WOW! What a year!

Hey everyone,

As the holiday season quickly approaches, I feel like it's time to wrap up the year with some notable mentions. I have to say that it's been one heck of a year, and with all the ups and downs, I want to start 2010 with positivity, optimism, and some major ass whoopin'!

Let me start by saying that it's time to update you with what's new and exciting. First, as some of you may know, my amazing client Chris McGrath has some big news..he hit his second major training goal of losing 200 lbs!! WOW!! Actually he lost 201.6 lbs, 20 days ahead of schedule. Holy moly that's insane...a big congratulations my friend. For those of you who have not yet heard the story, Chris McGrath came to train with me 22 months ago, weighing 435 lbs. As of his last assesment, he weighed in at 233.4 lbs. Simply awesome. The funny thing is that this is just the beginning...i've created a monster and as the new year approaches, new goals and new horizons will also be created.

Another amazing mention is the upcoming release of the Booty Camp Fitness workout DVD, which I had the pleasure of prepping Sammie and her staff. They did insanely well and i'm proud of each and every one of them!! You rock Sammie!!

I hope you all enjoy the end of this wonderful year, and take time to enjoy it with people you love...your friends, family, and your favorite trainers ;)

Cheers to 2009, and see you all in the New Year!

Sebastien

Keep on Track with a Pedometer!

Welcome back summer!

What a beautiful day, and what a way to get going with your fitness after such miserable weather.
I just recently bought a pedometer for use with my clients, which turns out is a fantastic way to track just how much walking one does in a given time. It is a great and affordable way to add a new dimension to your fitness plan. I think I spent $14 on mine, and it has already paid for itself in quantitative data gathering with my clients (I like numbers).

At first, I was somewhat hesitant to use this seemingly boring little device, which can't send email, make coffee, or tweet me (three things I seem to need to do daily). What it can do however, is generate a total number of steps that a person takes. How is this useful? Let's put this into context. If a person works 9-5 in an office, and takes a break for lunch, is busy with normal life stuff, that person will have a certain number of steps associated with that activity and lifestyle. That person's total step count would be totalled, and they would be categorized by activity levels.

The activity levels are as follows:

2000 steps is equal to 1 mile or 1.6 kilometers

10000 steps is equal to 5 miles or 8 kilometers

A Person who walks 10000 steps will burn 2000-3500 calories/week (depending on weight and other factors).

While walking does not seem too difficult, there is a growing movement for movement (I know, not the best wordplay). Bad jokes aside, the benefits of walking are numerous including:

- great for stress relief
- weight bearing activity
- good for the ole bones
- great cardiovascular activity for endurance
- an opportunity to be outside and smell the roses
- can be done by yourself or with groups
- can track your steps with your pedometer, and challenge yourself each week

Here's to a great summer everyone! Go outside and walk your buns off!


Your's in Health,

Sebastien

Reflection need not only be in the mirror

Hello all,

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. What a beautiful city...canals everywhere, fresh air, great cafe's, museum's, and art exhibits. My friends and I took a trip there as a pseudo "guy's trip", plus we got a ridiculously cheap plane ticket, and the only downside is that we had to stop over in Iceland...how sweet is that?

During my trip, I saw people everywhere on bicycles, eating fresh food, and shopping for groceries every day. I thought to myself, why don't we do this back at home?? This is how life should be! Everyone in the city seems content to cycle to their destinations, and some manage to use their cell phones, and possibly iPods at the same time...now that's coordination!

Now where was I? Right...I began to look at myself from the 'Outside-In'. Sounds weird yes, but let me explain. When you're in another place or country, life is different. I don't have to wake up early in the morning to train anyone, or deal with people's fitness concerns, or do anything related to my job. That was nice! That's something I have never done before, even in past trips. I also realized that in the bigger picture, I have a responsibility to 'care' for people that i'm working with, and that's the fine print in my job description, and the part that they don't tell you when you start working. I always strive to put the "Personal" back in Personal Training, and it allows me to work with my clients on other levels other than sets and reps. But there is a serious consequence...and I've realized that for me to take great 'care' of my clients, I have to take care of myself first and foremost.
Now dosn't that sound so selfish? And that would also be the advice I might give others when we discuss their lives. I've neglected to focus on the guy that makes this all gel together for goal achievement. Ah how the universe comes full circle.

So what now then? Here's the bottom line. First, i'm going to whoop my clients' asses since i'm refreshed from a lovely week off, and i'm sure they've missed me (or not!). Second, I will continue to plan world domination, and tick off my personal goals, and lastly eat brocolli daily for fibre, anti-oxidants, and good health.

I recommend to everyone out there that you should take time to reflect on your life from the 'Outside-In', and make sure that you are doing what is right for you first. When you are well, everyone around you will glow!

Your's in Health,

Sebastien

The end, or just the beginning...

Just wanted to share a quick story about one of my clients, Chris McGrath. Today, he hit another milestone in his fitness journey. He accomplished his goal. Dosn't sound like a big deal does it? Maybe I should explain what has happened...


We all talk about goals. We make them, write them down, stick them on the fridge, tell our friends, and promise ourselves that we will try our best to get them accomplished. Fitness is finnicky..and goals seem to fall apart when our lives get busy and stressfull. Tonight, on May 6, 2009, Chris achieved his goal that he set out one year ago.

As a professional trainer, it's moments like these that make it all worth it for me. This is my bread and butter, the creme de la creme. The Super Bowl of client achievement. Please take a moment and read the summary of Chris' last year of fitness. Enjoy :)

Very proud of you Chris, keep up the amazing work! You rock, plain and simple.

Yours in Health,

Sebastien

So, it didn't happen last week. But it happened tonight.I set a goal for September 18, and when Sebastien weighed me for the first time tonight , I hit it right on the nose.Talk about precision. How very 'Virgo' of me!He then had me step on the scale for a second time, so that I could get a copy of the printout for myself. And on the second weigh in, I passed the goal by almost another pound.I'll take either one.So how do I feel?Fan-freakin'-tastic!!!And so I should. I worked my ass off to get to this place. And even though I've arrived at this amazing milestone -- I haven't weight this much since my second year of university (1993... that's 15 years ago) -- I've got so much more ahead of me. But I'm not going to worry too much about that right now. I'm going to bask in the glow of my accomplishment. I'm going to savour the feelings of pride, satisfaction, and elation. Almost a year to the day that I first met Sebastien for my consultation, I've shattered my own expectations. I'm pretty sure I blew his out of the water too.
So here's the progress I've made.
I've lost 137 pounds since I weighed my heaviest (January 07-ish)
I've lost 125 pounds since I made the choice to take control and get healthy (December 07)
Since the time that I started letting Sebastien weigh and measure me for progress, I've lost:
100 pounds of fat (since June 08)
51 inches of fat from my body (since October 08)
The feeling that I don't have control of my own life.

Since that same time, I've gained:
An unmeasured amount of muscle.
The admiration of my friends and people around me.
The ability to look at myself in the mirror and like what I see.
A renewed sense of pride and love for who I am in this crazy crazy world.And to celebrate all I've accomplished, I'm gonna have a beer. And I want you to have one, too. One of the best things about all this hard work, is that I've never completely deprived myself of anything. One night a week (normally the night I train with Sebastien), I indulge. I eat pizza. Or, I have a burger (from Square Boy on Danforth... they deep fry the bacon!!! Grrrr....) I always give myself the opportunity and the permission to indulge, and enjoy the things I crave. Ironically, giving in for that one night a week makes me crave those bad things less and less. So, tonight, I'm having a beer.And it has never tasted sweeter.And that's pretty much all I have to say right now. Words cannot describe how I feel. Actually, they can. Two words do it. Plain and simple:Kia kaha.These words have never meant more to me than they do right now. Love and gratitude to my sister for giving me the gift of the knowledge and power of these two words.Love and props to the folks at Riverdale Fitness who make me feel incredible and supported every time I walk through the door for my workouts 6 days a week.Love and admiration to friends, family, co-workers, and random blog readers for support and encouragement.Love and respect to Sebastien for helping me to find the immeasurable strength and determination to conquer my greatest challenge, face my biggest fear, and be my best possible self.That said, I'm gonna go enjoy my beer.Stay strong, dear friends. Stay strong.

Make a run for the border...

I hope everyone had a great weekend with the warm weather, and even with the semi-cataclysmic weather on Saturday following all the sunshine! I actually love when it rains and storms, as it creates great snoozing and lazyness.
On Saturday, I took the opportunity to go for a jog on the Boardwalk in the Beaches, on Toronto's lovely lake area. I thoroughly enjoyed my run and really felt the fresh air and sun for the first time this year...and got so carried away in the moment, that I jogged for around 12 km! For some this may seem like a walk in the park, and for others it may sound like a monumental achievement...for me, it was nuts. I love running, but many wise people would suggest to start slowly in running season, and progressively add speed or distance carefully. As a result, my legs feel like hamburger (lean of course), and i've discovered new forms of walking to alieviate the soreness.

The lesson here: START SLOW! Taking time to allow your body to get used to the impact and stress of running will decrease the chance of injury, and keep you motivated to run year-round.

Here are a few pointers from some running experts:

- For true beginners, begin by using a Treadmill and get comfortable walking at a brisk pace, until you can build up to a steady jog

- For outdoor runners, consider using an outdoor track. You can measure the distances and challenge yourself well with various routines, as well as get outside

- For avid runners and marathoners, prepare a detailed outline that organizes your running schedule from the beginning to the race date.

- No matter what you do, consider Interval Training using walk/jog intervals, either with heart-rate or time periods...this is one of the most effective ways to train

The moral of the story...begin slowly, take time to stretch after every race, and beware those moments of glory that make you run like the wind, and sore like a rusty barn door. Then, write it all down somewhere and stick it on your fridge to remind you of what you did ;)

Yours in Health,

Sebastien Rahman

Stick with it! Sometimes getting from A to B is not a straight line

It's been some time since I last posted, but i've had a zillion things happen in my life, some of them good, some of them bad, some happy, some very sad...but what a journey its been.

Many of you who know me will understand that outside my usual comical and sarcastic self, i'm quite a teddy bear on the inside. For those who don't know me, i'd recommend it...i'm a fun fella ;)

I often write about my experiences in my job, and i've noticed another trend that made me want to write about it. In fitness, you may see magazine ads of people who start a magic diet system and 'presto!' 15 lbs in 15 days...or someone starts working out with some magic fat-loss pills and 'voila!', 10 lbs in 20 days. In training, people ask me how long it will take to get to their desired goal. I have always had some concerns with the expectations that my clients have of me when they hire me, and this phenomenon needs to be talked about. I dislike contending with the Fitness Marketing industry for what it does to disaccociate people with sensible fitness, and connect them with flaky, gimmicky fitness expectations. I want people to understand that fitness is best done (and accomplished) when it is a part of your lifestyle, and not to be thought of as a short-term thing.

Let me start by saying that I too feel that with x amount of effort should = x results, but in reality such is not always the case. Sometimes, we need to give it time for our hard work to show the benefit and results of our efforts. In fitness, when people tell me their goals, I have to be brutally honest as to what I think is going to happen. Sometimes people don't like what I have to say, and sometimes people don't even agree with my opinion (that's ok too), but i'm not usually wrong so here's my point: Getting from A to B is not always a straight line.

Here are some examples from some people i've worked with (Real people, not real names):
-Mr.Bob wants to lose 20 lbs. After 3 weeks, he is UP 2 lbs...yikes!
-Mrs. Glenn wants to lose 10 lbs for a wedding. After 2 weeks, she is the same (gasp).
-Mr.Rutherford wants to put exercise into his lifestyle. After 3 weeks, he has worked out twice. (note my hands praying towards the heavens)
-Ms.Jane is bummed out at life and wants to get fit

The point: exercise is about change, and change takes time. Physiologically, you have to give your body time to adapt to the new internal environment (metabolism etc). In lifestyle terms, you have to give your body and your mind time to adjust to new activities. In emotional terms, you have to accept that you may be a new you after a while(!). You have to STICK WITH IT to fully reap the rewards of exercise and all its benefits. My client Chris McGrath wrote a neat piece on 'Showing Up'..you should all read it, i'm sure it hits home with many people, and he is a wonderful example of someone who stuck with it during his transformation.

So what happened to those people after 1 year of exercise who stuck with it?
-Mr.Bob lost 44 lbs
-Mrs.Glenn lost 35 lbs
-Mr.Rutherford now exercises three times per week, cycles twice, and does yoga one per week.
-Ms.Jane got fit, got happy, and became a personal trainer

It's irritating to hear another person say "in these tough times bla bla bla..." you just have to STICK WITH IT, and you will reap the rewards.

Yours,

Sebastien

Ah the mystery: Atlantis, Stonehenge, the Loch Ness Monster, and Weight Loss

I've noticed over the years that there's one recurring theme in my job, and it inevitably leads to great conversation, sometimes debate, and even sometimes shouting and hair-pulling (me pulling my own of course). My clients, friends, and people I meet daily often ask me, "How the heck do I lose weight...and how do I keep it off?", or "What should I eat?" or "Shoud I eat cabbage and vinegar soup?". Ugh.
My answer is (and always will be): A healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a well-balanced diet will help manage your weight. Oh yeah, some serious fitness kickboxing never hurt either! Seems simple no? Apparently not.

Everyone has some sort of story or past experience with diets. Seems like there's always an easy answer that someone could offer you in a paragraph or less. Many people seem to think that there are guaranteed easy ways, and I do admit that they do what they claim they will do, but at what cost? I'd like to chat about some of those people today.

WARNING: You may be motivated to get your s#*t together after reading up on some of these wacky innovations.

My goal in this blog is to motivate you to EXERCISE correctly, and think twice when the Quick Fix siren is whispering sweet promises in your ear.

Dr.Bernstein Diet and Health Clinics: Calorie restriction, energy restriction, physical ability restriction at it's finest. Lost weight, vitamin injections and lost strength...is it really worth it in the short-term? Can you maintain the lost weight in the long-term? Some would say yes, but I don't think so.
Why do I bash Dr.B? Because the human body was never meant to be so restrictive, and we humans need calories to perform physical activity. Health Canada says we need a certain amount of calories for optimal physical function too. Next.

Isagenix: cleansing your clock from the inside out. Who would of thought that we'd see the day when you can do a cleanse AND annoy your friends with network marketing at the same time! Weight loss and pyramid schematics together at last. The future is here folks. The idea behind Isagenix is that they recommend that you go through a phase where you cut out alcohol, starchy carbs, milk and dairy products, and take supplements in the form of patented shakes, bars, tonics, and potions. I wonder if someone should invent something along the lines of a healthy lifestyle, with the same principals of healthy eating and exercise...hmm I think we're onto something. Why do I bash Isagenix,? I believe that if a person decides to do a cleanse, it should be medically supervised, not just by your friends, the internet, or by the nutrition store employee who sold it to you. People get all confused about what a cleanse is actually for...all of a sudden, it's for weight loss. Next.

Atkins diet: Wow..if you want to see what's wrong with this diet, check out the 'Atkins Food Pyramid'. I dont agree that it's ok to reduce carbohydrate intake and replace it with high fat and protein sources. This is a recipe for physiological disaster. Atkins may allow you to eat whatever you want (specially fatty and tasty foods) lose weight and body fat, but at the cost of healthy hearts and organs. There's even some rumors that the founder, Robert Atkins died of heart complications, although the media has only released that he died after slipping on some ice. Why do I bash Atkins? Common sense. All-you-can-eat bacon-and-mayonnaise-and-steak-with-a-diet-coke is not a diet. Period.

What I don't often complain much about:
Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, The Zone Diet, South Beach Diet: Join the program, join the support group, contact your food addiction sponsors, and make confessions to the pseudo food priests...its actually not such a bad idea. Talking is good, and more information about attaining a healthy lifestyle is very helpful. The downside? Consumers can become perpetual dieters, and can develop a dependency for food programs. We should all take some time to learn about food...and ourselves.

So what do I think will really work? How am I different? Here's my list of things that will improve your lifestyle without shady promises or miracles. All that I can say is that you will have a more fulfilling life with the ability to do anything your sweet little heart desires. Your only limitation in life is strength. Getting stronger = freedom.

Here's some ideas:

• set BIG goals: test your mettle and get vicarious results. Everest anyone?
• lift weights: get strong and get moving. Then go further. Then have a yummy coffee
• martial arts, dance, yoga, or anything else physically challenging
• get outside: "run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must but whatever you do just keep moving" (Dean Karnazas, Runner)
• play: have fun and laugh...others will like you more too
• do different things: stop being bored and get more excited. Life is short, enjoy it
• love your loved ones: that's the simple one :)

The final answer is to commit to your health in all aspects of your life.

Who loves ya?

Sebastien