INSPIRE ME #1: Jonathan Martin

This is Jon ~ he is awesome.

Ok ever since I started at Excel I remember seeing this super human of a man ~ I admired how hard he works and how easy he makes some things (ok most things) look.  I hope someday I can have the strength, muscle control, core, and endurance that he does!  This man's name is Jonathan Martin.

I always tell him to go on American Ninja Warrior cause he would kick some serious buttocks!  In all seriousness he is someone to look up too ~ I think whenever he is at your workout at Excel you push yourself a little harder and suck it up a little more:)  He is my first inspiration Excel member profile for a reason ~ he is EXCEPTIONALLY inspirational!

Spartan Beast Race ~ Sun Peaks 2013
Disclaimer:  I did this Beast race as well ~ I can tell you only a small number got up that rope (which was dangling above muddy water).  It was super slippery ~ another piece of proof that Jon is super human!

Here's his interview:

1. What is your health/fitness history?
   I did not play any sports in High School or University, aside from the occasional volleyball game. My activity level increased drastically upon meeting Carla in 1992. We would play tennis, volleyball, or some other sport just about every day. She introduced me to Shotokan Karate in 1996, and to our uber-trainer, the Rhonda-bot, in 2005.
   
2. How long have you been going to Excel?
   I've been an Excel member since the facility opened. Prior to that, I began training with Rhonda in 2005. In the beginning, training was once per week. When Rhonda implemented her LifeFit program, I trained with her 3-4 times per week, sometimes twice-a-day in the summer.
   
3. How often do you exercise?
   I exercise every day. Karate for 1-2 hours Tueday, Thursday, and Saturday. Training with Rhonda on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Saturday, weather permitting, Carla and I may run the stairs out in OK Landing after karate class. Saturday/Sunday, we are typically biking/hiking/snow-shoeing with the dogs, unless we feel like we really need a recovery day.
   
4. What is a typical set of meals/snacks throughout the day for you?
   If I'm training that morning, I will have granola with yogurt and nuts, and a Vega One nutritional shake. Otherwise, I have a peanut butter and honey/jam sandwich on GoodHearth bread from Okanagan Bakehouse. Lunch and dinner are consistently one of beef/pork/chicken/fish and a veggie, typically broccoli and cauliflower. I sometimes have eggs, but am not a big fan of them, nor of salads. My snack Kryptonites are the oatmeal-coconut cookies from Okanagan Bakehouse and sea-salt crinkle cut Kettle chips. I also quite relish a glass of good red wine or a bottle of Porter/Stout beer.
   
5. What would you say is your biggest strength in fitness?
   I've always been able to jump fairly high, given my short lever length (little legs). I've also always been good at bench press and push-ups, perhaps again due to short lever length. 17 years of karate, and LifeFit, have also given me a strong core.
   
6. What would you say is your biggest weakness in fitness?
   The mental game of not being able to determine exactly where the upper limit of my comfort zone is. During some workouts, I feel like I am training outside of my comfort zone, but when the workout is over I'll deride myself for not working harder. I'm slowly overcoming this hurdle. When my brain is telling me “That'll do Jonny Boy, that'll do”, I now try to listen to the little Rhonda-devil sitting on my shoulder yelling at me “C'mon Princess! We don't train like Pussies here!”.
   
7. Is there anything in particular you are training for?
   In 2014, I will do Tough Mudder again. Rhonda and I are also planning to do back-to-back Spartans. Spartan Beast on Saturday and the Sprint on Sunday. I am also now eligible to grade for my 4th degree black belt in karate.
   
8. What is your favourite work out?
   I don't really have a favourite work out. It's the people I train with that make the work out great.
   
9. How do you keep motivated day-to-day?
   The “Lovely Ladies of LifeFit”, as I like to call them, keep me motivated. They are always working hard, which encourages me to keep up with them. I gravitate towards people that want to work hard, as that encourages me to keep improving. As my uber-trainer likes to remind us, especially me during big stairs, if you can talk during a workout, you're not working hard enough.
   
   10. If you could be any superhero you wanted who would you be and why?
   I've never been a superhero fan. I wouldn't mind spending some time in the role of Legolas or Han Solo. Now, if I could have a super power... well, now it gets interesting. The ability to teleport would be cool. Whenever a certain lovely lady of LifeFit, WHO KICKS MY ASS at trail running, was way ahead of me, I could cheat and teleport ahead of her. 

This picture is blurry because Jon is THAT fast!

What's Next?

Alright so there are a few things coming up I want you to look out for.  One is something I am calling INSPIRE ME ~ these will be inspirational member profiles.  I am always checking out members at Excel who I think really kick ass.  I will get in contact with him/her and shoot some questions his/her way.  The goal of this in-depth look at Excel members is to give you an idea of how to achieve a healthy lifestyle using what others have already learned and are obviously implementing.  So whenever you see a post title INSPIRE ME#1, INSPIRE ME#2, etc.  that is what you will expect to find in that post.  And I am hoping to include some kick ass pictures of these awesome folks as well!
Secondly, the THIS IS LIFE: 6 Month Challenge is coming to an end.  The top 3 finalists have been chosen and we are working with them on some future assignments to wrap up the challenge.  To start the 3 finalists have been asked to share a bit about themselves and their journey.  You will find these inspirational stories and some great pictures under the THIS IS LIFE: 6 Month Challenge tab.  Check back regularly to see what fun assignment they will complete next!
Lastly, I am starting a FOR THE RECORD tab.  This is strictly a daily journal entry from me regarding my activity that day and the yummy food I eat.  I will pop on nightly and jot down exactly what I ate, drank and did that day.  Even if I have a "cheat" day it will be posted.  I will do this for 60 days (as you may recall I tried to do my own little 60 day challenge starting early December but opted out with the plan to restart later~well now is the time).  If all goes well and I avoid the flu (which I already had once this winter) then you should see 60 days of consistently healthy living!  I think it is also super valuable just to see what people are doing and I know I learn a lot from that ~ so hoping you can too.  Take what you find valuable (whether it's a meal plan or a workout idea).  I am still on my own journey and am aiming to tone up more, lean out and lower my body fat.  I will begin this RECORD starting  February 1st.  Check back often to see how I am doing:)

Working out while working

As you may or may not know I am a stay at home mom so my life is currently my two babies.  My husband gets home in the afternoon and I run down to the gym for one hour then back home for dinner, bath, bedtime, etc.  Some days can a little more…difficult:) than others and boy tell you what ~ sometimes I sure do not feel energetic enough to go to my class at Excel.  But I do.  I pack my bag, get dressed and head out ~ trying not to think twice about it.  Sure if I think about it I can probably come up with a bazillion reasons why I should stay home…tired, don't feel good, could use a rest, miss hanging out with my husband and it cuts into "our" time, have chores to do, etc.  I KNOW from experience that though I may not feel up to it, the moment I walk into Excel my game face is on and I JUST DO IT!  And you guessed it ~ I feel a million times better after going.  Sure I am probably sore, sweaty, tired(in a good way) BUT I also feel reenergized, proud, confident and balanced.  As a mom I don't take much time to myself because that simply is not an option.  Someone needs to be fed, held, changed, carried or played with.  Something needs to get cleaned, washed, moved, sorted, put away.  That's life.  I truly believe I NEED to take that hour and focus on my health and well being.  And now that I have gone to Excel for quite a while  I also get my "adult" time where I get to talk to other ladies and gents.  Going to Excel hits my physical health but also hits my mental health for sure!  My hope is that you can find a place that does this for you (and a support network).  Being a mom is my reality but maybe not yours.  Maybe your career and/or school is the focus of your life.  Either way ~ we all need at least one hour a day to simply exercise/train.  I am for sure not advocating training hard 7 days a week but your hour can be something as simple as a walk or bike ride on the days that you are not strength training or circuit training.  If this is something lacking in your life ~ just try to include it for a couple weeks and see (and FEEL) the difference it makes.  Life just seems a little easier when you are taking care of your health and fitness.
My husband's work has been slow the last couple of days this week so I have TOCed (teacher on call) at a local elementary school.  And trust me TOCing is not easy on the brain.  Today I taught K-7 ~ 7 different classes, over 120 kids.  Never met these kids before ~ so you are trying to cover the lesson plans set out by their regular teacher, while learning names, while managing the classroom.  When you don't know these kids it takes a ton of effort and patience to get the class running somewhat smoothly.  All in all it is my recipe for a headache.  Literally a full-on, "migrainish", hurts to walk headache.  I love kids but I would choose teaching my OWN class over TOCing any day.  But this is what I need to do right now to help pay the bills and still be a stay at home mommy which is where my heart is.  Long story short, I thought about not going to the gym on and off today.  It would have been so easy to throw in the towel.  After some positive words of encouragement from my husband I decided to go.  After about 5 minutes into my gym class my headache was gone and my energy was lifted.  Excel just has that effect on me.  Proving to me once again this HAS to be a part of my life no matter what else is going on.  I think it makes me a better mother, a better wife, a better person.
So I know you might be cancelling gym left and right due to an array of excuses but you really have to go.  No if, and, or buts about it.  Nix the excuses, don't think twice and just go.  Once you are there it's game on and you will feel a million times better when you walk out.  You need to take care of you.  Nothing beats having confidence and energy.  It is a cliche but JUST DO IT!

Halt!

Alrighty so last time we left off I was switching over from the detox cleanse onto something simpler(gentler) to maintain some clean eating.  That has led into REBOOT ~ 2 weeks of planned eating (lots of veggies and protein every meal with a smoothie to start the day).  That's all fine and dandy UNTIL you get the stomach flu!  Yep Week One of Reboot done and then yesterday started feeling nauseas and gross.  It got worse in the evening and then BAM!  throwing up more than I ever have in my whole life.  Let's just say I don't care if digestive cookies, bread, crackers and ginger ale are not on the Reboot list THAT'S ALL I CAN EAT right now:(  Super bummed ~ another reason I dislike winter!  So Reboot is put on hold right now as is the gym ~ going to see how I feel in the morning and decide the next course of action.  I get so frustrated when I get sick ~ especially when I have 2 little ones to take care of.  My husband was generous enough to stay home today and help me as walking from the bedroom to the bathroom is somewhat of a challenge.  Being sick also reminds me how lucky I am that I am rarely sick and boy when I start feeling better it is just more reason to take really good care of myself and exercise!  I haven't been sick for over a year and I can't remember a time when I was sick with stomach flu.  It's gross but I am just thinking about it as my bodies own little cleanse to rid of the bug/germs/virus that snuck in!  Oh well that's life I guess!

So while I am sitting here holding still I thought it would be a good time to talk about what I am currently doing at Excel.  So as you may or may not know Excel is all class-based.  The trainer takes you thru a session that he/she has created ~ and they are always switching it up ~ so you might do the same exercises but they are in a different order and sustained for different lengths of time depending on the trainer has created.  This is super awesome because we NEVER get bored!  Here are some the things we do:

• Box Jumps (I am able to do the box jump at the highest setting now!)
• Squats (sometimes squat press, sometimes just a weighted squat, sometimes jump squat)
• Sprints
• TRX (rows, push ups, squats, lunges) ~ if you don't know what TRX is just google it:)
• Bicep Curl with press
• Skipping
• Spin
• Farmers Carry
• Stairs (with and without sandbell)
• Bear crawl
• Ball Slam
• 2 MINUTES OF HELL (which includes burpees for 30 secs, split lunges for 30, jump squats for 30 and star jumps for 30) 

A LOT of what I do everyday uses minimal "gym" equipment so I can take these exercises and use them on my own.  It is really helpful to go to Excel and learn about form, configuration of exercises, etc. to then do it on my own if for some reason I can not get to Excel that day or if I go away.  You also learn what to focus on when doing certain exercises and the "why" which is GREAT!  I highly recommend doing some research on the exercises you are doing to make sure you are doing them properly ~ a little picture on some gym equipment isn't enough.  If you don't have access to a trainer to help you make sure you read up on it, look up videos on the web (from trusted sources), etc.  An injury from bad form is NOT worth it.  I still have so much to learn but I can look back over this last year and a bit and see what a huge difference having a trainer with me has made.  Ok I am going to eat some digestive cookies and drink my vitamin water before having a nap.  If you are reading this and are not currently sick with the flu THANK THE HEAVENS!  Now go eat a banana and go to Excel;D

The Cleanse

Over the past 10 years I have done a variety of cleanses ~ some centred on the pills you need to take, some based solely on food you eat for a certain amount of time.  I have seen some success with both kinds but for sure was not a fan of having to take numerous pills ~ just did not feel natural to me.  A cleanse that works best for me is food based (including certain foods and eliminating other foods from your diet to cleanse your system naturally).  I have just started participating in a program that one of my trainer/nutritionist is leading.  Her name is Dina and you can find her here:) https://www.facebook.com/fullcirclenutrition.  Her program she is heading right now is called "Lumpy to Lean".  Our first task is to complete a cleanse ~ more specifically the Dr. Oz 3 Day Detox Cleanse http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet.  It is based on drinking 4 specific drinks/juices/smoothies, taking vitamins+probiotic+omega, drinking green tea, drinking a lot of water and taking an epsom salt detox bath each night for 3 days.  When I first saw this I was excited as I do like smoothies and thought I could handle it.  Well I was wrong and soon discovered this cleanse is not for me.

Let me give you some background:

Since last January 2013 I have switched up my eating habits drastically ~ including what I eat, how often I eat and portion size.  I eat a lot of organic & whole foods ~ like fruits, vegetables, lean meats.  I eat on average 6 times a day.  I also eat to accommodate my activity (so if it is an Excel gym day I tend to eat more and make sure I eat pre&post workout).  I regularly drink a lot of water.  I do not drink coffee ~ sometimes I will have decaf peppermint tea at night (caffeine intake has always been SUPER low ~ actually never have had a 'cup of coffee' just fake sugary coffee like cappuccino and frappes, etc.).  Rarely eat sweets of any kind (might have a little piece of chocolate now and then).  So I went into this with a really clean slate other than a couple sweets I ate over December.
Breastfeeding disclosure:  I still also occasionally breastfeed  ~ my little guy is 17 months now so he goes a few days here and there without nursing, drinks milk and eats like a horse so it is not a big deal if we don't nurse for a while BUT if you are nursing wait until you are all done before cleansing ~ most important thing is keeping baby and mom nourished for sure!
Actually when I did my 60 Day Challenge I was breastfeeding A LOT so I couldn't cut calories or start with a cleanse like other folks could but in maintaining those calories while breastfeeding and still achieving some great results it has RE-emphasized how important it is to keep your body fuelled ~ my metabolism has completely morphed and I just feel better.

SO since I had a couple sweets over December I normally would not have had in a regular non-holiday month and since it was the start of this program I thought a little cleanse would be a great way to start.  Day 1 drinks go down ok ~ breakfast was great but lunch and dinner just did not sit right with me and I couldn't drink the whole thing (and they are huge!)  In my research the Dr. Oz detox cleanse is about 1200 calories a day (already SUPER low compared to my consistent and normal 2000ish calories) but then not being able to drink the whole drinks put me down even lower.  I experienced headache (expected it) as I sure no matter how clean you eat there is still toxins that can be present.  BUT this wasn't just a normal headache ~ it hurt to walk.  I also went through a lot of stomach cramps that evening/night ~ almost felt starving.  Had cold sweats and aches.  And just had a bad feeling about what my body was doing.  So around 4am I got up (wasn't sleeping well anyway) and had a little food and some advil to ease my stomach cramps.  I felt like my body was not ok with me holding back calories especially after doing a spin class earlier that evening.  Luckily Paul was home today so he let me sleep in a little ~ got up and had a little food again and went back down ~ got back up and had a real breakfast including the items on my breakfast drink, egg and rice cake.  I felt a TRILLION times better after getting food into me.  The drinks are so large in volume it made me feel very bloated trying to down them all but still hungry at the same time.
What's next?  Well I hate the fact that I didn't complete it as it was only 3 days long but it just did not sit right with me ~ if it was something I could trudge thru I would have but I think it was putting my body into starvation mode and not expelling toxins.  My plan is to continue eating clean tomorrow (which would have been my day 3) ~ include the items on the drink list but also including other SUPER clean items to help with my calorie count.  There is another gentle cleanse I did years ago that I loved and I incorporate a lot of the rules in my day to day clean diet.  There is also a detox tea I enjoy (really feel herbal teas help my body ~ i.e. peppermint for digestive cleansing, red raspberry leaf tea when I was trying to get labour going, etc.)

The cleanse I love is from "The Natural Makeover Diet: a 4 step program to looking and feeling your best from the inside out" written by Dr. Joey Shulman.  She makes it very clear and doable.  http://www.amazon.ca/The-Natural-Makeover-Diet-Program/dp/0470836709  In her book she talks about EIGHT ELEMENTS of the 5 Day Cleanse:
1.  Eliminate all grains
2.  Eliminate all dairy products
3.  Eliminate all red meat
4.  Eliminate all white sugar
5.  Take a minimum of three capsules of probiotics daily with food
6.  Increase consumption of phytonutrient-rich foods (i.e. asparagus, artichokes, avocados, broccoli, eggplant, celery, cauliflower, tomatoes, red onions, parsley, peppers, garlic, onions, carrots, cucumber, kale, spinach, green beans, snow peas, sweet potatoes, zucchini)
7.  Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (can also substitute in herbal tea) ~ no juice, pop, coffee or alcohol)
8.  Consume 1 tsp. of ground flaxseeds daily
I highly recommend giving this book a read as it has A LOT of good information re: digestion, foods, recipes, the good+bad, etc.  Everything is straight forward and totally doable.

The Detox tea I love is called PUKKA detox (organic aniseed, fennel & cardamom). Here is a great write up on the benefits of this herbal tea.  https://www.doctorblossom.com/index.php/nutrition-a-recipes/kitchen-medicine/141-detox-tea

Now the big question ~ to cleanse or not to cleanse?  I think this is a hugely personal decision and cleansing can be ENORMOUSLY beneficial ~ especially if you need to make huge changes in your diet.  This can be a great kick start to getting healthy and losing weight.  I think it is also extremely important that you do your research and find out about why certain things are in your cleanse.  Don't just pop a bunch of pills because it says cleanse on the bottle.  I highly recommend you do the cleanse I mentioned above if you are interested in doing one.  Or check out the Dr. Oz one ~ I think it can be a great route for some to go (just not me haha:).  It is all about getting rid of that "internal garbage" so be prepared to go thru some rough times during cleansing.  If it is just unbearable maybe try to find a more gentle cleanse to start.  The point is to get you on a healthier road so always keep that in mind.