As a personal trainer, I feel lucky to interact with all kinds of great people!  I want to share a success story from a family that helps me to see that it is possible to get all of those things I think about.

 Fit Family-The Merchants:

 The Merchants are a family of 5 with Rob and Jane the parents and Jack (15), Erik (18) and Ellen (13) the kids!  In order to keep my good relationship with the Merchants, I have not included the parents’ ages…..

 Erik and I started training together in May as he prepared for the Canada Games (soccer) in August.  We are fairly close in age and Erik is now at Acadia taking the same program I took at St. FX so we hit it off instantly.  Even with soccer 4 times a week, Erik managed to gain a lot of strength through the summer and even packed on a few pounds of muscle.  We kept a pretty strict training regiment and Erik was able to follow my diet guidelines to the best of his ability.  He is proof that if you put in the effort, the results will follow.

 In September Erik took off to Acadia and I got a call from his dad Rob. Rob and his wife Jane were looking to start up with me and train together.  Soon after, they began seeing me twice a week and have been coming steadily since.  It is awesome having husbands and wives come in together and watching them interact.  Rob and Jane are great as they always work hard but never take themselves too seriously.  We make the Body Break slogan come true every time we workout: “Get Fit and Have Fun”. Their results have been spectacular and I will give you a great example.  Jane has gone from not being able to do one pushup to doing four sets of 12.  Rob could do eight when we started and now does 30 no problem.  Both have lost 2% body fat and have had noticeable increases in every exercise we do!

 The story continues as Jack started training in December.  Jack is a great kid and really listens to the knowledge I am passing along to him.  He wakes up and gets a good breakfast in him everyday and looks forward to coming to the gym with me after school.  Not only does he workout but he recently participated in a school play, he skis, plays soccer and used to be in a choir (sorry Jack!).  Through two months, Jack has progressed rapidly.  Everyone he knows has commented on his leaner/stronger physique which is a product of his effort in the gym.  Like Erik, Jack has a lot of heart and puts full effort into each exercise which has given him the full benefits!

I look forward to always having a positive relationship with the Merchants; maybe someday we will get Emily in to complete the family workouts!

To keep up to date with Scott and I you can follow us on Twitter: @YourInnerSkinny and @evolvefitness. You can also follow our blogs regularly for great updates on how to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

GIVEAWAY: Check out this link right away for your chance to win free personal training sessions!!!

http://www.yourinnerskinny.ca/2010/01/27/giveaway-2hrsessions-evolve-fitness/

 Sit Down Restaurants:

 -Avoid the burgers and pasta dishes and go for a sandwich and soup/salad. Also save a few bucks and get water instead of a pop or juice.  A burger is bad enough and filled with saturated fat and starchy carbs from the bun.  Accompany that with fries and it is an easy, but unhealthy choice.  Pasta dishes can also be bad as most places use white pasta and breaded meat or fish as a filler.  If you MUST go for the burger, try throwing out the bun and going for a salad on the side with light dressing.  This will cut your calories considerably but still fill you up.

 My recommendation:  Go for the grilled chicken/fish sandwich but don’t eat the bread.  Side garden salad with light dressing or olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

 Fast Food:

 -First of all, you should avoid these at all costs but there are ways to reduce the damage!

 Subway:  I try not to eat Subway too often, but when I do I go for a 6 inch on whole wheat with double the meat to fill me up.  Add mustard for taste and try to avoid fatty dressings like mayo or salad dressing.

 Burger Joints: I know it is no fun trying to eat healthy when eating at one of these places but it is possible (somewhat).  Go for their grilled chicken salad but pass on the dressing and go for a water to drink.

 Tim Hortons: Go for a sandwich and soup combo with a sandwich that has a lean meat and is not pre-mixed (ie. chicken club, tuna salad).  Try the turkey sandwich on whole wheat hold the mayo with a soup and water.

 Halifax Readers:  Take full advantage of Pete’s Frutique, this place saves me on a regular basis.  If I don’t have time to make lunch I head to Pete’s.  Their salads are fresh and taste great, just make sure you get light dressing or go with the carb free combo of olive oil and balsamic vinegar!  I go with a small spinach salad with a half roast chicken on rye bread which not only fills me up but gives me a quality mix of nutrients that I need!

 Good luck to everyone and I hope this helps.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me!  All the best in 2010

Matt Benvie

I hope everyone is doing well and working towards their fitness goals.  I am working hard at Evolve and would love to meet some new clients.  Because of this, I am offering 25 percent off my regular rates for any new clients.  Remember, your consultation is free so contact me if you want to take advantage of this great deal!  Hope to hear from you soon,

Matt

I took a protein and creatine supplement from RIVALUS.  The protein is called PROMASIL and the creatine is called ENCHARGE.  Rivalus products come with a booklet containing a workout and a diet, so I followed the ENCHARGE workout.

Here is the diet:

Meal 1: 1 Scoop PROMASIL, 1 Banana. 1 cup Fibre 1 with blueberries added

Meal 2: 4 Whole Eggs, 4 slices of ham, 2 slices rye bread

Pre-Workout: Encharge, 1 Scoop Promasil

Post Workout: 1.5 scoops Promasil mixed with 1 scoop gatorade powder

Meal 3: Weight Gain shake (Recipe#2 from my previous post), handful of almonds

Meal 4: 2 tuna sandwiches on rye bread.  Tuna mixed with fat free mayo, dill pickles and mustard

Meal 5: Chicken stirfry with brocoli, carrots, mushrooms, green beans, spinach and 1 sweet potato

Meal 6: 1 cup whole wheat pasta, 1 serving extra lean ground beef

If you are looking to add some serious pounds, give it a try.  My only warning is you have to wake up early in order to pack that many meals in.  Good luck!

Here is great recipes for a great tasting smoothie.  I have included one great for anyone, and also one great for guys trying to bulk up with good clean calories.

Recipe#1: 1 cup of favorite fruit (I use strawberries and blueberries), 1/4 cup fat free yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder (I use chocolate PROMASIL), 1 cup fat free milk or water.  Add more or less liquid to get desired thickness.

Recipe#2: 2 cups of favorite fruit, 1/2 cup fat free yogurt, 2 scoops protein powder, 3-5 tablespoons natural peanut butter, 2 cups fat free milk.  Add more or less milk to get desired thickness.

Keep checking back for more great recipies and other tips!   Keep working hard,                                    

Matt Benvie

Cheers,

Matt