It's on....

After witnessing our amazing Train the Trainer event the other night I am officially "in training" for Part 2 which will be in about a month! Bryan, Sheila and even alumni- Matteo Tino were awesome last thursday and never, ever gave in. Nice.

I am recovering from a back injury that lasted about 7 weeks so I am weak and not very fit. I am now also pain-free, so it is time to get rocking.

In about 1 month, Roger, Adam and myself will be subjected to Train the Trainer 2009 Part 2.

Look for it on youtube.

btw: you can see some videos from Part 1 here: www.youtube.com/user/AllCanadianFitness#play/uploads

Ch...ch....ch....anges!

Well, today is Black Wednesday at The Studio. One of our most popular trainers (ever) has decided to hit the road and move to BC. It's only the most beautiful place in the world, I get it.....but STILL!

If you haven't heard yet, Sheila has just completed her last day at All Canadian Fitness (ever?). It goes without saying that we'll miss her. Boy are we going to miss her! In 3 years, she has gone from a brand new rookie trainer to one of the top fitness pros in the City (bar none) to a recruiter and trainer of trainers as well as a coporate fitness trainer and she has also been my faithful side-kick on many occasions on televison and radio (as well as on stage believe it or not)and she is my personal editor for the fitness columns that I write (by the way, it's pretty cool having your very own "editor").

Sheila has touched countless lives in her three years with us. She has become part of our extended family and she will be missed. Without a doubt, she will be successful at whatever it is she chooses to do out west. Good luck to a colleague, a true professional and a very dear friend.




(I just realized that the last part sounds like a eulogy! So, here is a photo from the archives from when Sheila and I performed together one night at a local bar........ did I mention that you are leaving the BEST JOB EVER, Ms. Fung?)

Top 10 Fitness Heroes!

I have been involved in Sports and Fitness for a long, long time. My first year of organized sports was 1973, which is 36 years ago. Wow. I was recently thinking of all of the people that have influenced me along to way to pro football and now to fitness professional and business owner. So here goes my Top 10 Fitness Heroes who influenced me to get where I am today.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger- A no-brainer. My background is Austrian and my dad gave me "Education of a Bodybuilder" when I was 14. To say it was life-altering would be an understatement.
2. Bobby Orr- When I first started playing hockey, he was in his prime. Even though he wasn't a Hab, he was the greatest ever. I read the book "Orr on Ice" when I was 7 and Bobby was shown LIFTING WEIGHTS in it.... in 1973!
3. My mom- My mom's favourite saying when we were growing up "You CAN....and you WILL!". Turning 80 soon, and she STILL hikes weekly on the bruce trail.
4. Douglas Brooks- Early in my personal training career, I met Doug at a lecture that he was giving and was so impressed with his ability to present material in a professional way that it showed me that I COULD be a pro at something I love. This was before email and Doug actually corresponded with me from California by WRITING! Wow.
5. Phil Kaplan- The "Master". When I became exposed to Phil's writing and teaching, it was like a cloud had parted and everything that I had done in 10 years as a fitness pro seemed like nursery school. The biggest influence on me since reading about Arnold 25 years earlier. Check him out at http://www.philkaplan.com/
6. JC Santana- I didn't even know what functional training was until I studied JC. Now that is the ONLY way that we train. Getting to know JC has been an honour and truly inspiring.
7. Walter Payton- Perhaps the hardest training athlete ever. This guy was class personified and he proved that you could be a really nice guy and absolutely demolish your opponents on the field of play.
8. Lance Armstrong- The HARDEST working and most inspiring athlete of all time! Not much to say about Lance except that I was just discovering my new favourite sport (cycling) as he was racking up Tour de France victories.
9. Monica Seles- Could YOU come back to pro sports after getting stabbed in the back (literally)? Monica is so mentally strong it's crazy.
10. Russ Riederer- Last,but certainly not least. My strength coach from Purdue University. Russ not only trained us, he trained WITH us. He wouldn't ask you to do anything that he would do himself. He looked sort of like Sgt. Rock and he went on to coach the Chicago Bears for 15 years!

Questions are the Answer

If you have ever been faced with adversity, you will know how frustrating it can be and how it feels like NOTHING is going your way......and everything stinks! Your whole focus is on the source of your adversity and it becomes your reality.

If you are human, then you have been in the above situation.

The cool thing is that you CAN control your focus! You can use a simple tool to make you FEEL better, more positive and ultimately in control. This tool is the QUESTION. When you ask a question, you cannot avoid the answer. When that happens, you have a new focus, you act differently and pretty soon you have a new reality.

The two POWER QUESTIONS that I teach people to use are:

1- What is GREAT about this situation? (It takes some practice to produce answers in this situation, but, they will come).

2- What can I do to make this situation better? (focusing on the solution, NOT, the problem).

Like anything, it gets easier and you will be better after some practice.