Stop the HST

This post has NOTHING to do with fitness but I thought it was important enough to share with all of you.

I am sure you all know about the new tax proposed called the HST.

Basically, it will add PST and GST to everything (13%) and call it an HST (Harmonized Sales Tax). When you buy food, services (training), cars and homes you will be taxed at 13%!!!

Buying a house?

Instead of paying the government $15,000 on your new $300,000 house you will be paying $39,000!

I URGE YOU TO TAKE THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY ANDTO FILL AND AND SIGN THE PETITION ATwww.unfairtaxgrab.com AGAINST THE NEW HARMONIZED GST/PSTTAX SET OUT BELOW.

New Vitality Fitness Yoga 101

Once upon a time, when you spoke to men about yoga, they almost immediately had images of Lululemon-clad women chanting verses of Sanskrit while bending their bodies into impossible positions.

For the hockey-playing, football-watching, sports-obsessed man, the practice of yoga was about as appealing as watching an old english romance movie.

However, times -- and old-standing stereotypes -- have changed thanks, in part, to the evolution of male-specific sport versus female-specific sport. More women are tackling the football field while more men are doing the downward dog.

Yoga has become the new cross-training for men looking to increase their flexibility and improve their muscle conditioning so the next time they hit the field or the rink, their bodies will bend into nearly impossible positions -- willingly.

Here are 7 Reasons Why You Need To Join our New Vitality Fitness Yoga 101 classes starting early January 2010.

1. Yoga works the entire body In sports such as hockey, tennis or football, you tend to utilize only 10 to 15 per cent of the body, whereas yoga provides a workout that covers every muscle, joint and organ.

2. Yoga has benefits in the bedroom Eagle Pose, is a posture that sends fresh blood and oxygen to the sexual organs, so this is a particularly beneficial exercise for men in revitalizing their bedroom prowess!

3. Yoga works for every size It does not matter how you look when you practice yoga. Whether you're a 250-pound linebacker or a 150-pound triathlete, yoga will push your personal boundaries by increasing your own flexibility, endurance and muscle strength.

4. Yoga decreases muscle soreness When muscles are fatigued, they build with lactic acid, and yoga, which stretches and releases tension, helps flush that away.

5. Yoga restores energy levels Yoga practice doesn't deplete your body of all of your energy after a class. Instead, it actually increases your vigor, making you feel more aware and revitalized.

6. Yoga trains your focus Athletes like Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John McEnroe have heightened their performance levels through practicing yoga. Traditionally, men have a more difficult time clearing their mind than women, although, once they do let go, their focus on the positions -- and the difficulty in holding them -- improves vastly.

7. Yoga balances the mind After you practice, you feel more grounded, less self-absorbed and calmer. This type of mental clarity really helps in other sports, work or activities you may be involved in.

The New Vitality Fitness Yoga 101 classes are designed for anyone looking to increase their flexibility from the ground up.

Classes will start Thursday, January 14th at 7:00pm
Instructor: Chantalle Asselin http://www.yogawithchantalle.com/
8 week program cards are on sale now for only $110.
Ask for your programs cards today and secure your spot of 12.

Makes a great Christmas present for that inflexible someone we all know.

Motivational Vitamin of the Day

We all have days or a string of days where nothing seems to be lining up for us. We try to eat right but have too many meetings, no time to train and we fell the downward spiral.

This is when we need to step back and create a successful environment. Take the time in the next few days to get the food you need and prepare it in advance, block out a 30 minute window over the next 48 hours and simply break a sweat. Find the time or figure out a way to get the time you need with no excuses.

"A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment. He creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires."
— Orison Swett Marden

For more time management tips than you know what to do with, check out my friend and client's blog at http://www.jimestill.com/ ... sign up for his Blog updates to get started.

Small Group Morning Workouts

We are officially starting our small group workouts every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:45am for 45 mins and then another group at 7:30am.

All are welcome to come and try this class and it's free so bring a friend!

It will be lots of fun and our new trainer Scott will be your coach for this class!

The first class will hold up to 12 people and the second will hold up to 5 so make sure you are on time.

Did I mention it was free for you and to whomever you want to bring?
Don't hesitate, just come!

Vitality Fitness has long established itself as the place to go to get elite level personal training with the high end service that it deserves.

Now we are proud to announce that we have expanded our offerings to help more people while still staying true to our roots.

With the advent of specific small and large (Troop) workout time slots throughout the week we can help a lot more people and still offer the service our one on one clients have come to expect.
Check out the new options listed below and ask yourself if one of them is right for you or if you need more information.

One-on-One Personal Training
This membership includes:
A personal coach
Unlimited small group coaching
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
The membership fee is included at no charge
$75 initiation fee - $280 - $780 x 4 months

Small group personal coaching (groups of 2 – 5)
This membership includes:
Unlimited small group coaching
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
Membership fee is included at no charge
$75 initiation fee - $220 x 12 months



Troop coaching (Max of 12 per group)
This membership includes:
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
Membership fee is included at no charge.
$75 initiation fee - $149 x 12 months



Basic Studio Access
This membership is for anyone who has experience in fitness
and simply wants to use the studio.
$75 initiation fee - $79 x 12 months

8 Week Specialty Programs (ask for more details)
Bulging Bride Makeover - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Small group coaching once a week
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal

Troop - 8 classes for $149
Simple punch card access to 8 classes that need to be used within 8 weeks

Diabetes Prevention - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
Learn how to prevent or reverse diabetes from someone who has lived with it for over 20 years.
membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Unlimited Troop coaching
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal

Yoga 101 - $70 x 2 months (8 classes)
Feeling old, stiff and inflexible? Want to improve your athleticism or drastically reduce the chance of injury that can leave you sidelined fro months? This entry level yoga program was designed for that man or woman that never leaves time in their week for a serious stretching routine but knows they need to. Leave each class feeling more vital, limber and invigorated taking care of another area of your health and fitness.

Weight Loss - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
Weight Loss membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Unlimited Troop coaching
Small group coaching once a week
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal
Everything you need to successfully lose weight is included in this program.

Next Big Troop Night!

The Next Big Troop Night will be this coming Wednesday at 6:15pm sharp!

If you missed the last one you you don't want to miss this. I guarantee this workout will spark your motivation at least for one week until the next Troop makes another assault.

You can check out some of the action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAf2j3mRyWc

Please send me an email to let us know you'd like a spot saved for you. There is only room for 12 and it will be on a first response basis.

Staying on Point Even While on Holiday

Here is a shot of me caught going off my diet.
Diet? Really, what diet.

I eat right 80% of the time so when I do want a burger, which isn't often, I rarely hesitate.

It was manageable to eat well at the parks as the protein bars were plentiful.

Better to spend $7 on 2 quality bars than to spend $15 on a gross looking chicken leg that you don't really want anyways.

This next shot was of me just after lunch...

New Vitality Membership Options

Vitality Fitness has long established itself as the place to go to get elite level personal training with the high end service that it deserves.

Now we are proud to announce that we have expanded our offerings to help more people while still staying true to our roots.

With the advent of specific small and large (Troop) workout time slots throughout the week we can help a lot more people and still offer the service our one on one clients have come to expect.
Check out the new options listed below and ask yourself if one of them is right for you or if you need more information.

One-on-One Personal Training
This membership includes:
A personal coach
Unlimited small group coaching
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
The membership fee is included at no charge
$75 initiation fee - $280 - $780 x 4 months

Small group personal coaching (groups of 2 – 5)
This membership includes:
Unlimited small group coaching
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
Membership fee is included at no charge
$75 initiation fee - $220 x 12 months



Troop coaching (Max of 12 per group)
This membership includes:
Unlimited Troop coaching
Unlimited use of the studio
Membership fee is included at no charge.
$75 initiation fee - $149 x 12 months



Basic Studio Access
This membership is for anyone who has experience in fitness
and simply wants to use the studio.
$75 initiation fee - $79 x 12 months

8 Week Specialty Programs (ask for more details)
Bulging Bride Makeover - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Small group coaching once a week
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal

Troop - 8 classes for $149
Simple punch card access to 8 classes that need to be used within 8 weeks

Diabetes Prevention - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
Learn how to prevent or reverse diabetes from someone who has lived with it for over 20 years.
membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Unlimited Troop coaching
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal

Yoga 101 - $70 x 2 months (8 classes)
Feeling old, stiff and inflexible? Want to improve your athleticism or drastically reduce the chance of injury that can leave you sidelined fro months? This entry level yoga program was designed for that man or woman that never leaves time in their week for a serious stretching routine but knows they need to. Leave each class feeling more vital, limber and invigorated taking care of another area of your health and fitness.

Weight Loss - $75 initiation fee - $289 x 2 months
Weight Loss membership includes:
Unlimited access to the studio
Unlimited Troop coaching
Small group coaching once a week
Weekly meetings for nutritional guidance and accountability
Weekly body fat and weight charting of your progress
Each week you receive seven days of personalized menus
Supplements you need to help you lose weight faster
Personalized food journal
Everything you need to successfully lose weight is included in this program.

Vitality Christmas Party

Before you all get inundated with a million invitations to various Christmas parties I wanted to invite you to the best one... ours. Click on the Santa to see him move...

This is the one time of year where we won't smash the glass of wine out of your hand or toss the cookie you are about to eat to the floor. Now don't get me wrong this will not be a license to gorge nor will there not be any healthy foods there as well but we will all be a little more relaxed. No one will be doing any push-ups this night!

This is why we train so hard and eat structured plans... so that we can enjoy what life has to offer and indulge at those special times.

Circle the date:
Friday, December 11th. 7:00pm
186 Goodwin Drive (upstairs)

We are all really looking forward to hanging out with you in something other than gym shorts and a T-shirt!

I invite you to be a fan and follow us on Facebook
You can RSVP there by following the link below, drop us an email at info@vitalityfitness.ca or call us at 519-824-2065.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188461098648&index=1

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

This week's nutritional recipe is not for the person looking to lose fat but to gain healthy weight and by that of course I mean muscle. If you are on a bulk up mission right now, try out this little number and let me know what you think.

Ready in 35 minutes
Makes 4 servings

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 15oz can black beans
1 7oz can green chiles
1 15oz can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp taco seasoning
Cooking Spray
4 whole wheat 8” tortillas
1 ½ lb chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup shredded reduced-fat three cheese blend cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add oil and onion. Cook until soft. Add beans, chiles, corn, tomatoes and seasoning. Stir to combine and cook until sauce bubbles.
3. To assemble lasagna, spray an 8x8” oven safe dish with cooking spray. Place one tortilla on dish. Top with a layer of vegetable mixture. Add chicken and part of the cheese. Repeat until complete, ending with a tortilla and any remaining cheese. Put in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle on diced black olives on top (optional)

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 602
Total Fats: 13g
Saturated Fats: 5g
Cholesterol: 114mg
Sodium: 1,250mg
Total Carbohydrates: 55g
Fibre: 11g
Sugar: 15g
Protein: 60g
Iron: 9mg