My career got a big boost when I took a position with Snap Fitness River Heights as the Director of Personal Training. I instantly got introduced to a few thousand people looking to achieve fitness goals. I get to create new programming in Winnipeg, work with skilled personal trainers and constantly learn from them and teach them, and of course work with people of all fitness levels.
The introduction to the company 10 weeks ago came with an introduction to the product line Truestar. I instantly believed in their mission, and company mentality.
The last eight days have been the "true test" for me. You will see me tweeting to Candace Friesen, Snap Fitness River Heights Director of Truestar sales. We had a managers meeting, without out rightly demanding it, she demanded I use the product. Part of the planning and training that is offered is the use of supplements. In the past decade, I have not gone many days without having protein in a smoothie, adding a multivitamin to my day, or using a pre workout supplement. I firmly believe in doing everything I can to ensure my body has all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to function, and not only function, but high-performance.
There are a lot of studies and data that show the effectiveness of supplementing. There are also a lot of excellent documentaries, including my favorites "Food Matters" and "Food Inc" that suggest we assume our food isn't exactly what we think it is, nutritionally speaking. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, and I don't believe anyone is out to get me. I do believe that as the world changes, and as science gives us options, we need to be cutting edge with our health. I need to believe I am doing everything I can to ensure my body has all its basic needs met. I'm not going to spend any undue time in a hospital.
So using supplements has never been a big sticking point for me. I've also never really attached myself to a product -- I've tried a bunch, blogged about them, but never backed anything. What I will back is science. If a company is willing to stick to the basics, they get my support. Lofty claims, and promises of a miracle by removing meals, that's not for me. There are no miracle pills. However, there are products that simply ensure your body has its building blocks.
Metabolism, immune system, mental focus, and digestion all run off of vitamins and minerals. When those basics aren't there, the function slows or stops.
Food first, loving your body, looking to maximize health, and making life better to go out and enjoy adventures. That is the way this is supposed to be.
With all of that said, weight loss is a ton of fun. On Thursday July 4, I started a detox. Under the advice of Candace, I started it on a Thursday as days three and four may require naps for headaches, aching muscles, and a lot of fatigue. When I started, I didn't take her seriously. We took a picture on day three of the scale. I'd lost two pounds. My starting weight was between 245 to 243 pounds (I didn't measure) and I was doing this detox because she wanted me to. I'm fit, I'm healthy, and I'm typically around 245 pounds. Day three I tipped 241.2 on the scale, Candace found out I wasn't taking the exact numbers and suggested I take my own advice and document things.
Day One: I weigh roughly 245 pounds. Healthy and exercising.
Day Two: Headache and muscle aches, napped in the afternoon 2:00 to 4:00 pm. I didn't get on the scale. I absolutely hated the thought of doing the detox. I immediately started craving food.
Day Three: I weigh 238 pounds. Bad headache, sore muscles. Moved around the house, watched romantic comedies on a Saturday afternoon. Napped a lot. No exercise to speak of.
Day Four: I weigh 236.5 pounds on the scale. Drank four liters of water, took a nap after work on Monday for one hour. I usually hit 2.5 - three liters in a day. Drank extra because it's suggested to get a lot of water during a cleanse. Headache was gone totally after the afternoon nap. Muscles were feeling fatigued. Still no exercise.
Day 5: I weigh 234.7 on the scale. I felt for the first time like normal. Best part is I felt lighter on my feet, more energetic. Under Candace's guidance, I went for a light jog. She said to be active, but not a big calorie burning workout. Difficult for me to do, but, I like to listen to experts. She's seen dozens of people do a Detox, Figure she knew what she was talking about.
Day 6: I weigh 232.1 pounds on the scale. Energy was sky-high. No cravings for sugar of any kind. That was part of this. The diet is not hard, it's really just clean eating. I do that for the most part, but I love pizza, licorice, and Dr. Pepper. At this point, I didn't feel cravings, just some great memories of those foods.
Day 7: I weigh 229lbs. This was the moment I decided to write this blog. There is no feeling of deprivation, or that this is a diet. I am simply being healthy.
Day 8: I weigh 227.4 pounds and a bit of magic in my step. I have two days left to go on the detox, the only tough part is remembering to take three pill packages a day. The rest is just a healthy lifestyle.
If you are wondering how to eat, that's where One Fit City fits in. The goal is to make things simple.
I'm almost at the end of this, and see why Dr. Oz is constantly talking about detoxing. There will be a follow-up to this. I'm going to see if I can get my weight down to 218 pounds. I have a goal at age 32; it involves me heading back out to California and training with my Friends at Team Quest MMA. I'm covering the adventure for Ford Canada and TSN. While there, I want to make a weight cut, and see if I could compete as a Light Heavy Weight. That means I'd have to weigh 205 pounds.
My energy couldn't be higher, and I could feel healthier. This is something I hope ever single person tries. Then carries through the rest of their life. I haven't had a mid day latte, and I have ensured my diet consists only of the stuff in my video. I am enjoying the health and the energy.
This experience was a pleasant surprise. I'm sorry I didn't do it 10 weeks ago. If you read this, you may want to give it a try and not wait. It's time to get healthy and go enjoy life to its fullest.