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Nike Running SportChek

Back To School Also Means Back To Fitness

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This is a tough thing to admit but I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to my health and well being. No matter how often I think about being active, I always seem to have an excellent reason to do the exact opposite of that. Take this past year, for instance. I was working out at my local GoodLife Fitness at least 4 times a week and started training for my first 5K in the Canada Army Run. How many times do you think I’ve gone running from that day to about a week ago, almost a full year later? Zero! That’s right, in some twisted trick that my brain played on me, I had completed my goal and therefore had nothing left to prove. Even my time at GoodLife has been reduced to once a week, which is completed unacceptable.

Now that the kids are back in school and I have realized just how many hours there are in the day, I have decided to pick myself up off the couch and get my butt moving again. I figure one of these days it’s going to click, so as many times as I get off track I think it’s equally as important to keep fighting for consistency in my exercise regimen. I also decided that I couldn’t keep running in the discount running shoes I had been using, so I turned to Sport Chek for some assistance and decided on the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 32 running shoes. Between the sole support and the mesh uppers, these shoes make it feel like I am running on top of clouds. Look at them up there in all their orange glory!

Just so you don’t think I’m a selfish monster, I also let my wife and kids pick out some new shoes. Besides, back to school seems like a special enough occasion to warrant some shiny new kicks, right? That and the fact that my kids have been running with me to keep me motivated. My wife, who has also been joining me on this exercising adventure, went with the Nike LunarGlide 7 women’s running shoes and I could tell by the spring in her step that she made the right decision. The kids? Well, my daughter saw the Skechers Twinkle Toes shoes, glittery with light up ability, and practically started shaking with excitement. My son chose the Under Armour Micro-G Velocity shoes because of the colour… Kids, am I right? I told both children that they could pose any way they would like to show off their new shoes and, go figure, they both decided to wear the shoes on their hands instead of their feet. Again, kids.

Under Armor SportChek

Under Armour Mirco-G Velocity Kids’ Grade-School Running Shoes

Skechers Twinkle Toes SportChek

Skechers Twinkle Toes Sport Chek

And there you have it. I have now successfully run 5 times in the last two weeks and I am starting to get that confidence back in my stride. Here’s hoping it sticks around but as you all know, I won’t be afraid to admit it if I get knocked down again. I would also like to say thanks to Sport Chek for helping me select my awesome new running shoes. I expected the price to be obscene and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was going to cost me an arm and a leg for excellent quality equipment. You can find out more about what’s happening at Sport Chek by checking out their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this program, however I did in fact fall off the health wagon again and the shoes really do feel like what I imagine clouds to feel like.

Halloween Candy Not Healthy

Project #DadFit – The Long and Winding Road

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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.

Canada Army Run

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

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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.

Canada Army Run Go Daddy Go

Thing 1’s Sign

Canada Army Run Go Daddy

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.

Canada Army Run Finish Line

Looking Scruffy!

#DadFit Week 3

Project #DadFit – Week 3: You Win Some, You Lose Some

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Here is a list of all the things I did wrong this week.

1. I had chips and cake at work and then immediately listened to the Model Health Show podcast and felt extremely guilty.
2. I ate pizza, waited an hour and a half and then went for a run. Because of the pizza, I had to stop for half way due to abdominal pain. And, because I had already run 2.5K, I had to walk 2.5K home with abdominal pain.
3. Donuts, Pizza, Hot Dogs, Cinnamon Buns, Beer, Wings & Fries…

Now, looking back on all of these things, I feel terrible about what I have done to my body this week. For what it’s worth, I used to be a lot worse and actually showed restraint in a few different cases. That said, here is the list of things I did that I wasn’t doing three weeks ago.

1. Ran/Walked a total of 11.5K.
2. Started the P90X3 program from Beachbody and have completed 3 days so far. In fact, I almost bailed on tonight’s workout, yoga, but guilt took over and I powered through it. For someone who used to give up when things would get tough, this was a big step for me. Also, yoga is hard.
3. I went to the gym to do weight training three times this week.
4. I made my first ever trip to Farm Boy and stuffed my body with healthy foods all week (think of it as a counter balance to all the crap I mentioned eating above).

As disappointed as I am in myself for eating all the crappy food, I am more proud of myself for sticking to my workout plan and slowly starting to fit in some healthier food options. I was also sick towards the end of the week, which caused me to get a little down on myself, which led to the cinnamon buns…

Point is, if I can stick to this stuff, anybody can do this. Seriously, I used to occupy a bullet point under “lazy” in the dictionary. Take small steps, make your mistakes and soldier on. It has only gotten slightly easier physically but now that I have my brain telling me that it won’t let me quit, I feel more confident than ever. I’ll be keeping you all posted on how the P90X3 stuff is going and hope to have some videos to share soon.

Rock on!

Chris #DadFit Run

Project #DadFit – Week 2: Slow and Steady

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Weight Last Week: 207.2 lbs
Weight This Week: 203.4 lbs

I remember when I tried to quit smoking for the first time. I decided that on top of that, I was going to start eating better and exercising at the same time. Anyone who has ever tried to do too much at once will tell you that this was a bad strategy. So when I decided to start this journey to a healthier lifestyle, I told myself I would take it one step at a time. I started with running and have since added in working out at the gym a couple times a week. I’m not going to lie, it has been tough each and every time but I always manage to come out of it feeling good about myself.

I have also slowly started to change my diet but ran into a wall this past week after a particularly tough workout. I was sitting at my work desk, staring down at the bucket of vegetables I had brought for dinner and panicked a bit at the thought of cutting out the foods I had grown to love, such as pizza, wings and ice cream. In true Chris fashion, I decided to take the long weekend off from doing anything healthy and basically pigged out the whole time. A funny thing happened this time though. Before I had the chance to feel sorry for myself for failing, yet again, my brain picked me up, dusted me off and got my butt back in to the gym. It was probably the most gratifying thing that happened yet and showed me that I may have been trying to change too much, too quickly.

There have been other close calls so far and each time I have managed to push through them and carry on. I forgot my running shoes one day, something that would have derailed me in the past, but I decided to wear my flip flops to lift weights that day instead. Sure I looked silly but I got the workout in and felt great afterward. It’s so easy to rationalize reasons to quit and up to this point in my life, I was the king of doing this. Not anymore! Just this past week, I managed to shave 3 minutes off my 5K and am now consistently running it in under 35 minutes. I have never pushed myself harder and even though it really, really, really sucks while it is happening, there is no better feeling than knowing that I succeeded in reaching a new goal.

I have started taking notes about how I feel during the workouts and beyond, with the goal of sharing a very real account of the ups and downs of trying to turn things around. One thing that is clear to me, is that this isn’t going to be easy. No pain, no gain… Right???

You can follow along with all my posts by Clicking Here or on the #DadFit tag in the menu or on Twitter.

Running Man #DadFit

Project #DadFit – Week 1: A New Beginning

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Starting Weight – 207.2 lbs

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I was going to make some health changes in my life but wasn’t sure if I would be able to stick to it. Some people have argued for and against the fact that it takes 21 days to form a habit, and seeing as how I have now passed that marker, I’m going to go ahead and believe it for my own motivation’s sake.

I wish I could pinpoint what has changed to keep me motivated this time around after many failed attempts, because it certainly hasn’t been easy. I have started going to the gym 2-3 times a week and even started running 5K with the same frequency and have basically wanted to quit since I began. To keep myself motivated I signed up for the Army Run 5K later this month and have found that it has worked during the times that I have wanted to lie on the couch instead of lacing up my running shoes.

For those of you who are on the fence about making some changes in your life, I can honestly tell you that this has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. There hasn’t been one moment where it has been easy and I have been in pain more than I have felt gain to this point. The weight room is hard, the running is even harder and cutting down on the junk food is the absolute worst.

I realize that this isn’t the best endorsement for creating a better you so far but I promise you there is hope, and it is this. I have never felt so much pride and confidence in myself. When I push through the pain at the gym and put down that last weight, I realize that the pain was only temporary. When I don’t think I can run another foot but leg out an extra kilometer, I beam with pride at what I have accomplished. When people start to notice the difference in your body and attitude, you soak it in. Finally, when you can play with your children for longer than 5 minutes without getting exhausted, it makes the whole thing worthwhile.

I’m no motivational speaker and there is no guarantee that I will succeed this time around but I can honestly tell you that if you are willing to push through the initial instinct to quit, you will be rewarded in the long run. Because I am new to this and learning as I go, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any beginner questions or need encouragement to keep going!

*Note: You may have noticed the #DadFit hashtag. I don’t own it but noticed that it wasn’t being used so I’m borrowing it to chronicle my attempt at living a healthier life. If you feel like joining in and using it, please do. The more, the merrier!*

View From Run

206. The Story Of My Potentially Broken Scale

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206. I looked down in disbelief at what I was seeing. 206. It sounds more like someone’s apartment number than what my weight should be. 206! This scale must be broken… After all, I have already written a number of times about how I was finally committing to creating a better, healthier life for myself, and saying it makes it so, right? Apparently it takes more than words to make something so, which means I am back to the drawing board.

I make these commitments often enough that you’d think I’d have figured out how to work around my own mind at this point, but I haven’t. It took me 5 years to finally quit smoking, and if I’m being honest I still haven’t gotten the little voice out of my head. Exercise and healthy eating is proving to be an ever bigger obstacle for me, mostly because two of my favourite things are eating and sitting/lying down. I’ve also learned that trying to change too many things all at once is definitely detrimental to my end goal, so I am taking things slow.

That said, I have started alternating running and weight training 5-6 days a week and have lasted a month and a half so far, which is good for me. I even signed up for the 5K race in the Canada Army Run to keep myself motivated and I’m finding that I am actually excited about the upcoming adventure. I think the difference this time around is that I am truly unhappy with the way I look and feel most of the time. I’m achy, tired, my clothes don’t fit and there aren’t a lot of clothing places that cater to short dudes with round bellies. If I don’t do something now, I’m scared that I never will.

Most importantly, however, I have been having trouble keeping up with my growing children and that makes me sadder than all of the above reasons combined. I don’t want to be the dad that can’t play road hockey with his son because he needs to take a break every 2 minutes, or the guy who can’t practice a dance routine with his daughter because I am carrying too much weight to keep up. I refuse to allow my children to see me as this shell of my former self and am hoping that this time around, I can stick to it. If all that wasn’t motivation enough, my 6 year old son came running with me the other day and said “Dad, I love to come running with you because I like having daddy son time”. How do I quit after hearing that?

I don’t write this story so that you will shower me with congratulations or encouragement. I do it for a couple of reasons. First, writing and talking about it is a strong motivator for me. Also, I think there are a lot of people like me out there. People who start something with a strong passion for it, only to watch it fade away without a second glance. I want to show those people that failing once or twice or five times doesn’t mean it’s over. As long as you are breathing, you have the chance to make a difference in your own lifestyle and you should seize that opportunity. You know, YOLO, and all that stuff!

I have no idea what is going to happen with my latest attempt at creating a better situation for myself but I know that I am more motivated than ever and at least that is a step in the right direction.

#DadsRun4Boston

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I am not a runner. Heck, I can’t tell you the number of times that I have committed to going back to the gym, only to have it fall apart after a half-assed effort. That said, I am lacing up some running shoes to take part in the #DadsRun4Boston initiative.

A year ago today, terrorists killed three people in the Boston Marathon bombing. Among those killed was an 8-year-old boy named, Martin Richard. After a couple of days of Boston being under siege, the terrorists then killed an MIT police officer, and proceeded to turn the streets of Watertown into a war zone. People were ordered inside their houses and entire towns were shut down as law enforcement worked diligently to find the man responsible, which they eventually did.

The bombing left hundreds of others battered and scarred, both physically and emotionally. In the days leading up to this year’s marathon, the dads are coming together to show our support by going for a run and sharing a picture on social media, using the hashtag #DadsRun4Boston. You don’t have to run far, but we are encouraging you to get outside and show your support in memory of all of those affected by the tragic events of last year. Then, snap a pic, pop it on your favourite social media channel and use the #DadsRun4Boston to show your support.

Or, if you’re physically unable to run, consider donating to The One Fund (the official organization helping bombing victims). But use the #DadsRun4Boston hashtag when you do. Special thanks to Charlie Capen and Aaron Gouveia for their efforts in putting this together.

Thanks and we can’t wait to see all your pictures!