fitness – Canadian Dad

The Benefits of Kindness & How Planet Fitness Is Paying It Forward

October 5, 2017/0 Comments/in THE BLOG /by Chris Read

One of the things I am always conscious about is the fact that, because of this blog, my children get to experience things that a lot of other children do not. They have had toys sent to them, met their favourite major league baseball players and been treated like VIP’s at numerous events we have attended. My concern has always been that the kids will become entitled and think that everything in life will be handed to them, when we all know that this isn’t the case.

That’s why my wife and I have been having some really great conversations with kids lately about the importance of kindness and giving back to those less fortunate, and the kids have responded in amazing fashion. They have both agreed to create a giving jar, where they will put away a portion of any money they earn, to be given to the cause of their choice each month. Further to that, my son recently decided that he would set up a driveway booth where he would sell some of his hockey cards, with all the proceeds going to charity.

This month, their earnings will be going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada! We are also happy to be teaming up with Planet Fitness, the innovative health club franchise known for its Judgement Free Zone® and affordable prices. Planet Fitness will be inviting Canadians to join their clubs for $5 down and as low as $10 a month, which includes donating 100% of the enrollment fees to Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada as part of their Judgement Free Generation™ initiative! This incredible campaign runs October 2-13.

Planet Fitness has also challenged my kids, and children everywhere, to display what a bullying-free world looks like to them, or to show an act of kindness. If you feel like sharing your child’s vision or act, you can do so by tagging Planet Fitness Canada on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and by using the hashtag #JudgementFreeGen! Furthermore, if you have been debating that gym membership, there’s no better time than now to head into of Planet Fitness’s 15 locations across Canada!

Here’s more information on Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada:

Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada is dedicated to supporting and encouraging children and youth as they discover, develop and achieve great futures. They are a national charity serving 96 member Clubs that provide services to 200,000 young people in 625 locations across Canada. For 116 years, They have welcomed children, youth and their families into Clubs that reflect the diversity of Canada in small and large cities, and rural and Indigenous communities. Visit www.bgccan.com and follow them at www.facebook.com/bgccan and www.twitter.com/bgccan.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Planet Fitness. The opinions on this blog are my own.

GoodLife iHeartExercise Healthy Heart Challenge

Join The #iHeartExercise Challenge With GoodLife Fitness!

February 3, 2016/0 Comments/in #DadFit, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

Around this time last year is when I decided that I was tired of feeling sore, tired and lazy all the time and decided to something about it. I teamed up with GoodLife Fitness to give myself the jumpstart I needed and while there are still days where I don’t feel like picking my butt up off the couch, overall I am much more active than I was. I definitely feel a lot better than I did 365 days ago.

Well, February is Heart Month all across Canada and GoodLife, in partnership with the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, will be running a 29 Day Healthy Heart Challenge on Facebook throughout the month. This will consist of a daily challenge, along with exercise tips, recipe ideas, suggestions for reducing stress and getting better sleep, and advice for preventing heart disease and stroke.

If you are looking for a boost to get you started and don’t want to jump all in right away, GoodLife’s Healthy Heart Challenge could be exactly what you are looking for. Simply head over to the GoodLife Facebook Page and get started! I promise you that you will feel better about yourself after only a few challenges. You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking small steps towards a healthier you.

You can share these daily tips with your social network through Facebook and Twitter all month long using the #iHeartExercise hashtag. And, if you have a friend whose heart you care for, bring them in during GoodLife’s Open House. From February 15 – 19 every Canadian has the opportunity to work on their heart health in their local GoodLife club!

PS – It’s going to be hard but that’s what makes it worth doing!!

Fitbitting: It’s All The Rage

January 21, 2016/1 Comment/in THE BLOG /by Chris Read

Seriously, if I had to hear one more thing about Fitbit and how everyone has one of these things, I was going to lose it! As if I had the time to wear a clunky man bracelet all day long so I can care about how many steps I was taking. If I wanted to count steps I could just guesstimate based on what I had accomplished that day.

This was me about 2 months ago before I got my first Fitbit Activity Tracker. I started with the Fitbit Charge and, well, you guys know what happened there… What I didn’t share in my last story is that I only lasted 2 days without a Fitbit before I went back to Best Buy and purchased the more expensive Fitbit Charge HR, which comes with a watch wristband that makes it practically unlosable.

For anyone who doesn’t understand the fuss over the Fitbit, let me try to explain it. Imagine everywhere you go there is a giant scoreboard in the sky with all your friends listed on it and the scores posted are how many steps you have taken that day. Even the least competitive person will have a hard time looking at the scores without feeling the need to move around a little, so you can imagine what it does to someone like me who has played competitive sports his whole life.

As my wife will corroborate I have gone from lazy, sleeping in all the time couch potato, to annoying “Let’s go for a walk!” guy. Where I used to lie on the couch to play video games, now I stand and march while I play, which is tough at first but you get the hang of it. The funny thing about it is that while I love competing in the weekly challenges against my friends, the need to do physical activity has actually overtaken my desire to win, which is just the best. That said, I still get miserable when I forget my Fitbit on the charger for the day… Baby steps, people.

Being open to, and loving, the Fitbit hype has allowed me to open my mind to the other fitness aid options out there. When Best Buy reached out to me about their fitness options, I was surprised at how much they had to offer in both tech and non-tech gear. They have asked me to go through their online fitness catalogue and share a few items that caught my eye, so here are just a few things I would love to work with.

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1. Fitbit Charge HR Fitness Tracker

I had to lead off with the star of today’s show, the Fitbit Charge HR. I have now tried the Flex and the Charge and recommend this particular Fitbit solely for the watch band that it comes with. I found the other versions easy to knock off my wrist and feel safer knowing this one is staying put.

Check out the Fitbit Charge HR for yourself on the Best Buy website.
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2. Breville Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer

Ever since I discovered Booster Juice a few weeks ago I have been fascinated with the idea of creating my own healthy concoctions from the comfort of my own home. While I haven’t tried this juicer yet, Breville is a company I trust to make a quality product.

Here is a link to check out the Breville Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer over at Best Buy.
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3. JayBird X2 In-Ear Bluetooth Headphones

If you’ve been reading my blog for any reasonable amount of time you will know that I am a headphones junkie. Seriously, I love headphones, mostly because they provide my ears with the gift of music, but also because I love the different feel and designs they offer. These look like they would be perfect for running with.

Here is more info on the JayBird X2 In-Ear Bluetooth Headphones!
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4. Weider Pro Power Cage

While this purchase seems a little out of character for me, I have recebtly started weight training and I love how compact this system is. That and the fact that compared to some others I have seen, this one is way more affordable for the average person.

Here is a little more info on the Weider Pro Power Cage.

Lost Fitbits and the Mysteries of the Mind

December 17, 2015/4 Comments/in THE BLOG /by Chris Read

The mind is a strange thing, isn’t it? For instance, I know that McDonald’s is extremely unhealthy yet I will still stop in for a Happy Meal whenever the mood strikes. I’ve been finding my battle with exercise to be equally as mystifying even though it should be pretty straight forward. It seems I get bursts of motivation and then slowly watch it fade away.

As an example, earlier this year I partnered with GoodLife Fitness and they even brought a camera crew to my house so I could share the story of my fitness issues. After that I started going to my local GoodLife on a regular basis but in recent months have seen that slip down to about once every couple of weeks. What happened, you ask? The truth is that I have no earthly idea. I loved going to the gym, with my music blasting and sweat pouring down my face. It gave me a new confidence that I had been sorely lacking but now I’ve let that feeling slip away for no good reason.

Then last week I purchased a Fitbit Charge in hopes of giving myself a boost and lo and behold I was exercising more than I ever had before. I joined a bunch of step challenges with my friends and the motivation to out-step everyone had me outside or at the gym walking at every free moment. What is that about? Does my brain really need competition in order to convince me to get off the couch? Is being healthy for my family not enough?

Just when I had finally convinced myself to stop beating myself up over matters of the brain that I could not comprehend, the unthinkable happened. My precious new Fitbit fell right off my wrist while I was out, never to be found again. I was definitely disappointed but wasn’t prepared for what came next. For the next two days I barely lifted a finger and was feeling really depressed about my loss. I’m admitting this to you all because even I found it completely ridiculous that a tiny black band that simply told me how many steps I did that day could cause such an emotional roller coaster in my brain.

I tried to contact support to see if anything could be done but apparently their warranty doesn’t cover stupidity so I did they only thing I could think of to do. I dropped $170 on a brand new Fitbit with a watch band this time instead of the band with the snaps, which, had I researched first, I would have seen a number of people having the same issue with them falling off. Oh yeah, because I was so emotionally distraught, I also got irrationally upset that Fitbit wouldn’t replace the band that “I” lost. Oh brain, you crazy kat!

The lesson here, people, is that the brain is a powerful thing and sometimes you need to give in to its craziness in order to get yourself on the right path. Am I happy to have wasted almost $150? Absolutely not. Am I going to walk, instead of drive, my butt all the way to GoodLife this afternoon to get a workout in? You bet your ass I am!!

Project #DadFit – New Beginnings

April 27, 2015/13 Comments/in #DadFit, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

Here we are again at this old familiar territory. Things were looking up for a while. I ran my first official 5K, was working out and running 5-6 days a week and even started eating healthier. I had never felt better in my life, mentally and physically, but I have let it all slip through my fingers. Now I sit here on the couch watching Real Housewives of (insert city here) because I’m too lazy to bother looking for the remote control, and I am not proud of myself at all.

All is not lost, however. I have faltered and regained footing before and I know that I can do it again. In fact, my new beginning starts today! My family were excited to welcome a video crew from GoodLife Fitness to our house this month so that I could share my story and struggles with staying fit. It’s not always easy to talk about our shortcomings but I do so with the hope that it will inspire me to work harder and possibly strike a chord in others who are dealing with the same struggles.

The GoodLife Fitness video is about Beginnings and I am really happy with how it turned out. Today is Monday, April 27th and on top of being my daughter’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Baby) this is the day that I begin my journey to a better me.

Win a 3 Month GoodLife Fitness Membership & Prize Pack!

February 9, 2015/126 Comments/in #DadFit, Giveaways, Reviews/Giveaways, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

To celebrate Heart Month and the fact that I am now officially a member at GoodLife Fitness, I am teaming up with GoodLife to give away a 3 month membership along with the prize pack shown above.

This February, GoodLife Fitness has teamed up with the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre to host the Healthy Heart Challenge to help keep your heart pumping!

Throughout the month, challenge participants will be encouraged to get CardioStrong through:

– daily cardiac stats and trends

– advice from a team of cardiologist and dieticians about preventing heart disease and stroke

– fitness tips and exercise ideas from GoodLife experts

– recipe ideas and nutrition tips to lower your risks

– suggestions for reducing stress and getting better sleep

As you complete the challenges, make sure you share your accomplishments and photos on social media using the #IHeartExercise hashtag. A lot of people won’t admit it but reading their friends journey to healthier lifestyles can be a striog motivator to get healthy themselves.

Giveaway

To get you started on the right foot, I am giving away a GoodLife Prize Pack that includes 1 GoodLife Fitness gym bag, a 3-month GoodLife Fitness membership, 1 branded water bottle and an #IHeartExercise t-shirt (various sizes available). The value of this prize pack is estimated at $250.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what your biggest obstacle is on your journey to becoming a healthier you. The giveaway closes Feb 28th and is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Good Luck and don’t forget to join the Healthy Heart Challenge on Facebook!

Project #DadFit – The McDonald’s Conundrum

November 18, 2014/3 Comments/in #DadFit, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

DISASTER!

Just as I was getting back on track after a horrendous Halloween nightmare, a brand new McDonald’s pops up quite literally around the corner from my house. I have two major detractors to my DadFit plan and they are pizza and McDonald’s.

If I am being completely honest, while I have still been working out, I have also been to the new McDonald’s for one reason or another on four of the seven days it has been opened so far. As you can imagine, this type of behaviour is NOT conducive to a healthier me… To be fair, three of those trips were only supposed to be coffee runs that somehow ended up with breakfast attached to them.

Also, cinnamon melts. C’mon, man!

Anyway, I need to figure out what I am going to do with this new wrinkle. It’s easy to say, “have some self control, man”, but people who suffer from junk food addiction will understand what I am talking about. My first course of action is going to be driving a different way to work and I’ll go from there.

In the good news department, the excellent people at New Balance read about my journey and hooked me up with some sweet new kicks (is it cool to call them kicks?) to help with my running. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet but I signed up for next year’s Ottawa Race Weekend 10K and I’m a little frightened by it. We’ll dive in to more about the race and the shoes in a later post but for now, I’ll leave you with this question.

How about you? Do you have a health kryptonite? What is it and how do you deal with it?

Project #DadFit – The Long and Winding Road

November 6, 2014/7 Comments/in #DadFit, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

To say that I have been struggling lately would be a gross understatement. What started as an ambitious attempt to sculpt myself into a model of fitness, has now become a weekly struggle to even pack my gym bag. I’d love to blame Halloween for this but it started well before that.

The funny thing is that I was doing so well. I was 6 weeks in to my workouts, completed my first 5k run and had started eating better on a daily basis. Then we got some bad news, which had me working longer hours, followed by some even worse news and then I let the whole thing slip away. As it stands, I have not worked out in over two weeks and my nutrition level is at a zero, unless coffee and pizza have some sort of nutritional value.

Now, this is NOT a ‘woe is me’ post and in fact, it is quite the opposite. As I sat on my couch last night, drinking a beer, eating leftover Halloween candy and generally feeling disgusting, I remembered what it felt like when I crossed the finish line at the Army Run and how great it felt after completing my first week of the P90X3 program, and I immediately got up, packed my gym bag and left it at the front door.

Life dishes out all kinds of different scenarios and it is up to us to choose how we are going to handle them. In this instance, I have decided to choose my health over feeling sorry for myself. There is no failing, there is only road blocks to navigate until you get to the next check point and I intend to get there running.

Project #DadFit – Week 4: Canada Army Run 5K – Completed!

September 23, 2014/5 Comments/in #DadFit, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

Weight Last Week: 202.9 lbs
Weight This Week: 201.2 lbs

When I originally signed up to run in the Canada Army Run, I had never run a 5K before and figured it would be great motivation to keep exercising. I was definitely right about that part. I have never pushed myself harder than with those training runs and by the time race day had arrived, I had already completed about eight 5K runs around my neighbourhood. Still, I wasn’t really sure about this whole race thing.

When I arrived on race day, the intimidation hit me within minutes and at one point I actually thought about not going through with it. What if I tripped someone? Or got lost? What if I cramped up or did something to make me look ridiculous? I didn’t know any of the rules and every single one of the other 11,256 racers looked like seasoned veterans to me. Then I got a message from my wife and kids, who had made signs for me and were chanting “Go Daddy Go!”, which made me completely forget about all my worries, and maybe tear up a bit, and got me focused back on the race.

Thing 1’s Sign

Thing 2’s Sign

Watching the opening ceremonies, the tributes to our veterans and current serving members of the Armed Forces made me remember what we were running for that day and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. As I ran the course, there were a number of times where I thought I was going to stop to walk for a minute, as I am accustomed to doing, but every time that thought crept into my head, I would pass a cheering section of people who were all clapping and holding signs of encouragement for all the runners. It was an extremely moving experience and one I will never forget.

With only a half a kilometer left, I saw the finish line appear from around the bend and all the adrenaline and emotions I had in my body came pouring out onto the road. I feel like I floated across the finish line, Jay-Z blaring, arm raised proudly as I knew that I had accomplished something that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. To have the opportunity to thank and accept my medal from a serving member of our Armed Forces was an incredible honour as well.

I had set a goal to run in this race and not only did I follow through but I ran the 5K without stopping for the first time ever and shaved 3 minutes off my best time. I know I sound like a broken record here but coming from someone who has done little physical activity over the last 15 years, if I can do this, anyone can do this. Get out there and set a small goal for yourself. You’ll be amazed how great you feel when you push through what you thought was your limit and get to the next level!

Just as a quick side note, I want to say thank you to everyone for all your encouragement throughout this process. All of your comments and messages have meant more to me than I can express and they really keep me motivated to keep going.

Looking Scruffy!

Canadian Dad Podcast – Ep. 3 – Fitness Coach, Dai Manuel

September 22, 2014/0 Comments/in #DadFit, Inspiration, Podcast, THE BLOG /by Chris Read

This week on the podcast, I spoke to fitness coach, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and father, Dai Manuel, from the website The Moose is Loose. Dai shares tips for parents who want to start making some changes in their lives.

We discuss Dai’s battle with childhood obesity that led him to start taking care of his body at a young age, and I share my struggles with weight and general laziness. We also spend some time talking about the importance of setting a good example for our kids and ways to get them involved in the fun of exercising.

Overall, Dai shares some amazing tips on how to get started and if you sign up for his mailing list, you get a very cool ebook that has 99 workouts that you can do with no extra equipment required.

Enjoy the show!

Posts

1. Fitbit Charge HR Fitness Tracker

2. Breville Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer

3. JayBird X2 In-Ear Bluetooth Headphones

4. Weider Pro Power Cage