Again, I was kindly reminded of why I read Tara's blogs before I write mine - she's much funnier than I am and comes up with cool, random things to write down. If I made that same attempt to summarize my weekend it would look like this : Saturday = train two clients, pack up Sam and a poorly thought out overnight bag (really? 4 shirts and no shorts?!), drive to Niagara Falls, steak at the keg (waaaaaay better than kale chips ... sorry Tara), finally saw Batman (pretty cool), then sleep, breakfast, sleep, lunch, golf, drive home Sunday so I could be there for Tara on Monday morning.
She started Monday a little different than an average day, as many of you already read I'm sure. She brought in this little tin of green algae crap (energy tablets i believe they were cleverly dubbed) and downed them like candy. I had one - yuck ! I actually just swallowed it and didn't taste a thing, but as I watched Tara eat them I could taste how gross they were from her face while she ate them. They couldn't have been too bad because they made another appearance this morning for her workout - to which we shared more than one laugh during the workout. She asked me to comment on them, and I also feel the need to defend myself and say I know quite a bit about raw food thank you very much, I just know nothing of cooking or baking outside of a BBQ.
My theory on supplements is this : if you can buy it at Walmart, don't put it into your body and expect changes. If you get supplements mailed to you like they do little bottles of shampoo, toss them. Supplements are like anything else in the world - you get what you pay for. I buy my protein from a BioSignature practitioner (look it up) and it is from 100% grass fed cows on a stress free farm in New Zealand. Not even much more $ (a couple dollars maybe) and I know its not toxic soy based junk that makes people fat. When I look at how some people exercise, supplements are a waste of time/money for the average person anyways.
For the workout, she did great working right through her primary lifts (flat biacromial bench press and deadlifts) and even finished with some smaller muscle groups and abdominal work (not too common in my workout routines) to which she said she felt it today. P.S. Her brother saying she has the core strength of a kitten is one of the funniest things I've read in a while.
We trained again this morning and won't likely see each other for a workout until Friday or Saturday. That puts the work solely on her to take care of herself in the mean time and stay active! That's one thing I really admire in Tara. She has such a healthy attitude about what it is to be fit and healthy. She works as hard as anyone in the gym, but (in my humble opinion) really does exude GoodLife's core values of what fitness is and can be for someone. For those confused by this, please go to www.goodlifefitness.comor google the company and our vision / mission statement. Fitness is for everyone. It doesn't need to be complicated, it's just being active. I expect to hear about Tara's hikes, jogs, etc. between now and then and can't wait to get back at it in the gym.
Me+:
No, I did not pay Kyle to write the last paragraph, he seems to like me and my generally positive attitude towards fitness and life in general.
I actually went to the gym with a friend last night. We went to the GoodLife Fitness in Liberty Village in Toronto (aka the Beautiful People's Club) everyone is either jacked or gorgeous or an annoying combination of both.
Katie (on the right) and me (on the left) :o)
With not much time, we decided to warm up well and then just focus on back and finishing up with a little bit of core work.
Warm Up-10 minutes & shoulder/scapula retraction warm up
Back & Core
Single arm rows (25 lbs) 3 sets/12 repsSeated row (40 lbs) 3 sets/12 repsLat Pull Down (60 lbs) 3 sets/12 repsTriceps Extensions (20 lbs) 3 sets/12 reps
Roman Chair Ab Crunches 3 sets/10 repsStanding Overhead Crunches (10 lbs) 2 sets/10 reps
Pretty quick and simple.
We also went to a awesome store in Liberty Village Called Vibrant Lifestyle. I was able to get "stocked up" on some raw goodies. As you may (or may not) have noticed from Kyle's portion of this blog post/rant about food he would prefer if I ate fresh foods whenever possible and it is not acceptable to buy drugstore or grocery store protein powder or supplements. The only supplements I take are a multi vitamin and some fish oils, nothing too intense. However, I travel almost every week for my job, so I definitely need some other options (especially for protein). I am lucky enough to be friends with some pretty awesome people in the fitness industry and one of them is Gillian Reid. Click HERE to check out her Facebook page. She made a few recommendations for me this week and I hope I made her proud!!
Let's see what we've got in here...some algae, some chia seeds, some cacao nibs, apple cider vinegar and protein. These are all raw and naked and stuff. For those of you who know me, seeing these things may make you a little nervous. You may be asking yourself questions like:
I don't see a Big Mac in this photo? How will you eat raw when you overcook everything? Why does she have a jar of urine on the counter?
Don't worry, I will still crush a Big Mac with you, but you have to book well in advance, because it doesn't happen very often anymore. I know, I know.
Off to bed, gotta run in the morning, I've got this pesky little half marathon thing...
Happy Reading,
My Trainer + Me
