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The gym is a scary place for most of us—insecurities are triggered and there are a lot of unknowns—the equipment, exercises, the people, the change rooms and the etiquette. It’s also important to note that we may have experienced some kind of discrimination or harassment based off of being a member of a marginalized community. Here I am going to lie out some general guidelines to make this transition into the gym easier. Before the workout: What to pack in the bag: Pack a towel to wipe your sweat and place on benches. Also bring your own water bottle and music—I find this helps keep you “busy” when you’re trying to figure out your next step. Bring your own lock for the lockers where you store your belongings and clothes. Gym attire: You don’t have to “care” about what you look like in the gym, but you do need to be comfortable. Have a plan: Get a tour of the place beforehand, so you know the lay out. Schedule a session with a trainer and replicate that workout on your own afterward or look up some sample workouts online. During the workout: If you haven’t yet gotten a tour of the gym, ask for one now from the front desk. The main goal is to leave feeling accomplished and positive, not exhausted and defeated. Start light with the exercises and gradually increase the weight every set afterward (if needed). Every gym has the unwritten courtesy rules. I have created a “Getting Started” Manual for you, which lays out some common gym etiquette rules to help you navigate the space. You can get it here . After the workout: Clean everything you used. Don’t leave your lock on the locker—take everything with you. The lockers are typically day-use only and they will cut the lock and place your belongings in the lost and found at the end of the day. Put shower towels in designated area as a courtesy of staff and other gym members.

Getting started in your new fitness regime is equally exciting and daunting. Motivation is high with new steps being taken, but we’re typically not sure where to turn. Here are 3 tips to remember: 1) Something is better than nothing You will have a lot of information accessible to you. Keep it simple and don’t over analyze everything. Start with walks outside, one new nutritional habit, one workout you found or start with one session with a trainer. 2) Determine goals, monitor progress Goal setting is commonly, poorly defined. Really hone into what you want. Weight loss? Cool. How much, by when and why? Strength? Cool. How much, by when and why? More muscle.. confidence.. or energy? Cool. How much, by when and why? Once you’re clear on your goals, make sure you track the necessary information for your goals to showcase progress over time. 3) Try something new You never know what you will enjoy or feel empowered by. Try a new class, a new exercise modality or a new style of working out. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again. Questions? Send me a message by clicking, here .

Chasing that muscle soreness you feel after a workout is a popular phenomenon for gym novice to advanced people alike. I too find gratification from some that post workout soreness.  But what is the soreness and why shouldn’t it be a factor we associate with a good workout?   What is DOMS?   The soreness you feel 24-48 hours after a workout is referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).  This is experienced when you perform a new exercise, new workout, lift heavier weight, lifting at a different tempo or repeating a workout you haven’t done in a while. This typically feels like stiff or tender muscles—more generalized across an area.   Dean Somerset notes: if you are experiencing soreness longer than 3 days, without any decrease, your training plan could be flawed. This can mean poor form, improper volume (sets, reps, weight) and a risk of hurting yourself.     If intensity was appropriate, it’s also important to note, just because you’re not sore after a workout, doesn’t mean it wasn’t good – it is an indicator that your body is becoming familiar with the exercise and, importantly, you are recovering well. I can note times where week 1 in a program with performing squats created soreness, but week 8 I didn’t feel much soreness—yet I was lifting much heavier weight.   So, how can you gauge the quality of a workout? It’s important to first acknowledge what your goals are; Do you want to lose body fat? Gain muscle? Gain strength? Sleep better and have more energy? You want to acknowledge this because progress towards your goals is an indicator of a good workout. Muscle soreness, though popular, isn’t the best indicator of a “good” or “productive” workout.   If you’re finding it hard to recover (too sore) between workouts, this can also affect your performance in the next workout, hindering possible benefits. This may also be a sign that the intensity isn’t appropriate and/or your recovery isn’t great.    And honestly, it isn’t hard to make yourself sore. It’s actually requires more skill to construct a workout that challenges your limits, without making you feel like you fell down a flight of stairs.   For example, I could do 100 squats and probably be sore the next day or I get a client to do 100 push-ups, but that doesn’t mean it was benefiting us. If the goal is “to be sore”, you could do 100 box jumps and eventually whack your shin on the edge of the box—I mean, goal achieved right? (Maybe a little dramatic, yeah? LOL).   Post workout soreness is one way to measure workout intensity, but it isn’t the end all be all tools. I sometimes compare DOMS to BMI; it gives you one measurement, but isn’t necessarily the best tool available for body composition.   A good workout is should be more focused on getting the body stronger, more mobile, flexible and energetic, and closer to your goals over just sore and exhausted.

This old cougar has been in the fitness industry since 2011. A client made this joke and I still get a giggle out of it. Working closely with people on their fitness I have done some reflection on how my ideas and methods have changed, and what wish I was more aware of on Day-1. Do not push your own beliefs onto a client I do regret the days I unintentionally placed my own biases onto clients. Yes, they hired me to coach, guide and support them towards their goals. (THEIR goals lol) I also believe a client has the right to their own autonomy and what they feel is right for them. You deserve the whole experience and to try new things that interest you. So for example, if I am against Chiropractic work (I’m not), and you’re talking about booking with a Chiropractor, I am not going to shoot the idea down. You enjoy going out for drinks (me too). Unprompted, I am not going to tell you to stop drinking if you want to reach your goals. Do you even want to give that up? Are there other areas you’re willing to change? If I believe Gluten is bad (I don’t), I am not going to be stressing you to “get off gluten” when you don’t have an intolerance to it. If you want to try Keto, paleo, etc., I will have a discussion with you about it, and I will ask if you want my opinion. I won’t just interject and say, “Don’t waste your time, eat in moderation.” Because honestly, What if you like it? What if you get great results? What if that is something you need to learn about for yourself? Is it even in my scope of practice? LOL If you want my opinion as your Trainer, I’ll give it. You have the right to make choices for yourself and ask for my opinion, if and when you want it. You should always be in control of your body autonomy.

It’s a great question. This came up at the Rising Strong Retreat and again recently during a discussion on focusing less on others and more on ourselves, because the “Comparison Trap" is a real battle, but a losing one. 1) Less Judgement The heavier feelings some of us may have when comparing “Present Us” to “Past Us”, is common. IMO if we are doing this, looking bad with less judgment helps. I know—sounds cheesy. But often an initial response we have is to criticize ourselves. 2) Less Comparison Altogether? Our body’s appearance and abilities are changing continuously, whether we jive with it or not—we weigh differently at different times of the day. Our bodies look different upon movement, than at rest. And our body’s looks, needs and abilities will also change given our environment and with time. But I like to remind myself that whatever changes are happening physically, they do not actually make me any more or less of a person—better or worse. So, maybe we need to stop comparing our bodies, to even our own bodies, allowing us to just be present—to just be? I’m not sure. 3) Seek Professional Help Talking with a professional to help navigate this space may further help. Some may offer phone or online services, with sliding scale options. This is just scratching the surface of a much bigger, nuanced conversation(s). We are all human, experiencing our own versions. We’re all doing our best right now. You’re awesome.

I sat and had a coffee with a client for two hours. We had not seen each other since November, but remained in contact here and there. The theme of the two hours was: It’s hard to juggle everything and you shouldn’t feel shame or guilt because you cannot workout right now—internally or from someone else. “If it’s important to you, you’ll make it happen—make yourself a priority.” I agree with the sentiments. Our health needs to be a priority in our life. But as my responsibilities have shifted over the years, no longer is my time, just “my time”. So I have realized the sentiments are just not that simple. We ALL have access to DIFFERENT hours and energy levels in a day. As Fitness Coach Karen Preene notes, some people need access to childcare, ensure employee’s needs are met and their bosses are happy. They have romantic partners to show up for, friendships to nourish, and parents and loved ones to care for, finances, disabilities and illness to manage. I have clients trying to manage all of it. Myself—trying to nurture friendships, show up for my common-law partner and run my fitness business can be a tough balance. Also trying to make sure an older family member gets to their medical apts, while you’re retaining their own medical conditions (for their benefit and yours), helping them with groceries, haircuts, prepping their food and paying their bills is a completely different layer. So when someone tells me “time” is their biggest barrier to exercise… it’s not an excuse…it’s a reality. If time is a barrier and you want exercise in your current routine, make it work for you. Sometimes that is walking/running, taking a class, YouTube yoga or fitness classes at home. Home programs/online training… sometimes booking time with a Personal Trainer is what you need in your schedule to keep you consistent. Just don’t feel shame or like you don’t care, if you’re struggling to find time to “make yourself a priority”. Also -- If you’re someone who is taking on the role of a Caregiver for a loved one… the very nuanced levels of love, gratitude, guilt, chaos and exhaustion you may feel, while trying to efficiently blend that into your own calendar needs/wants… I want to say you’re doing great. Note: Karen Preene's work has made me do a deep-dive into this concept. Follow them for more great information. Click here.

I was defeated—frustrated by the exercise. “This is stupid—just pull your-self up”, I would tell myself. "Just do the damn thing." After months (years) of work/consistency, one seemingly random day, my head when over the bar—“Wait, what just happened!”? It wasn’t until much later on I realized it was never just about the pull-up. I always admired the people who could perform the pull-ups. From an early age I always associated pull-ups with the people I saw performing them—muscular, athletic, popular, strong and “fit”. So if I could perform pull-ups—then I must be like them. For years I thought I wanted to accomplish the exercise—after accomplishing the goal I realized what I actually wanted to overcome narratives the exercise represented to me—“you’re weak, not athletic… not good enough.” This is a foundation of why I got into this industry; to show others who identify as not having a strong athletic ability or those having some form of anxiety when getting started, regardless of past experience, who maybe don’t feel like they’re “enough”… that they have actually been that all along. I do that through fitness.

I use to stretch religiously after workouts for the purpose of minimizing soreness. This is still a common idea. Studies have shown that post workout stretching doesn’t actually affect post workout soreness. Author and Researcher, Alex Hutchinson cites a study done back in 1986 in Amsterdam, where they tested muscle soreness days after a workout. Participants performed strenuous exercises with one leg and not the other. One of the tests used electrodes to record electrical activity in each pair of legs, and no soreness was found. This ended the 1960’s theory of delayed onset muscle soreness. The theory is that that after heavy exercise, damaged muscles go into spasm, decreased blood flow and caused discomfort. This is when the stretching theory came to life to help offset the hypothetical spasms. Sounds logical. Studies have been done since then—one in 2009 with Australian rowers. One group rested for 15 minutes following a stair workout, while the others stretched for 15 minutes; a week later they switched. Over the three days following the workout, they found no difference in strength, soreness or blood levels of creatine kinase (marker of muscle damage). So it seems based off studies, stretching doesn’t actually help post workout soreness. What good is stretching then? Stretching might not play a role in decreasing soreness, but it does still affect muscle flexibility and joint mobility. This is important when you’re trying to minimize injury and ease of exercise flow upon performing. Stretching after a workout has also shown optimal results for improving flexibility. I know when I perform yoga regularly I can more easily, get into squat and deadlift positions—and lift heavier (research doesn't support stretching = being able to lift more heavier weights). So, how do you decrease soreness? Light activity to the muscles helps blood flow increase in those areas, speeding up recovery. If clients come in with sore legs, I will get them to walk on the treadmill or bike lightly for 5 minutes, foam roll and follow gentle leg and hips stretches. This typically also relieves the soreness. Sleep/rest/time is also important. So if you’re spending a lot of time after a workout stretching, that’s great—just don’t be surprised if you’re still feeling sore days later. Add some light activity and gentle dynamic movements to speed up that recovery process. References: Alex Hutchinson’s book, “Which Comes First: Cardio or Weights?”

I hope you’re feeling motivated today, but in case you’re struggling, here is a reminder that when we set out to reach our goals, from what I experienced myself and when working with others, is we often overlook the preparation of struggle—that not every day will be a “good day”. Recognizing that we are not defined by our choices—we slip up, make mistakes, and life throws curve balls. We are human and we can’t be or do all the things, all the time. We need to give ourselves a break. Story Time: There was a time a client came into the gym expressing they caught a cold. Minutes into the session I could tell something else was going on beyond a common cold. “Can we go outside today?” they questioned. Walking around for almost 30 minutes we sat down at a park bench. They sighed, “I am afraid I have lost everything—everything I worked hard for. I feel like I physically went back 3 years.” As I continued to listen to them speak, I felt such heaviness because I empathized so strongly—feeling weak, ashamed and afraid. We wont always have a “good day”, “good week” or “good month”. But planning for struggle doesn’t necessarily make it easier either. The feelings are real and valid. Sometimes reframing the situation from “perfection” to “progress” can help—and seeking the help of a professional in this area. Reframing our perception by consistently doing our best. Maybe it’s walking, a 20-minute workout, sleeping or ensuring 1 meal that day has vegetables. Whatever it is, we need to approach this through compassion. Because your best is all we can deliver on—and our best can change and will look different that from anyone else’s.

If you’re making the decision to change your body from an aesthetic or performance perspective on your own volition, nutrition is going to play some form of role. If you’re looking to lose weight, you will need to track calories to ensure you are eating less than you burn. At least momentarily. If you’re looking to gain weight (or muscle), you will need to track calories to ensure you’re in an appropriate surplus. At least momentarily. If you’re looking to enhance your performance, you will need to track calories to ensure you’re eating enough for those goals and in some cases, the timing of the calories. At least momentarily. In the realm of body change, calories do matter, but not everyone needs to count them. I also think the cause and effect of your calorie counting matters. Why are you doing it? Does it cause you stress when you’re doing it? Does it cause you stress when you don’t do it? Do you need it to feel in control? I think these are important questions to ask. Do I do it personally? Occasionally. On a general basis I do not count calories. Years ago when I was easing into “moderate eating”, I tracked for a few weeks as an educational tool. This helped me gauge how many calories are in the foods I am eating, where I should fall, and how it feels when I am eating around that mark. Eventually I was able to eat more intuitively and moderately because I knew what “full” and “hungry” felt like. However, I track calories temporarily when I want to make some body changes to ensure I am on the right path. This helps me continuously be aware of what and how much I am consuming. Because I can be forgetful, it also helps me to continuously be aware of how many calories make up certain foods—boiled eggs, chocolate almonds, chicken or wine for example. “The debate over counting or not counting is silly. It’s kind of like asking do you need to read the road signs when you are driving? If you don’t know the way, not reading the road signs could get you lost or hurt. However, if you know the way, you probably wont even notice the signs.” - Doctor Jade Teta When you are just starting out and struggling to reach your goals, you will need to start paying closer attention to the dietary specifics. Intuitive eating – “eating in moderation” is a learned skill. “To develop intuition requires a lot of practice and real world experience. Intuition is the unconscious integration of multiple senses along with past experiences. It is impossible to be intuitive without first having some experience with the thing you claim to be able to do without thought.” Doctor Teta Cause and Effect: Issues worth noting Does counting cause you stress? Then probably don’t do it. Does counting give you a sense of control? Probably don’t do it, and seek advice from a professional in this area. Are you doing it as an audit/educational tool? Probably okay. Does counting not take any mental space from you? You’re probably okay. Is counting calories good or bad? I don't think it's yes or no. I feel do what feels best for you and if you need more guidance seek the assistance of a Registered Dietician or mental health specialist in this area if you have an unhealthy relationship with calories.

July 16th is a tough day. We all have moments in our life that will shake us so hard we change. 9 years ago yesterday was one of those days. It was the morning of July 16, 2010. My mom created a bunch of items I needed to check off before starting my last year at NAIT. As I headed out the door my mom said, “I’ll see you when you get home.” I later stopped at the gym to visit my best friend. Our laughter was interrupted by a call. I could tell by my dad’s voice something bad happened. The drive home was the longest drive I have ever done; yet probably the fastest I have ever drove. My mom passed away a couple hours after I walked out of the house. Death brings a lot of heaviness. Isolation. Numbness. It took time to realize that the death of a good friend—my mom—the one who initially planted the seed for me to peruse a career in fitness, gave me a gift in her death. The gift was new sense of strength and confidence. I didn’t realize until I read my NAIT Personal Fitness Trainer classmate's notes on one of my final assignments. Notes I have since held on to and can be summarized as: “I have watched you grow from a shy, quiet guy, into such a confident and strong person. After your presentation it was clear you were not the same person that walked into the first year classroom.” They were right; I wasn’t the same person who first walked into that program a year prior. If I could have my mom back today, without a seconds thought I would. But life sucks sometimes, and I can’t help but in a weird way, thank my mom; for giving me that rooted resilience in life. That no one, or any other situation could have ever brought. Also, though it’s tough, I can now look back and feel grateful because I know many others never had the privilege of 21 great years with their mom. Exercise is a great metaphor to life. So if you’re going through some BS right now, I think of it as a heavy set in your workout. It’s a lot. You don’t know if you can lift the weight. But you often do—You come out fine, maybe a little calloused, but stronger than last week. You got this.

Homophobia is very, very real. Prejudice against marginalized communities isn’t new news, and in this case I am discussing the LGBTQ+ community. Though the world has come a long way in it’s treatment of the community, there are still many countries in the world where it is a punishable offense or death for loving the person you care about who happens to be the same gender. For the sake of this article, I will be discussing homophobia around health and fitness—in the personal workout sense, but also in a professional space. The most recent mainstream cases of homophobia would be from Gus Kenworthy—one of first openly gay athletes to compete in the Olympics for Team USA. Gus is active on social media and during his competition in the 2018 Winter Olympics shared his experience, which included his boyfriend. Gus made note of some of the comments showing up on his YouTube channel. The slurs were hateful and derogatory, but could be summed up as, “It’s 2018—homophobia doesn’t exist anymore. We get it—no one cares you’re gay.” Parker Molloy wrote a piece on the issue stating, “no one sent ‘nobody cares that you’re straight’ comments to straight athletes posting about their significant others or families. It’s almost like they do care that he’s gay.” Gus chose to showcase this as an example that, yes, it’s 2018 and homophobia is alive—particularly in sports. There was an online study, which polled 9,500 people (75% LGBTQ+) in six English-speaking countries — United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The data shows 81% of the Canadians surveyed witnessed or experienced homophobia in sports, while 84% of gay men and 88% of lesbians faced slurs. Over 85% per cent of Canadian LGBTQ+ youth reported they were not open about their sexuality with their teammates. I never had a divested interest in sports growing up myself, but figure skating did grab my attention. “Figure skating is for girls, boys play hockey” is what I was told. Let me take this moment to acknowledge first openly gay Winter Olympic gold medallist, Eric Radford in figure skating and the Women’s Team USA taking home the gold medial in hockey in 2018. Homophobia is a common issue in LGBTQ+ members reaching their health and fitness goals as well. Anxiety is common among most gym goers, but much of the anxiety in the gym comes from valid concerns surrounding fitness culture. Many marginalized groups are still not fully accepted or represented in these spaces. Outside of a workout perspective, homophobia runs in the workplace as well. A new report based on YouGov research with 3213 LGBTQ employees, found that over a 1/3 of LGBTQ people at work have hidden their identity out of fear of discrimination from colleagues (this number rises to 42% for Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBTQ+ staff, and 51% for trans staff). Workplace bullying/harassment continues to be an issue with close to 1/5 of LGBTQ+ people at work having faced negative comments or conduct from co-workers because of their sexuality or gender identity. Carlito Pablo wrote an article in March 2018, explaining the alleged discrimination by a Vancouver gym manager and co-owner against a gay fitness coach. The article states the employer allegedly said that he will “not hire anymore gay men because he was concerned that they would hit on him”. Also, the owner allegedly said “his life would be easier if he was gay because everyone would hit on him”. B.C. Human Rights Tribunal member Jacqueline Beltgens stated, the accused also noted that the claims are “exaggerated or untrue” but do not dispute that certain comments were made. The accused deny that the fitness coach was ever bullied, but assert that the comments made, were all intended to be light-hearted, and none of them were directed at the fitness coach. To the best of my knowledge, the matter is still being settled with the use of the tribunal’s mediation services. Regardless of the intent behind the comments (being “light-hearted” jokes), it was still at the expense of a person—a marginalized group of people. Though I was “late” to coming out—I came out in my early 20’s, homophobic slurs was something I was experiencing from as far back as I can remember. My biggest professional homophobic indecent was brought to my attention in 2015 when colleagues were using my sexuality as a form of attack on another colleague (who is straight and I barely knew). “No one should make you feel bad for the way you choose to live your life”, the culprits explained to me during the meeting. After listening to forced sounding apologies, my colleague and I looked them in the eye and asked, “Why, out of every one—all other coworkers—why did you choose me—why did you choose, Shane?” After many versions of, “I don’t know—it was just a joke taken too far”, I realized they couldn’t publicly admit that it was because I'm gay. I would describe the following months as awkward, but civil. There was now an "elephant in the room", I had to be alongside not just the homophobic messengers, but some colleagues who turned a blind eye and meetings that fell quiet. Up until that moment, I had the privilege of being a gay man, who never had to question whether or not my sexuality would be a problem in the workplace. Fitness Personality, Jillian Michaels describes how she had “lost a couple big campaigns and a couple magazine covers fell through”, after coming out publicly as a lesbian. Not all cases are so, in your face—I have been in this industry since 2011 and I can recall a fleeting moment where I am working with a client, then suddenly made part of another (straight) trainer’s narrative as he’s questioning his failed relationships adding, "...even Shane can find a woman.” There is a lot to unpack there, but for the topic of this article I will just reference the societal default of me being with a woman. At the time of writing this, I have been committed to another man for almost five years. I don’t place full ownership on this man, because he was a boy who grew up in a society where the expectation is, “men find themselves a woman.” Not to mention I now needed to navigate through a narrative I wasn't asked to be apart of during my client's session, as they are fully aware of the context. I also need to note that I didn't feel any malicious intent behind the comment, I feel it was made purely from a place of ignorance. Earlier in my career I was hesitant to make my sexuality known in the fear of losing clients. Today when asked about my weekend during a client's session, I don't have an issue mentioning my boyfriend passively in conversation because personally, I am more comfortable in my body, but also I don't want to work with those who would deny me of my basic rights anyway. It took time for me to get here and I realize in a way, a privilege I hold right now. Where before it was in the forefront of my mind, but also because I recognize many LGBTQ+ trainers may too struggle with this professionally. There have been some reports that the biggest issue with homophobia and sports/fitness is within the change rooms. Cyd Zeigler (one of the founders of Outsports.com) stated to the Chicago Tribune, on a professional level, it’s the “locker room” banter that further marginalizes a gay/closeted person. Reporting most closeted athletes cannot relate to the banter going on because it’s usually about woman (derogatory or not) and teasing of the male gender (usually at the expense of qualities non-straight men generally posses). Another issue with that 'banter' is due to the relaxed nature of gyms compared to other professional establishments, that banter can easily find it's way onto the gym floor where LGBTQ+ clients and trainers now need to navigate around. Change room harassment and judgements are prevalent to the Community on the general scale from patrons just trying to workout in their local gym. Those who may not be “straight passing” are at a higher risk for harassment and physical abuse as well. Personally, when I think about gym class, yeah, the class sucked, but a huge anxiety trigger, was the change room itself. I knew there would be guys in there with me that have said slurs to me or I have heard them say to others, making me nervous because I thought, “What if?” What if they verbally assaulted me? What if they physically assaulted me? What if something happens, and there is no adult authority to witness? So when I read that the locker/change rooms were an issue, I wasn't surprised. I have an appreciation for professional sports, but personally don’t follow them closely. With this I am making myself more aware of professional athlete's experiences coming out of the closet and how their careers may have been affected. Homophobia in fitness is a very diverse, multi-layered subject and I have only scratched the surface here. Admittedly, I still have much to learn, but after many conversations, global issues and personal experience, I felt the need to showcase the issues that the LGBTQ+ Fitness Community faces both on a personal “working out” and professional “training/athlete” level. I also feel as someone who is working professionally in the health/wellness industry, these are issues that need to be discussed, because fitness is, and should be, for everyone.