New Recipes

As always we work hard to bring you the very best in service and innovation.

We are proud to bring you the first installment in our new recipe series
promoting all healthy recipes that you can easily make yourself.

Follow the link below to take you to our ever growing video library and scroll down to the "Recipe"section to click on the "Power Clean Healthy Protein Bar" recipe. If you do happen to make some of these bars please, please bring some in to the studio for me to try.

Accelerator Launch Party

Last night's "Accelerator Launch Party" as part of the "Destination You" program proved something within the first 10 seconds.

1) This contest is going to be a lot of fun.

2) People are very creative in finding ways to cheat.

I swear to god within 10 seconds of announcing the contest details for November we had questions like "can I just sit at my desk and swing my foot?" to "Would this work in the dryer and track movement that way?"

I hope to hell no one cheats and attaches this to their dog's collar and just gets moving.
The 2 contests for November are most individual steps by Men and Women and Most Male and Female steps as a team average.

For the 30 people that have decided to participate in this program and are using your new Accelerators to motivate you to move more I am excited for your progress.

This new device that is brand new to Canada and only available to you at Vitality Fitness Studio was brought on board as a new offering for one reason, to get you better results.

The price of $120 a year is very low and it is exactly what we bought it for and passed on to you. We did not go to the largest convention of the year, meet with the President, sign contracts and pay for all the devices up front as a business move to make money but rather as a move to get you moving. If it does that it was worth it.

Someone asked "Well couldn't I just walk around my office while I'm on the phone to count steps?" The simple answer is "Absolutely, that's the point!"

Fitness Blues

Today's Blog post comes from our guest writer Sheri Ciaramella.

As the days get shorter so does the feeling of wanting to workout, this is what I call the "Fitness Blues."

Falling off the workout wagon can start as skipping one workout day...then another and another. Before you know it, you've been parked on the couch for weeks, maybe months. Sound familiar?

Even the most diligent exerciser can be sucked into the spiral of relapse by pregnancy and a new baby, a demanding job, illness, lack of sunlight, injury or a multitude of other reasons that you simply feel you can not pack a gym bag and go to the gym. But here's the all-important question:

How do you deal with your Fitness Blues?

There are 5 essential ways to get out of the Fitness Blues:
1. Create a new change, set new goals - boredom can influence our moods.
2. Develop coping strategies throughout the winter season - Don't let the sun come down on me attitude.
3. Identify barriers - When you start seeing results don't stop because you think this new you is going to last through out the winter season, simply maintain it.
4. Sleep - 5 to 6 hrs is not going to cut it. Get at least 7 to 8hrs of sleep every night and don't go to bed at midnight try to settle in bed by 10pm the latest. This gives the whole "beauty sleep" a new meaning when you wake up feeling refreshed!
5. Make a little love get down tonight. Believe it or not but making love to your partner actually stimulates your brain function and releases natural endorphins that put your mind in a more positive mind set. Your body creates the right enzymes into your blood flow.

Muscle Soreness

Question: Hey Taylor, how long should I be sore after a workout?

Answer:
The muscles of exercisers often become sore. There are two main types of muscle soreness: acute muscle soreness and delayed onset muscle soreness.

Acute muscle soreness develops during and immediately after exercise. It is thought to be due to an inadequate blood flow (lack of oxygen) to active muscle, resulting in the accumulation of metabolic waste products such as
lactic acid.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) develops one or two days after the completion of exercise. The discomfort associated with DOMS may be due to torn muscle fibres or muscle spasms but is most likely to be due to disruption of the connective tissue.

DOMS is usually accompanied by increased levels of hydroxyproline in the urine. Hydroxyproline is a chemical similar to an amino acid and is found only in connective tissue. Its presence in the urine is, therefore, an indication of tissue damage.

DOMS typically affects those who only exercise occasionally or who perform strenuous exercises to which they are unaccustomed. It is greatest following activities that use mainly eccentric contractions in which the muscle lengthens (such as the lowering portion of a bench press).

Treatment consists of rest and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as aspirin, ibuprofen or the bodybuilding supplement Glutamine to relieve the pain. The degree of muscle soreness is correlated to the amount of tissue damage, recovery process (sleep), stress levels (cortisol) and nutrition. Therefore, the greater the muscle soreness after an activity, the longer the recovery time required.

November 'Destination You' Contests

The "Destination You" Accelerators are here so let's get this show on the road.
November contests are...
Most steps Male. Winner $25 cash
Most steps Female. Winner $25 cash
Most steps overall Winner gets additional $25.
Team Challenges: Boys against Girls most steps in the month of November. The total will be averaged out amongst all the competitors.

This weekend I have challenged the 11 participants to date to a "most steps this weekend" contest. I am in Niagara Falls tomorrow, which usually means a lot of walking around so tough luck to my competitors!

Harrassed At The YMCA in Guelph... Again!

So there I am minding my own business as usual when along comes this 'Manager' to tell me she has to 'talk' to me after my workout.

So I already know what this is about because it has happened to me there many times before. I am constantly being accused of training people there even when I am working out set for set.

I mean I totally get and understand that there is no personal training allowed at any gym that you do not work for or own. It's common sense really.

"I have my own God Damn studio why the F@#K would I take people here to train them?

Actually it probably came out more like. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

Well, it was definitely in between there anyways.

I can't so much as talk to someone with out getting accused of soliciting business or training people. The reality is that I do bring friends there to train WITH set for set with no money being exchanged before, during or after the workout. These friends pay their guest fee and even sign up for memberships.

I am the ideal member as I always follow gym etiquette, refer guests and members and am barely there;)

Anyways, I had to get it out as it just happened again for like the 5th time. New 'Managers' who blindly listen to their staff telling her to question me right on the gym floor in the middle of my workout. To have the audacity to accuse me and then when I ask on what grounds "Well,.. I don't know. I was told by some of my staff to talk to you about training people here."

" Well, do I look like I'm training him as we train set for set?"

She is either ballzy or stupid as she comes back with.

" Yes, you do."

Can you believe that? A guy can't even workout set for set with someone. With no previous history, except for the bullshit made up one.

“He’s a trainer, he must be scooping for clients” There were at least another half dozen guys in there training with each other and not one of them was spoken to. Anyone who knows me knows that I would never implement such low marketing practices and I’m much too busy for that anyways.

I seriously HATE THE YMCA in Guelph.

The Top 7 Ways To Control Your Cortisol Levels

Cortisol is probably one of the biggest causes of weight gain and disease in society today and it is one thing that you don't hear too much about.

You must understand the relationship between blood sugar levels, insulin and cortisol if you want to be lean and healthy.

Today's post will focus on the best ways to reduce your cortisol levels.
In upcoming posts I will reveal some different supplemental strategies that can help as well.

Here is a quick guide of "7 Ways to Reduce your Cortisol"

1. Eat at regular intervals throughout the day: Avoid skipping meals,
as this will create a cortisol release.

2. Eat right for your Metabolic Type: Excessive carbohydrate intake
creates cortisol release in response to constantly elevated insulin
levels. Find out your metabolic type and eat consistently with it.

3. Utilize stress reduction techniques at peak cortisol times:
Neuro-linguistic Programming, meditation, self-hypnosis, or simply
lying on the floor doing belly breathing for 10-15 minutes can work
wonders at reducing stress and thus cortisol levels.

4. Get to bed on time: Get to bed by 10:30 pm at the latest.

5. Avoid stimulants: Stay away from energy drinks that contain
ephedra-like compounds and caffeine. Stimulants shift the body into
sympathetic dominance, ie. "fight or flight". Stimulants can also
disrupt your sleeping patterns. If you must have your daily coffee, be
sure that you do not drink any after 12 noon.

6. Keep your workouts under 1 hour: At the 1 hour mark, your
testosterone levels begin to decline and cortisol levels rise.
Forty-five minute workouts are even better.

7. Do not overtrain: It is recommended to not
train more than 2 days in a row. Doing so will simply overtax the
hormonal system and therefore increase cortisol levels. Listen to your
body. If you do not feel recovered from your previous workout, simply
take an extra day off or reduce the number of sets you perform in your
workout.

Motivation Making Success and Satisfaction Possible

We all want to have a high level of motivation, but we also know how hard it is to get motivated, to stay motivated and to motivate others.

If we aren’t motivated to make our physical transformationswe have little hope of seeing it through to the end.

So how do we get motivated enough to blast through all the barriers?

First we need to recognize the different levels of motivation so we know where we are trying to get to. The first level is“Minimal motivation”. This describes the level where we have no intention to act or we're simply going through the motions.

“External motivation” occurs when our actions are driven purely by the rewards and consequences that other people provide. We usually feel we're being controlled or manipulated when we're at this level.

“Extrinsic motivation” involves trying to please other people in order to feel good about ourselves. Overcoming the primal fear of being good enough involves the ability to make significant others happy.

“Strengths-based motivation” requires valuing the outcome and seeing that we have the inner strengths that will enable us to achieve our goals. Our job at Vitality is to give you the support and encouragement that you need at this level in order to visualize the outcome as real.

“Innate motivation” occurs when we act primarily out of our sense of what will bring us a profound sense of satisfaction with ourselves. At this level, our goals must be congruent with our deepest values, generating a feeling of purpose that propels us to peak performance. To heighten this level of motivation, we must expand our awareness of the meaningful contribution our accomplishments will make in the lives of others. Envision how making your body transformation will not only improve your life but those around you and you'll gain incredible momentum.

The top level is “Intuitive motivation” and that is when we're able to achieve "flow" - participating in an activity for which we're so well suited that we're in a flow of effortless energy.
For those of you just starting the Vitality Fitness Solution you may find it hard to believe that you will attain this level but you will and when you do everything becomes easy. You don’t have to work out anymore or even need to. You feel lucky enough to GET to work out and you WANT to because of the way it makes you feel and the many benefits that having a strong, energetic, lean and healthy body gives you.

Sickness and Fitness

Although these 2 words rhyme you really don't want to combine the two do you?

It is a fact of life however that you will catch something from time
to time especially around this time of year. Kids back at school
hanging out with all the other snot nose rug rats dragging the germs
back home and all over your house is common place. If you are training
hard, eating right and making sure to get plenty of antioxidants you should be ok but what do you do when you do get sick?

Top 3 workout tips when you're sick?

1. Get plenty of rest. This may seem like a no brainer but many of
us don't give in to the sickness and it ends up dragging us down for
a lot longer than it has to. Accept it, take a couple days off and
get to bed early.

2. When you do get back into it take it easy. Go to the gym or start
your workout when you think you can and go through the motions, break
a sweat and pack it in. That first workout back is mostly to keep your
momentum in place, keep the habit and spark a little appetite.

3. Chances are your appetite has been low so go ahead and feed. Have
a big eat day to replenish your glycogen levels and fuel your next
workout.