Exercise on a Schedule- So when is the best time to work out? There are pros and cons to exercising at all times of the day. A morning workout after a light breakfast is good because it kick-starts your metabolism, while afternoon exercises helps dissolve some of the stress and calories from the day. But the best time of all to exercise is when you can do it most consistently. Think of your day in terms of managing your priority, it gets scheduled first and everything else gets booked around it. 

Pop protein after you workout- When you exercise, your muscles get stressed and start to break down, which is a good thing. But if you don’t give them the raw materials they need to recover, they’ll break down more than you can build up. The fix? Protein! Protein helps your body repair protein structures. If you want to be stronger and faster, end your workouts with a handful of nuts or seeds. 

Follow the 30 minute rule- Seize your metabolic window of opportunity! You have only 30 minutes after your workout to give your body the nutrients it needs to recover. If you wait too long to refuel, your body becomes “over trained” and won’t repair itself equally to how much you worked out. Your stress hormones linger, and your muscles continue to break down. Bonus: Eating a post-workout snack within 30 minutes means your body uses the fuel more efficiently and is less likely to store it as fat. 

Up the antioxidant ante- Thurns out there is a downside to exercise: When your body is physically stressed and converting food into energy, it produces free radicals, which can damage cells but that doesn’t mean you should spend more time on the couch. Instead, make sure your post-workout meals are packed with free-radical-fighting antioxidants, which means eating more fruits and veggies. Broccoli and sweet peppers give a good dose of vitamin C, as well as nuts, seeds and avocado to replenish vitamin E. 

​Garb a bite beforehand- want to beat your time or score more points for your team? Then don’t go in hungry. Eat a light pre-workout snack that’s easy to digest to improve your performance. It will put some glucose into your bloodstream and give your muscles the fuel they need to function better. Try a banana, which is high in carbohydrates and low in fibre (you don’t want to eat a lot of fibre before a workout, because your digestion takes a back sear when you’re exercising. Other prefect pre-workout snacks include a rice cake with almond butter, half a peanut butter sandwich or a small bowl of oatmeal. 

​Mix hot and cold- If the cold weather keeps you indoors through the winter, you may want to trade the treadmill for a toque and head outside. A recent study shows that brown fat (yes its actually brown in colour) is activated when your body is exposed to cold temperatures. The colder the temperature, the more brown fat is burned to produce heat. The same study found you might want to warm up with a bowl of chili after your run: Capsinoids, found in chili peppers, also boost brown- fat activity and helps you burn more energy. 

Write these tips down, implement them and watch the boost in your workouts! 

We have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people recently and they are always interested in our story...so I thought I would share! 

May 2014
So I met this guy online, super cool, very good looking, outgoing and loves life. We started talking and became fast friends. He’s really into the gym, so not my life. We talk all the time and seem to have a lot in common. He’s such a cool guy, never negative and always happy. He calls me Miss Tiff and I call him Danner…how cute! We seem to speak in a different way than with others in the dating world. It was easy and light, no pressure and always positive. I really don’t see an interest in dating on either side, its just nice to have good conversations with someone so positive.
I told him about this other guy I went on a date with that I am really not interested in. He gave me some good tips on how to say “I’m really not interested!” and it seemed to work! We really like getting each other opinions on dating and having the other person’s perspective. We talk occasionally but he has now mentioned he has a girlfriend so I am going to back off as I respect their relationship.
 
September 2014
Well summer has come and gone and Dan messaged me. He’s back on the market and seems to be showing a lot of interest in Miss Tiff. I really haven’t thought much of it because I really don’t see me as his type.
 
September 6th, 2014
I am on my way to meet my friend Dan, we are going for breakfast to an Egg Smart. This is the first time we will be meeting and it will be nice to meet the face behind the phone. Two friends, great convo and breakfast…what could be better?
Breakfast was great, we spoke about my career, his schooling, my daughter Capri, our families, what we think is in our future and everything in between. Breakfast ended and I was on my way to meet a guy for a fun date down town. Dan was adamant about nothing coming of this date because apparently he knew me so well! (That’s the last date I went on because shortly after, Danner and Miss Tiff started dating, but we are not at the point in the story yet!)
 
October 2014
I told him tonight that I am off to Jamaica with my bestie and he said to have a great time! We texted each night while in Jamaica and I was able to fill him on the adventures we had for the day. By the end of the week my bestie said “Tiff, he totally likes you” and I denied it and said we are just good friends, “He’s just Danner”. So apparently I “Fell in love in Jamaica” (Not really) but while sitting in the airport waiting to leave I messaged Dan telling him that I met a boy!!! He played it off cool but deep down he was jealous (So he tells me later).
 
I am home now and missing the sun. Dan is messaging me about my day and asking how it is being home with Capri. I tell him I’m sad and missing Jamaica but love catching up with my daughter. Dan messaged back saying he missed me a lot while I was away and actually wanted to tell me something. At that moment my blood pressure sky rocketed….is he going to say what I think he is going to say? Yep…he totally did….he said he likes me and needs me to know before it was too late and I am snagged by another dude.
Wait …..WHAT! Dan likes me? Who would have thought!
After getting over the shock and of course digesting this new reality with my bestie I decided to meet Dan for dinner and a movie.
 
October 22nd, 2014
We had our first official date tonight, what a guy. He even opened my car door for me! Again, I see a difference in Dan, no pressure, just wants to spend time with me, is happy and people notice. It’s so refreshing to see his outlook on life and his love of life’s journey.
 
November 2014
We have been on a couple dates, they have all been really fun, he seems like a great guy. He really treats me with respect and always has my needs ahead of his own. My guards are coming down and I can see a future with him. Its hard for me to grasp how much he likes me. We shall see how this turns out!
 
My guards are fully down and Dan and I are officially dating. That progression seemed fast but I think that old saying goes “when you know you know”
Dan and I have great conversations and he loves to tell me about his time at the gym each day but he has never once mentioned setting up a meal plan for me, taking me to the gym, wanting to change me or my appearance. He loves me for me and I appreciate that very much. I have done this weight lose thing on my own for years, I don’t need a trainer, and besides they are so expensive.
 
November 22nd, 2014.
I finally let go of my pride and asked Dan for a meal plan. I have lost 35lbs on my own over the last couple of years but obviously this guy knows what he is doing to look as good as he does. So why not try it out.
It took a lot for me to admit I needed and wanted his help. I had to work through a lot of self-talk and emotions to say, “Ya I’ll take your help”. I’m hoping with everything in me that this works this time. I have struggled with weight all my life, maybe this is finally the key.
Well, here’s hoping!

That’s what I want to talk about in this blog, the importance of rest. One of the biggest mistakes I find myself and others in the past is not listening to our bodies and going too hard for too long. I understand and encourage when people get excited to reach their goals and change their lives for the better but we do need to remember that we are human and that we need rest just as much as action

For the Body- During our workouts we are damaging our bodies and breaking down the muscle fibers and when we eat and rest for the next 24-48hrs our bodies repair the damage and our muscles become stronger and harder. So In fact, it’s when we are resting that the positive effect of our workouts actually take effect. If you continue to work your muscles on an ongoing basis without proper rest, we risk damaging ourselves and minimizing the results of our training. Also remember when you work out, you are stressing your Immune system and thus are more susceptible to get sick.  For as long as I can remember, as a personal trainer and making fitness my number one priority, the only time I was ever sick was when I was training for a body building shows. I was so focused on results that I neglected taking the rest which my body needed, thus overworking my immune system and getting sick.
When your body is healing, your white blood cells can only do one task at a time. Example being, repairing your muscles or fight a virus. Therefor if you work out too hard for too long and don’t give yourself enough time to recuperate, your immune system defences will be down and you are more susceptible to catch whatever is going around. Always keep in mind that your fitness is a long distance run, not a sprint. The results will come in time. 

The mind- Start with the mind and the body will follow. Like with all things, your mental capacity and strength is extremely important in terms of fitness. Just like your body needs time to rest, you also need to rest your mind. Adequate sleep (Minimum of 8 hours) is extremely important as this is the time your body uses to heal itself. If you don’t give your mind the time it needs to rejuvenate you will lose focus, you will become stressed, your cortisol levels will rise which pushes your body to hold on to stored fat because of stressed adrenal glands. Stress has other major negative effects on your body. In extreme cases, one can become addicted to health and will start to self-hate and never be satisfied with any results. You will become your own worst critic and you will start to obsess over caloric intake and expenditure.
I really encourage you to take time focusing on other things outside of your fitness. Meditate, pray, spend time with friends and family, listen to music ect. All of these things will have a major positive effect on your mental psyche. By concentrating on these other areas during down time, you can then be 100% mentally once back at it. 

​The Spiritual- Last but not least is the most important, the spiritual. Our bodies are a gift from God and as good stewards we need to take care of them. Along with exercise and eating healthy, we also need to take time to rest and rejuvenate. From a biblical perspective, God intentionally punctuates life with different rhythms. He created the rhythms of night and day. He designed the body to function on a rhythm of waking and sleeping. He made different seasons of the rest. He established the rhythm of rest, renewal and worship through the Sabbath. He instituted the rhythm of feasts, festivals and ordinances for his people to gather, pause, celebrate and worship. Taking time to seek, rest and recover not only has health benefits, it also reminds us that God is God- and we are not him. We are also reminded that the world can and does continue without us. 

In conclusion, I would really encourage you all to take my words and “Take a rest”! Have a least one day a week with no gym. If you are an individual who trains 5 days a week or more I would suggest training opposing muscle groups to reduce the likelihood of over training a certain muscle group. Be sure to stretch, take a hot bath, and spend time with family!