We could all use an expert opinion when it comes to dusting off the old fitness routine.
Who better to ask for advice than the experts themselves?
Some of Ottawa’s fitness experts are here to answer five of your most-asked questions about fitness, food and health.
With expertise ranging from yoga to Crossfit, this panel has pro-tips for you.
Enjoy!
John Fritz—Manager & Instructor at Yogatown
Q: What are your tips for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule?
A: The best way to get me motivated is to find a friend or workout buddy. Friends that exercise together can motivate one another to go to the gym or to class. It's tough to tell your best friend "no" all the time!
Q: What advice do you have for fitness newbies who don’t know where to start?
A: Give yoga a try! Yoga is non-competitive and can be accessible for everyone. If you're afraid of the gym culture, yoga studios are very welcoming and supportive which will make it easy to get into your fitness routine.
Q: What does your own weekly workout routine look like?
A: While I do like to dabble in Personal Training, running or cycling, I always find that hot yoga is my workout of choice.
I love that this city has such a large yoga community—there is something to suit everyone's taste. I especially enjoy classes at Yogatown because they are all so different. If I'm looking for a nice stretch and recovery, I take Yin or Tune-Up classes. If I really want to get my sweat-on, I love taking Paula Romkey's HardCORE Flow class.
Q: Let’s talk food. What are your top tips for keeping up a healthy and nutritious diet?
A: Lately I go for smoothies or juice blends in the morning. They are the perfect start to a busy day! I especially love kale. A great tip to make your kale taste better, hand massage it for a few minutes before use. It really cuts some of the bitterness.
I’d recommend this almond and kale smoothie—it’s amazing!
Q: Ottawa is a great city for an active lifestyle. What is your favourite way to get active in the capital?
A: Obviously I love the hot yoga classes at Yogatown—the heat in the winter is magical. If it's not yoga, I enjoy skating on the canal or hiking in Gatineau Park.
If you're looking for some delicious healthy eats, check out Zanadu in Westboro. They have lots of great juices and smoothies to enjoy!
Megan Murtagh—Personal Trainer at Bounce Personal Training Studio
Q: What are your tips for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule?
A: This is a question that everyone has, especially working full-time and having kids. I always say that if you're not making something a priority, you're making an excuse.
It’s important to make sure whatever you are doing is as convenient as possible, which may mean a fitness facility that's close to home or work or an exercise that you can do with the kids or your partner. Also try and choose something you enjoy so that you're motivated to get there.
The other thing is, don't think about how tired you are and that you don't want to make the extra effort to get there. Think about how invigorated you’ll feel afterwards and proud of yourself for having accomplished it.
Lastly, don't schedule in more than is realistic, start with what you're sure you can accomplish.
Q: What advice do you have for fitness newbies who don’t know where to start?
A: The best advice I can give is to go to a fitness professional is to learn how to do whatever you choose properly. So many people take advice from non-professionals. This can cause injury and won't give you the results you deserve to see for your efforts! A good fitness professional can give you guidance and suggestions about what will work best for you, and will ease you into it so that you don't set yourself up for failure.
And don't start out with an Olympic view of what you think a fitness regime should be! Go at it slowly and methodically. The results will motivate you to do more! Make sure that the place you go is a fun, friendly environment, and be sure to check the personal trainer's credentials and experience.
Don’t beat yourself up for falling off the wagon once. Enjoy yourself, just be sure to get back on track the next day.
Q: What does your own weekly workout routine look like?
A: I live in the back of the Byward Market and run to work in Centertown every weekday morning. I do about a 45 minute weight routine every day as well, wherever I can fit it in. This consists of free body weight exercises like the TRX system, core work to stabilize my joints and any weights I try to do on the Bosu or a ball for the same reasons. On the weekends I believe in recovering, an often overlooked aspect of exercise.
Q: Let’s talk food. What are your top tips for keeping up a healthy and nutritious diet?
A: I really adhere to the idea of “clean eating.” No magic shakes, pills or potions. Make sure your diet consists of fruits, veggies, meats and nuts, and don't be afraid of fats! Natural fats are a very important part of how our bodies function chemically.
I’d also recommend making smoothies at home. Use fruits and veggies, a bit of yogurt, some protein powder and throw it in your bag for work. The more of these things we eat, the more vitamins and minerals we get into our bodies. Think less about what you shouldn't put into the “temple,” and more about what you should!
Q: Ottawa is a great city for an active lifestyle. What is your favourite way to get active in the capital?
A: We're very lucky in Ottawa to have a city that is working hard to have green spaces and outdoor activities at our fingertips.
The obvious options are the extensive bike and walking paths along the river and canal. In the west end there's Bruce Pits to walk for hours.
Gatineau Park is an amazing place to bike and hike. One of my favourite places is Lafleche Ariel Park in Cantley, Quebec, a 25-minute drive from the city. It has an amazing obstacle course in the trees and zip lining.
Greg & Janine Charron—Founders of iNSiDE Out STUDiO Barre
Q: What are your tips for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule?
A: Like anything that’s important to us in life, we make time for the things that matter.
Our body is the only place we have to live. With so many demands on each of us and the various roles we have to play in life, if we don’t take care of ourselves how can we fully take care of others?
With that said–make a plan. Turn your “shoulds” into “musts”. On Sundays, Janine and I will prep food and package it up so it’s easy to grab during the busy week. We also look at our schedules and decide who can get their workout done and when. We realize how important fitness is to our daily happiness and schedule it, just as we would with any work meeting.
Think of it as a meeting with yourself. ‘Me’ time is crucial to finding balance and showing up as the best version of yourself.
Q: What advice do you have for fitness-newbies who don’t know where to start?
A: We would recommend starting slow but more importantly starting with an activity that you enjoy.
Fitness is like anything else, if you don't enjoy it, it will become unsustainable. Just like nutrition, if you don't enjoy the foods you’re eating, chances are you will not stick with it! If you enjoy what you do you have a far better chance of excelling at it.
Starting slow is important because the last thing we want to do is to stress the body too much. By going too hard and too fast the body will be stressed to the point that it will release cortisol, a fat storing hormone. Ease into your new regime, Rome wasn't built in a day!
Q: What does your own weekly workout routine look like?
A: A typical workout routine for me would consist of doing 3 barre classes a week, typically on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule.
The other days would be open to do some HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts, such as running, biking, or a winter activity. I try to mix up most of the HIIT workouts but I stay consistent with barre classes.
Q: Let’s talk food. What are your top tips for keeping up a healthy and nutritious diet?
A: Our top tip for maintaining a healthy and nutritious lifestyle would be to learn about food! Learn what nutrients different foods provide for your body. Once you do that, you will have an outline of what foods you need to stock your kitchen with.
We’d also recommend cooking your weeks worth of food ahead of time. When you come home from a long day, don't want to cook and have nothing in the fridge, most of us will take the easy road and order in. By cooking in advance, it keeps healthy eating easy.
Another tip we would have to say is to listen to your body. Today we have so much contradicting information out there it can be confusing to know what is right from wrong. Listen to your body and keep everything in moderation.
Q: Ottawa is a great city for an active lifestyle. What is your favourite way to get active in the capital?
A: We love to bike on the parkway or run the hill at Mooney’s Bay in the summer months. In the winter we love to skate the canal, downhill ski or snowboard when possible or play recreational hockey.
Everett Sloan—Owner of Crossfit Bytown
Q: What are your tips for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule?
A: Make time for it now, so that you can live a fuller life. There is always time to be made for training. The average Canadian watches 30 hours of television a week. It only takes about three to five hours a week to make a real impact on your fitness level.
For people full of excuses, there is always the option of early mornings. Get it out of the way first thing and you won’t have any excuses after work to avoid going to the gym.
Publicly stating your intentions on social media can also be a great motivator for people.
Q: What advice do you have for fitness newbies who don’t know where to start?
A: The first and most important step is showing up. People are great at delaying starting or coming up with excuses for why now is not a good time. There are no secrets or great tips. Its not what you do today, its what you do everyday over a long period of time makes an impact on your overall health. Start now, and make it a habit.
Q: What does your own weekly workout routine look like?
A: I train two hours a day five days a week, taking Thursday and Sunday off. My training is no longer for health, but to try to be competitive in the sport of Crossfit.
My long-term goal is to compete as a master (40+) as I am older than the average athlete in the sport. For general health, we recommend people train three to five hours per week. Crossfit as a sport is much different than Crossfit as a workout.
Q: Let’s talk food. What are your top tips for keeping up a healthy and nutritious diet?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot out work a bad diet. You may spend an hour in the gym a day, but the other 23 hours can easily counteract the hard work you may have put in.
Too many people over-complicate diets or don’t have the information on eating properly. We educate the kids in our kids program on how to eat in a very simple way.
This means lean meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruits and limiting sugar. The average diet is full of processed food and way too much sugar. People need to be better educated to make healthy diet choices.
Q: Ottawa is a great city for an active lifestyle. What is your favourite way to get active in the capital?
A: Obviously Crossfit is my first choice, and now many Crossfit gyms have opened up in the city and surrounding areas.
My next choice is jumping on a bike and going for a ride. Ottawa has some great paths and trails throughout the city.
If you’re looking for a place to eat out, check out the burger at Mellos in the ByWard Market, on a gluten-free bun of course.
A big thank you to all our experts for the great tips!
