mindful of what it is you are eating, and just paying attention to how you are feeling overall.

WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THIS AND WHAT IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH MINDFUL EATING?

Today’s society is always focused on work, school, and our lifestyles to the point that we don’t take time to slow things down. I have only recently learned about what it truly means to be mindful of things; I took a class in university where we learned about mindfulness and the effects of it in our daily lives; it is through here that I learned about mindful eating. As a university student, I have had my fair share of stress and anxiety which can effect one’s health both mentally and physically. The way I deal with stress and anxiety is through taking time for myself to just breathe and do nothing else. I take the time to see how I am truly feeling and assess how to go on based on it. Mindful eating works the same way in that you take your time while eating and simply focus on what is in front of you. The idea is to listen to your body and pay attention to what it is that you’re feeling. When you feel hungry then eat and when you feel full then stop. This is also when the mindful part comes in: you have to be mindful of what food you decide to eat, you have to control the portion sizes, and lastly, you’ve got to take your time and enjoy your food properly!

THE BENEFITS OF MINDFUL EATING!

• Reduce stress
• Increase enjoyment
• Easier digestion
• Reduce calories
• Lose weight
• Less binge eating
• Control food instead of it controlling you
• Enjoy the moment
• Reduce food cravings

How can you stay motivated to workout?

Motivation is a crucial aspect when it comes to starting anything, and like a lot of people my motivation to stay active comes and goes. Finding that motivation is difficult, especially when you’re first starting out, but once you have it and begin, the key is to keep that motivation going.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED

1. Make it fun – Going to the gym and exercising does not seem fun to some people and they become less motivated to go. Instead, find an activity that you enjoy doing that requires physical activity. Play sports, dance to you favorite song or even just walk your dog. Exercise does not have to be boring and tedious, by finding something you like to do it won’t even feel like exercise!
2. Set small goals – Everyone has a major goal in mind when they start exercising which can sometimes work against them. People try so hard to reach these big goals that eventually they give up when they don’t see progress. One way to get through this is to take that big goal and break it up into smaller ones. This makes it more manageable and you’ll feel accomplished after completing each of the smaller goals. The more of your smaller goals you finish, the closer you’ll be to reaching your major one!
3. Find a friend – Find yourself a friend that can either help you stay motivated or even better, find someone to join you on your journey. Doing things with your friends makes it a lot more fun than just doing them by yourself! A little friendly competition does not hurt either and can benefit the both of you.
4. Make physical activity a part of your daily routine – Find time in your life to get physical activity in, which means including some form of physical activity in your daily routines whenever you can. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, go for a walk rather than watch tv, or do an exercise while you watch tv. Any amount of physical activity is good for you and the more you get, the better you will feel overall!
5. Always remind yourself why you started in the first place – This one is a big one because people tend to forget what motivated them to work out in the beginning. Always remind yourself why you’re doing this and by keeping that in mind, you’ll be able to continue pushing yourself to be the best that you can be.
6. Silence the doubters – One of the big motivators that I found for me was the idea of silencing my doubters. Now, you shouldn’t really care about what others think, but that was something that kept bothering me. I felt that there were people in my life who did not think I could do these things and so I was motivated to prove them wrong. Nothing felt better than showing those who doubted me that I could do it.
7. Listen to audiobooks or watch motivational videos – I find that a lot of people get motivation from different things such as books and movies. These often have powerful messages that motivate a lot of people. I found myself motivated to work out after watching the training scene from the boxing movie CREED 2. I kept saying to myself that if he can do it, then why can’t I?
8. Think about the feeling you get post workout – I found this to be incredibly helpful on days that I just did not feel like working out. There were a lot of times where I felt horrible during the day and I probably shouldn’t work out, but it turned out that exercise was exactly what I needed. After doing a workout or physical activity, you get filled with endorphins which boost your mood from 1 to 10 really quickly. So next time you don’t feel like working out, think about those endorphins!
9. Set a schedule – This tactic works for those who like to keep an organized daily schedule. By setting a time to workout in your schedule, the chances of you going and doing it increase significantly. As time passes, it will feel natural to you and you will be able to keep up with it for a longer period of time.
10. Reward Yourself – Doing a workout plan and eating a proper diet requires a lot of discipline which makes it difficult for some people to maintain. Reward yourself with a night out with friends, a cheat day or meal, or a day to just relax and do nothing. By rewarding yourself every now and then, you will feel so much more accomplished, that being said, do be mindful of the rewards that you give yourself and make sure not to overdo it.

Websites and Apps To Look Into

Lift Vault

Lift Vault is a website that gives out free workout programs. The site includes programs such as strength training, power lifting, power building, and bodybuilding. Finding a program that works for you is difficult to do and so, this website gives out free templates for multiple skill levels. I know when I first started my fitness journey, I always had a hard time picking which exercises to do that day. I also had no clue how many times I should go and train in a week. Some pros and cons to this website include:

Pros	Cons
Free workout programs	Website is kind of messy
Includes different types for different goals	Programs can sometimes be hard to understand without proper guidance
Multiple skill levels to choose from	Can be intimidating for beginners to look at

Eat This Much

Eat This Much is a website that allows you to choose your calorie intake and it gives you ideas on what food to eat. The website allows you to choose anything as well as gives you an option to choose from multiple diets such as Vegan, Paleo, Vegetarian, Keto, and Mediterranean. Nutrition is key when it comes to starting a fitness journey and so it can be hard sometimes to know what to eat. This website gives you a variety of options to choose from and it even gives you the ingredients you need to make them. Some pros and cons to this website include:

Pros	Cons
Multiple diets to choose from	Not all the foods you like are in the website
Gives you new ideas for food	Does not consider food allergies
Gives you a breakdown of macronutrients
Tells you how to make the recipes

My Fitness Pal

My Fitness Pal is a food and calorie recording app, it allows you to keep track of all the food that you take and get a breakdown of how many calories you consumed that day. I personally use this app to get an idea of how much I am eating in a day. The amount of calories you take in is important when it comes to achieving your goals. It is easy to lose track of how much you eat and so keeping track allows you to take control over how many calories you consume. Some pros and cons of this app include:

Pros	Cons
Track your calories everyday	Does not tell you how to cook the recipes or food
Most food in the world are included as well as certain brands	You have to input a lot of things if you want to be really specific
You can make your own recipes as well and see how much calories they have

When did you start taking your fitness seriously?

“I started taking fitness seriously when I was 16. I wanted to get bigger and stronger and I knew what I had to do to make it happen.”

What’s one thing that motivates you to workout?

“Honestly I don’t really look for motivation anywhere anymore, working out is just part of my day and my routine. I feel like I have to be there. When I don’t go I feel like I’m missing out. If I had to pick something that motivates me I guess I would say my own personal ambitions to become “more”.”

What’s something you wish you knew before you started working out?

“I wish I knew how important working out was. I wish I knew how much of a positive impact it would have on my body, my mind, and my overall quality of life.”

How has the pandemic been for your health and fitness?

“The pandemic has been a challenge for sure. At first it was a detriment to my fitness, because my whole routine was thrown off. But after some time I shifted gears into more of a diet focused fitness plan and it really changed the game for me. I have never had my diet dialed in so well in my life.”

Name your 5 favorite sources of protein or name 5 of your favorite exercises?

“My favorite sources of protein are, whey, protein bars, chicken, beef, and eggs.”

How do you personally live an active and healthy lifestyle?

“I live an active lifestyle by going to the gym every day and spending free time outside going for walks or longboarding. When I have days off I enjoy hiking as well. Anything to get up and moving. It makes me feel alive.”

What do you think about fad diets?

“Fad diets come and go. They are rarely sustainable and ultimately lead to negative outcomes. People often look for “quick fixes” and look for diets that will get them reaching their goal in 30 days; but their goal shouldn’t last for only 30 days, they should last a lifetime. Not to mention, our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Fad diets can lead to anxiety over food, make people feel guilty and can affect mental health. Secondly, fad diets can lead to malnutrition in extreme cases. Behavior change and working on small to moderate changes in our routine will ensure sustainability.”

 Are there any foods that you would recommend not be eaten?

“I don’t believe there are “good” or “bad” foods. Labelling food as good or bad can lead to food anxiety or disordered eating. Instead, we should learn about what food does for our body and make healthy choices that make us feel our best. Everything in moderation.”

Name your 5 favorite sources of protein or name 5 of your favorite exercises?

“Variety is key. I eat mostly plant-based, but I enjoy including everything during the week to maintain healthy nutrient intakes.”

-Tofu: Complete plant-based protein

-Legumes + grains: When combined, makes a complete protein

-Salmon: 2-3 times a week for omega 3’s (healthy fats)

-Greek yogurt: Probiotics and high protein

-Chicken breast: Very high protein and low in animal fat

How has the pandemic been for your health and fitness?

“My habits have definitely changed in the pandemic. I find myself becoming more creative with workouts and spending much more time being active outdoors. Before, I would try and train in the gym 4-6 times a week. Now, I have a new love for bike riding, running and hiking more often. Not to mention, these activities are things I enjoy more. Therefore, the pandemic has its positives!”

What’s the best piece of nutritional advice that you can give? 

“Our bodies are so smart. It tells us when we are hungry, when we are full, and it knows exactly how to process the things we consume. We are so complex on the inside, that we shouldn’t make food seem so complex on the outside. Everyone may have a different need when it comes to “health.” I focus on helping individuals overcome food grievances, restriction, and apprehension. These obstacles change from person to person. So, there’s never one approach that works for everyone, because we all have special hurdles. The ultimate method to having a healthy relationship with food, is feeling our best with the food we eat. Everybody is different!”

What’s your experience with being physically active?

“A healthy level of physical activity is an integral part of my daily life. Ultimately, my level of physical activity greatly impacts my overall quality of life. Physical activity has helped me in many ways beyond the physical benefits; it has improved my mental health, opened gateways for careers and relationships, and has taught me many values that I now embody and pass on to future athletes.”

What’s one thing that your coach has told you that you still live by to this day?

“One thing that I learned from my coach and still live by to this day is the ability to drop everything else that is going on in my life when I step on the hardwood. This skill has helped me rise above many occasions and I’ve learned to apply it beyond physical activity. It has taught me to “lock in” and not worry about external factors that are going on outside of whatever it is that I have to do.”

Any advice to athletes in the northern territories who are trying to get noticed?

“Seek help at every step. It doesn’t have to be a lonely path to the top. There are many individuals/organizations who can help you achieve your goals and aspirations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it’s a sign of strength not weakness.”

How has the pandemic been for your health and fitness?

“As someone who relies on training/coaching athletes as my major form of physical activity, my fitness level has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The limited access to indoor facilities over the winter season was detrimental to my physical health. However, I was able to find other ways of using small spaces at home for at-home exercises and now that it’s warming up again, I’m excited to participate in some outdoor activities for the summer!”

Name your 5 favorite sources of protein or name 5 of your favorite exercises?

“My main sources of protein are different forms of soy, grains, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, and nuts and seeds. My only exercise to advise to all athletes regardless of sport is to skip rope. It’s an all-around exercise that will improve strength, agility, balance, bounce, coordination, and stamina.”

How do you personally live an active and healthy lifestyle?

“I try and find activities that I enjoy doing and that are accessible and affordable. Personally, I keep active by doing individual exercises (skipping rope, working out, etc.), participating in group activities (skating, hiking, frisbee, etc.), and by training/coaching basketball athletes 3-5 times a week.”

Why did you get into the field of health and physical education?
“I was very active growing up. Sports teams and phys. Ed was my favourite class. I found it to be something I actually enjoyed and liked to learn about. I wanted to be in a field that drove me most growing up. One about health and physical education.”

Why is physical activity important?
“For strength, physical health, and mental health.”

What advice do you have for someone who’s looking into getting more physically active?
“It’s not easy getting into it, trust me I know. But it’s worth it. Becoming physically active is so important to your health but most importantly for a better quality of life.”

How has the pandemic been for your health and fitness?
“Both took a hit at first. I felt myself struggling more with waking up and just feeling good overall when the pandemic first started. One day I went on a run with my dad and I realized that I missed physical activity. So after the second lockdown my health and fitness have been doing so much better.”

Name your 5 favorite sources of protein or name 5 of your favorite exercises?
1. Spin
2. Hip thrusts
3. Decline leg press
4. Deadlift
5. Boxing

How do you personally live an active and healthy lifestyle?
“Personally, I find ways to enjoy it. Whether that is from a playlist, being active with friends, or trying something new, I find a way to make it fun for me. For a healthy lifestyle, and I guess active too, being in a Health and Physical Education program helps a lot. I’m always learning about what I can do better and what I can do to help others do better when it comes to an active and healthy lifestyle.”

In your opinion what’s the best way to lose body fat?
“There isn’t a best way – as long as you are in a caloric deficit you will lose weight. It’s all about energy balance.”

In your opinion at what age should someone start working out and why?
“If my parents didn’t believe in the myth that lifting weights stunts growth, I would’ve started in middle school. There is no scientific evidence that shows that lifting stunts growth. If there is, please send the paper my way!”

How did you get into personal fitness training?
“I was always on and off the gym since high school. I played basketball and soccer so I used the gym to help develop my skills on the court or the pitch. Only been religiously going for 3 years; got consistent because I got my heart broken haha then I just ended up loving the process of training. Did a lil bodybuilding then for a bit then power lifting and right now I’m a competitive weightlifter.”

How has the pandemic been for your health and fitness?
“It wasn’t that bad at the beginning. Did some home workouts, read a couple books, played with my pup. Then I got into a slump for a bit until Yellowknife started opening up and I was able to train myself and clients.”

Name your 5 favorite sources of protein or name 5 of your favorite exercises?
“Snatch, clean, jerk, back squat, deadlift.”

How do you personally live an active and healthy lifestyle?
“I train 5 times a week. Training is about 2.5-3 hours depending on my program. Nutrition wise, I usually follow my macros and calories through apps.”

My personal fitness journey has been all over the place since I started back in 2014 in high school. I was a pretty active kid but I was by no means the fittest one and so I decided to make a change in my lifestyle. I had no clue how or where to start so I went ahead and bought myself a copy of INSANITY by Shaun T. The DVD included a 2-month program and a diet plan which I followed all the way through. My weight in the beginning was 180lb and I managed to go down to 165lb in the span of two months. This was amazing progress, but I found that it wasn’t something that I could do for the rest of my life. The workouts were grueling and to this day I would consider the INSANITY exercises to be one of the hardest workouts of my life. That said, you eventually hit a plateau where your body gets used to the exercises and the progress isn’t as visible. Not to mention, the diet plan felt very restrictive and I was consuming almost close to nothing because I didn’t know what I was doing. The program was just not something I could do over and over because eventually I grew tired of it, leading me back to where I started.

I stayed active throughout my high school career and I got really into sports and fitness. This led me to go ahead and apply for Mount Royal University, where I am taking my Bachelors of Health and Physical Education and majoring in Physical Literacy. Now this is when things took a turn for my health; The freshman 15 hit me hard. For those of you who don’t know, the freshman 15 is a common expression that refers to weight gain in your first year of post secondary. When you’re a first year living away from family for the first time, you tend to not take care of yourself properly in terms of nutrition due to lack of knowledge in cooking, stress, and social situations. What affected me the most was the amount of calories I consumed because of stress and the amount of partying I did because I wanted to socialize. I had no self control during my first two years of university and it didn’t help that I knew how to cook because I was able to make all of the cravings I had. This resulted in a lot of weight gain and I ended up being 228lbs which is the heaviest that I have ever been.

Being at this weight was hard for me because any simple physical activity became a difficult task. I was out of breath from just climbing a flight of stairs and I always found myself breathing hard even when I was doing nothing. This took a toll on me mentally and physically and it didn’t help that my coping mechanism was eating. Food made me comfortable and it was something that made me feel good but it was an unhealthy habit. I always saw myself in a negative way and I kept attacking my own self confidence which only made things worse. It wasn’t until I got injured due to my weight that I decided to make a change. I loved playing sports and so during an intramural basketball game, my knee gave out and it was the scariest thing I have ever felt. During sports, I have maintained all of my muscle memory but my body could not keep up with the way I typically played and it got me injured.

It was then that I decided to get serious with my workouts and diet, so I went and did my research, I got help from people who knew how to workout and started my fitness journey properly. I watched countless YouTube videos about workouts, diets, meal plans, supplements, and how to live an active lifestyle. I used what I learned in my degree to my advantage and I made sure to take classes such as ‘Intro to Strength Training’ and ‘Advanced Strength Training’. I also got recruited and joined the Kinesiology Games, also known as Kingames, which is a national event in Canada where kinesiology students from different Universities come together and compete in dance, athletics, academics, and spirit. I started from the very basics and made sure to build a solid foundation. After 5 grueling months of working out at the gym I managed to go from 228lbs to 174lbs.

When going to the gym, you need to throw out any big ego that you have because you’re there to work on yourself and not show off. I was self conscious at first and embarrassed when I first started working out because I feared that people there would judge me, but in reality, the people who are in the gym are also self conscious about themselves. Everyone is always striving to become like someone bigger and fitter than them, they are all there to work on themselves so you shouldn’t worry about what other people think. Another big thing that prevented me from going to the gym was the lack of knowledge, I had no clue where to begin and some of the machines can look scary when you don’t know what you’re doing. I started simple and made sure to build a solid foundation first. I went into the gym doing the exercises I knew, with weight that I could lift. Do not pay attention to how much weight people are lifting and only lift what you can. Form is the most important thing when going to the gym, so don’t try to lift too much in the beginning. Do not sacrifice form!

A couple of things I did to make my experience at the gym better was to bring a friend or listen to my own music. I made sure to keep my eyes out when people use equipment, so that I knew how it was supposed to be used. When in doubt, search it up and you’ll find out what you need to know for certain exercises. Over time you’ll get more comfortable and you’ll even start to get recognized by regulars at the gym. From then on, it became natural to me and I enjoyed working out. I would say that the biggest motivator that I had was the feeling I got after working out at the gym. You get such a big mood boost, that you feel amazing throughout the day afterwards.

As for my diet, I wanted it to not be too restrictive but also made sure that I was eating the right foods. I did intermittent fasting because it was what worked for me and my schedule. I had school in the morning and so during breaks in my day I would head to the gym to get my workout in. I would typically not eat anything until I got home which was around 2-3pm and then I would stop eating around 9-10 pm depending on when I started eating. This made it easy for me to eat whatever I wanted but at the same time, I made sure to control my portions and pick the healthier options.

This whole process took a while and there were days where I never really saw any progress, but that didn’t stop me and I persevered. I kept going and I had people who motivated me throughout the whole journey. Going to the gym and working out became natural to me. Anytime I felt stressed or depressed, I would just go to the gym and work it off. Just because you don’t see progress physically, does not mean that what you’re doing is not working, just keep at it and have fun with it. It will eventually feel less like a chore and more like a fun hobby.

Now you would think that this journey has a happy ending and that I managed to figure everything out about how to live an active lifestyle. Well that’s not the case because after months of hard work, it was all put on pause because of COVID. The pandemic has led to a decrease in motivation to be physically active all around the world. Sports programs, gyms, and other indoor physical activities have been closed off to the public for quite some time which was enough to lower people’s motivation to be physically active.

I myself have been a victim of this because as soon as the pandemic started, I had no clue what to do about my fitness. Before COVID, I was always out and about doing my thing, going to the gym for 2-3 hours at a time, and now we are isolated in our homes, unable to do anything. I started to go crazy because the gym was my way of relieving my stress, depression, and anxiety. I thought that maybe I could do home workouts and go for runs but the motivation was just not there anymore.

Eventually, everything that I had lost slowly crept up and I was back to where I started. This was a hard reality for me to accept because I worked so hard to lose all of this weight only to gain it back during the pandemic. Now every time I look in the mirror, I feel a sense of regret and sadness, but then the more I think about it, the more motivated I am to get back into it. The pandemic may have beaten me and my motivation but I have been here before, the only difference is that I now know it is possible and I know what I need to do.

The pandemic may have affected your health and fitness as well. Maybe your motivation to be physically active is not there either, but there is a silver lining to this. Use this extra time you have to learn something new, take time to figure out how to get your fitness back in order, find new ways to better yourself, so that the next time you decide to make a change you’ll be able to use your new skills. My fitness levels may have taken a toll but I used this time to learn how to cook so that I would buy less take-out food. I also learned new exercises and the proper ways of designing a workout plan. I may not be exercising as much or being physically active but I am learning new skills that I can use when I get back into it. Things may be tough right now but use this time to plan ahead for the future. Change does not happen right away, but by taking time to plan it out, you’re already taking that first step.