SHOUTOUT TO THE B.O.S.S FIT LADIES!!!

Happy New Year 2013!

Oops that was 28 days ago!  Looks like I've been procrastinating with my own blogs.  I guess my new years resolution is to keep up with my own fitness blogs.  In my own defence, I have been keeping very busy.  Ok so I promise no more excuses, and I'm back for good and I've decided to make a commitment to blogging for my fans :)

So this is a very BIG SHOUT OUT to all my female clients!!! (Guys I haven't forgotten about you)
I am continually amazed at the overwhelming support I am receiving from my moms, grandmoms, and all the rest of my female clients.

The ladies have definitely caught my attention with their positive mindset and motivation.  Currently the bootcamp, kickboxing, and Zumba programs are dominated by my female clients.

Not only do they stay consistent with the program but they continually challenge themselves and set new goals.

Funny thing back in November when I started the B.O.S.S Fit Kickboxing program that I made the error of assuming that it would be male dominated program.  Today the program is approximately the ratio of 6 to 1 ratio of females to males.  The ladies like to kick some serious butt!! 

Not only do I admire their dedication and commitment to getting fit, challenging their bodies, and learning self-defence, the ladies are the ones that are the most supportive to each other and the most motivated!  Miss a bootcamp or kickboxing class?  I think NOT!  The ladies will round house you faster than you can sit back on that couch with your tv remote in hand.  Well maybe not, since we only encourage self-defence :)

My biggest accomplishment of being a coach is watching the progression of my female clients from the beginning stage to seeing where they have progressed til now.  Often times, I will see a young new face in the programs and watch how my moms and grandmoms be more in shape than the 20 year old ladies.  The younger ladies often run out of gas alot earlier and get out worked by my ladies in their 30's-50's.  This is not to knock the younger ladies, but it is an observation of the true dedication, work ethic, and commitment of my female clients to commiting to a healthy lifestyle.  With time, patience, dedication, and a positive mindset anyone can achieve any goal they set out.  This is a true testament to the value of a hardwork ethic and the belief that you can make positive changes to eventually becoming the person you desire to be.

If you want to see my B.O.S.S Fit Ladies in action, check us out here anytime 416-284-8861 or bossfitness@live.com.  We have exercise programs designed for moms and ladies exclusively and at all fitness levels.  Just be forewarned my ladies take care of business and if you are ready to get in shape you have a great support group :)

Dedicated to your Success,


Coach Corey

6 Reasons Why You Aren't Losing Fat With Your Current Workouts

If you are in an exercise program but are seeing very minimal changes, here are 6 reasons why you might NOT be seeing results:

1)Doing isolated exercises. Doing isolated exercises like bicep curls or tricep extension, simply work one muscle group at a time. You need to stimulate and recruit as many muscle fibers at one time to rev up your metabolism and burn more calories.

2)Doing long bouts of cardio sessions. Cardio is essential in losing body fat. If you are on the treadmill running for 45 plus minutes, you might be doing more damage to your joints in the long run. There is a right way and a wrong way of doing cardio. You can get more results by doing H.I.T. training or you can do circuit training that is often found in bootcamp workouts that will help you incinerate the fat.

 3) Working out with machines. If you are in an exercise program, you incorporate both free weights and machines. Working only with machines is ineffective. Machine's do not account for everyone's different body type, shape, size. It can also put stress on your joints, if we do not know how to use the machines properly. Even worse, if you do not know how to use the machines properly, you can get injured. Finally, by using machines we are not activating our small stabilizer muscles which hold together the bigger muscles.

4)Doing sit ups, crunches, and more sit ups. Unfortunately doing more sit ups, crunches, and more sit ups won't get you abs. There are much more effective exercises that will engage your core like squats, deadlifts, clean and press, and benchpress. Abs are made in the kitchen.

5)Doing the same workout program you did 5 years ago. I see this all the time as a trainer. I'll see someone at the gym and they will repeat the same workout year in and year out over and over again and expect different results. Our bodies adapt very fast to changes and after six to eight weeks, we should be changing our program to bust through plateaus and keep our bodies guessing.

6) Doing super long training sessions. It makes sense doesn't it? Working out longer will get you better results, right? WRONG! You can accomplish all you need from a training program in 45 minutes to an hour for fatloss. When you are training, your body produces a stress hormone called cortisol. You want to train within a 45 minute to 60 minute time frame to avoid a catabolic state (muscle breakdown). Once you are finished your workout, your body needs to fuel off nutrients like lean protein sources and carbohydrates to replenish the body.

 If you are having problems with getting results in your current program, or if you are bored of your program, a bootcamp program might help you lose more body fat in less time. Our programs are challenging, never the same, and very effective. For 60 minutes of fun contact me at 416-284-8861 or bossfitness@live.com

Yours in Good Health,

Coach Corey

Why Do You Self-Sabotage?

How long have you been trying to lose those last 10 or 20 or 30 pounds? Been awhile now, hasn't it? You know how to lose weight - eat healthy and exercise - so why are you still living in a body that you're disappointed with? In my experience, people hold on to "unwanted" pounds for very specific reasons. These reasons are on a subconscious level, which is where things get tricky. Self-sabotage is your subconscious mind's way of protecting you. Seems counterproductive, but it makes sense when you realize that it is a defense mechanism meant to keep things from changing. Your conscious mind says it wants to lose weight to look and feel amazing, but your subconscious mind is pulling the strings behind the scenes, keeping your goals just out of reach. As long as your subconscious mind thinks that you are safer being out-of-shape then you'll be stuck. Your most valiant efforts will be undermined by self-sabotage every single time. But don't give up. There's a way to turn everything around, and it all starts with finding out the reason that your subconscious mind equates being out-of-shape with being safe. Once you turn the light on to that reason then it will no longer have any power over you. So, lets dig around for your reason. •Do you believe... You don't deserve it? Has someone in your life made you believe that you aren't worthy of success? Or that they wouldn't accept you if you were more successful than they are? • Do you believe... Change is bad? It's common to fear the unknown, but this could very well be the reason that you're not reaching your goal. Being comfortable with where you are today could be the reason that you sabotage your efforts to improve your life through change. •Do you believe...Success will bring loss? If you met your weight loss goal, would it bring out resentment and jealousy in your friends and family? Are you supposed to be the ‘screw-up'? •Do you believe...You're not capable? Are you unable to imagine yourself at your goal weight? Does the possibility of achieving your goal not seem real? Spend time diving into your own mind to discover why it is that you aren't meeting your goals. Once your whole mind is primed for success, then nothing will be able to stop you. What the mind believes the body achieves. Exercise is a huge part of the equation when it comes to achieving weight loss. I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results - without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes. Call 416-284-8861 or email me today bossfitness@live.com and we will get you started on the exercise program that is right for you. Yours in Good Health, Coach Corey

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Avoid Weight Gain During the Holiday Season: 10 Easy Tips

Now that November is ending, it is that time of the year again.  When December hits the holidays soon begin.  If you are worried about gaining weight this holiday season, you're not alone.

The average North American will gain approximately 7 to 12 pounds of fat over the Christmas holidays. 

Follow these 8 simple tips to avoid super growth around the waist and look better, feel better.

1) Cut your portions. A portion is how much food you will put on your plate in one sitting. Do not fall victim to portion distortion and load your plate up. 

2) Determine the amount of servings you need as required by Using Canada's Food Guide (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php)

3) Drink more water!  The general rule of thumb is to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.  If you are active you should be drinking more as necessary.  Some people mistake thirst for hunger, learn to recognize the difference.

4) Make healthier food choices.  Try to cut out the junk food or limit your consumption.  Replace the soft drinks with water.  If you like to eat cake or pie try replacing it with yogurt and some fresh fruits.  If you eat too much fast food like Mc Donald's you will end up looking like Mcdonald's around the waist line.  Three words to live by: CUT IT OUT! I promise you will feel better.

5) Avoid eating high carb meals after 8pm.  The majority of the world will work a 9-5pm job.  It is tempting to eat late at night.  Late night snacking can be very dangerous with weight gain.  If you are hungry, try to substitute the late night eating with vegetables, soups (low in sodium), and a lean source of protein.

6) Ditch the processed food.  Processed foods like frozen dinners are usually loaded with alot of sodium and unneccessary junk.  Learn to cook real meals and real food.  Take the time and effort to learn and put healthy and nutritious fuel for your body.

7) Limit alcohol consumption.  The average beer will contain anywhere between 275 to 300 plus calories.  For males, alcohol decreases your testosterone levels and increases estrogen levels. 
Ever wonder why some males have saggy man-boobs?  Man-boobs and a beer belly often go hand-in-hand.

8) Learn to say "NO".  When we're at the holiday parties, we often don't want to seem like the holiday buzz-kill.  Learn to say "NO" politely.  "Everything was so delicious, but i'm stuffed I don't have room to eat another bite.  Thank you."

9) Always plan ahead.  Failing to plan is planning to fail.  Write a daily log of all the foods you are putting into your body.  By keeping a journal of what you eat, you will find that you will hold yourself more accountable and not leave it to guessing. 

10) I always save the best for last.  This should be number one of the list to me, but I'm going to hammer this point and leave it embedded in your mind.  Get ready this ain't no secret.  If you haven't already started yet, it is time to EXERCISE!!!  Make time to exercise and incorporate it into your daily life.  No short-cuts.  You will feel better, look better, and get healthier.

So while the majority of people make New Years Resolutions after the weight gain, I hope you are all working towards and being proactive at preventing the holiday weight gain.

Yours in Good Health,


Coach Corey

Training Is A Privilege: Make Health A Priority

Anyone that has ever had any serious injury, sickness, or disability that has prevented them from training will understand what I am about to say: Training is a privilege.  

Knock on wood, and I do wish everyone health and success, but if you are ever in that situation you really do not understand what you can take for granted when you have good health.

Health is one thing you might not be able to buy back with money.  You can have all the riches in the world, but when you suffer any serious injury, sickness, or disability it will completely change your perspective.  When we are healthy, we might become complacent and comfortable by automatically assuming that good health will always be there.  However, this is not the case.

Often we place health on the bottom of our priorities.  As a trainer, it is in my humble experience that most people tend to be reactive rather than being proactive with health matters.  Now I understand we all live very busy lives.  The majority of us have bills, debts, family to take care of.  

The truth of the matter is health matters.  I'm speaking from personal experience.  On July 1st, 2010 I suffered a very serious injury where from an accident.  I severed all the major tendons on my left ankle and needed 2 major surgeries.  As a personal trainer, my livelihood, depended on me being able to walk and train to pay the bills.  During my recovery, I could not work for 7 months.  I got very depressed, into financial trouble, became fat and out of shape.  I had to go through several months of physiotherapy to learn how to walk again.  The only thing that kept me motivated to recover was my clients.  I could not tell them about the dark mental space I was going through.

They say whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger and I could have literally died that day when I had my accident.  Fortunately, I survived and it wasn't my time yet.  I managed to get back on my feet again and by January 1, 2011 I was back working at a gym as a personal trainer again.  

Fast forward to October 2012, I have my own bootcamps.  I became sick for about a week.  It felt like a common cold and I just sucked it up.  It took me a week to get better and within 3 days I became sick again.  I ignored it like the first time, and then I became violently ill.  For the whole month of October, I was in and out of the hospital.  What started off as bronchitis, spread throughout my lungs, infected my kidneys, and also my bladder.  Some other personal stuff I will keep private, but I was going through some serious health issues.  I was extremely ill for the whole month of October.  I had a business to run and all the hard work I had put in for training, I ended up losing all my muscle gains. I couldn't eat for weeks, I felt constantly ill.  Now, that I am well again, I am very blessed to be recovered, however I still have appointments to see a specialist.  What keeps me motivated is that I am incredibly inspired by my clients, and I am on the same road as them.  They always give me 120% when they train and it makes me that much more focused to improve and reach my goals as a trainer and also to get back into shape again.

Now that November is ending, I want to impart some personal wisdom to you.  If you are not placing health on top of your priority list, make sure that you do.  Set some time aside 20 minutes - 60 minutes a training session, at a minimum 3 times a week.  If you have family, remember that your family depends on your ability to provide.  At the end of the day, you can give all the excuses in the world about why you are too busy to exercise: not enough time, need time for the family, or how you need to pay bills.  Ultimately, You are  responsible for your own health and you either lead by example or you make excuses.

Remember, regular exercise will make you feel better, look better, have more confidence, help you sleep better, and most importantly of all improve your overall health.  Training is a privilege, never take it for granted!

Yours in Good Health,

Coach Corey

Equipment Checklist For Bedroom Workouts With Limited Floor Space

While working in membership sales at a gym, one of the first questions I would ask is
"Are you currently working out?'  More than likely the answer would be "No" (For obvious reasons or why else would they be looking in a gym?) however this was not always the case.
Some people that came to the gym actually were keeping active, however one of the main problems was what exercises they could do with limited floor space.

When you have limited floor space, the truth is, it will affect what kind of workouts you can do.
Especially when most workout equipment or machines takes up alot of floor space.
For this blogs purpose, we are going to assume that the basement is out of the equation, and we are going to go through my checklist of essential equipment that can be used for a bedroom workout.  The standard bedroom may range between 8'x8' to 16'x16' with a typical ceiling height of 8 ft.

This checklist of equipment should not take that much space, can be place aside, tucked away in a closet, or under your bed are:

1) Dumb bells
2) Resistance bands
3) Stability ball
4) Medicine ball
5) Yoga mat
6) Kettle bell (proceed with caution, can cause some serious damage to your room if not used properly)

This checklist of exercise equipment along with bodyweight can help you stay in relatively decent shape.  Remember to not fall into the trap of allowing your equipment to collect dust though.

If you need to take your fitness program to the next level you will need more floor space.  If the basement is not an option you may consider joining your local fitness center. 

** ATTENTION: Since I had an amazing Friday morning by having a great workout and pushing my morning bootcamp ladies to the max, I am going to offer the first five people that leave a comment on my blog, a customized program for for bedroom workouts you can do at home ...

ABSOLUTELY FREE. 

To take advantage of this awesomeness leave a comment on this blog, and Email me at bossfitness@live.com to claim your prize for the customized workout.

Yours In Good Health and Success,

Coach Corey