Since my website is under construction, and I'm meeting a whole bunch of new potential clients next week, I thought I'd put up a new "about me" blog. So you know what you're all in for. Cue evil laughter...
I'm currently sitting in a pile of boxes, dishes, everything, waiting to move to Liberty Village after spending a summer in Butt Fuck Nowhere (aka Keele and Eglinton). I CANNOT wait to meet some new vibrant young people looking to get their butts whipped in the upcoming months!
       I LOVE working out, and I especially how awesome it makes you feel. Some days I'd rather sit on the couch and each fried chicken, but 80% of the time I get to to the gym and eat my veggies. I'm not crazy obsessed with fitness, I don't subscribe to the latest trends or classes, I don't spend my (all of) my spare time watching fitness videos or food documentaries. I love seeing my clients succeed, I love to watch their faces when I make them do bench jump/burpee combinations, and I love getting follow up text messages saying that they are waddling the next day. I'm a real person, not some perfect fitness goddess. However, I can't sit still for long and love getting out and moving. I have competed in fitness competitions and love pushing myself to change and sculpt my body.
     I have a degree in Nutrition and Food, and a minor in psychology, which has helped me to understand behavior change. This is definitely important when trying to get people to change their behaviours and beliefs around food and activity. Many of my clients have dealt with mental health issues, physical injuries, chronic disease and illness, artificial limbs and seniors as old as 87. I am flexible and easy going, and prefer to encourage my clients to be healthy rather than yell and belittle them. I believe you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. I also demand to be treated with the same respect. This is my profession, not a hobby. Please respect my time. Don't forget fitness is a journey. It doesn't happen overnight, but every workout with shape your future body and being consistent is the most important tip that I can give you.
      Looking forward to the next few years in Liberty. xoxo
Whitney



 
   
   


CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

        I recently had a new client ask if she was too old to see results with a workout program and diet. I had just been thinking that a lot of my senior clients had been seeing some great results lately, but the ones that were successful were the ones that were consistently exercising and eating well. They are busy lawyers that get up at 6am to get 45 mins of at-home training done 4 times a week. They are the ones that don't miss sessions and stick to a healthy eating plan most of the time.
      I reassured the client that she would be fine, and she came back the next week having lost over a pound with 2 weeks of clean eating. Another client got told by his doctor that he needed to lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time due to a health and medication issue. He had not been serious with his diet, and due to his job as a pediatric surgeon (requiring travelling and conferences and writing deadlines) was often MIA from sessions for months at a time. Last month we got together, wrote a meal plan, and agreed to reunite in a month. Well the time came, and he had lost about 15 pounds in the 4 weeks. He made it to the gym every day after work, stuck to his diet 100% and didn't even want his allocated cheat days. He was amazed at how much better he felt, and told me his stress had caught up to him and taken over his life. Now this man is the busiest person that I have ever met, and he managed to make his health a priority. There is no excuse.

These ladies have transformed their lives in the last few years! Effort and energy=results

     Now don't get me wrong. Life can be exhausting, busy, we get sick, side tracked, unmotivated. We get presented with irresistible treats and opportunities, family issues. At the end of the day it is our own responsibility to make things happen. You don't need to go to the gym and feel wiped out and nauseous to be successful, but you do need to be consistent getting your sweat on and eating healthy. We may slip off the wagon, but we must get back on and get serious about being well. It does not need to be to lose weight or look a certain way, but to maintain health and prevent disease. If it comes a time when one does get sick, you don't want to look back and say "what could I have done differently".
    If weight loss is important to your health and you are gaining or maintaining despite your efforts, it is time to ask yourself what you are doing wrong. Sometimes it takes time to see a difference, and if you are honest with yourself about your efforts, it is ok to be stagnant and hit a plateau. Especially in women it may take a few months for a weight shift if you are not drastically overweight. However if nothing is happening and you are not getting to the gym 3 times a week or following your nutrition plan, it may be time to re-evaluate how you are going to fit in your workouts despite your schedules.

      I have been crazy busy and a bit MIA, but I would like to share a lovely transformation from another Ryerson grad. This lovely fellow and myself often found ourselves at the same parties. I was so delighted to see the changes he has made and asked him to share some of his experience!     


When I graduated university I was fat. Plain and simple. And the worst part of it was I was ok with being fat. I loved beer, I loved food and I wasn’t active. I had been bigger for most of my life but once I got to university things got a lot worse. My physical activity dropped and my food and alcohol intake increased drastically. I went from about 235 lbs. in my first year to about 280 lbs. in my fourth. I wore a size 44 pant and XXL shirts and sweaters. I noticed my knees and back started to ache and I felt self-conscious in public and around new people. I was losing confidence in myself. My wake-up call was my dad going into the hospital for issues with his heart, which by itself is scary, but my dad was nowhere near as big as me and was a regular at the gym. It was then, that I decided that I needed not only to lose weight but change my lifestyle completely.
            I started walking everywhere. I didn’t use transit unless I absolutely had to. I stopped eating out all the time and made a pact not to drink during the week. A few months later I was down 20 pounds. My clothes were hanging off me. My walks felt too easy so I started jogging. I got discouraged when I could barely jog for 3 blocks so I started jogging at night when there were less people out. It was a slow progression but after year I was down almost 40 pounds. I started researching healthy eating and found that there were a lot of different opinions about diets but one main idea. Put proper portions of good, natural foods in and cut out the processed junk. It’s something I still abide by whenever I can, if there is a fresh alternative to something processed I’m all for it. I discovered I loved spinach. Like LOVED it. I learned how to make salads about 50 different ways so I wouldn’t get bored. I tried to cut out sugar wherever I could. I made my lunches instead of buying them because it gave me greater control over the choices I made. I learned to broil and grill meats and fish instead of frying them, it was an adjustment but also how I discovered my love of cooking! I gave myself cheat days as rewards but found myself making healthier choices on those days too. I vowed I would not let myself ever be the “fat guy” again. Over the last year and a half my goals have changed pretty drastically. I no longer care about the number on the scale as much as I do about how I feel.
          I’ve been around 185 lbs. for the last 6 months but have packed on some solid muscle (I have pecs!). With the help of a nutritionist and a few sessions with a personal trainer my waist has shrunk to a size 33 and I’m a size medium in everything. I still have a little pot belly and love handles that are taking the longest to get rid of but my butt, chest, arms and thighs have all lost fat and gained muscle. The most rewarding thing is knowing I did it the right way. I didn’t drop all the weight at once because of a fad diet or starving myself, it was a slow trek and I sacrificed a lot to get here. I fell off the wagon more than once and have had cheat days turn into a cheat week. But setting goals and following through with them is what has benefitted me most. And boy was it worth it!
         A little over a year ago I met a girl who stole my heart. Thank god I had the confidence to ask her out because I’m going to be marrying her this October! My current goal is to lose the belly because I want to look like an absolute stud in my tux when she walks down the aisle! And after that I’ll probably set a new goal…who knows maybe a half marathon or six pack abs are in my future.

          When I first met Mitzi she was tired, out of shape, sore, and determined! Mitzi had been on bed rest for an illness and was receiving chiropractic care and painful iron injections. Mitzi suffered weakness and pain, had to give up a lot of her life due to her illness,  which she eventually discovered was polycistic ovarian syndrome. Being immobile frustrated Mitzi, and gave her a lot of motivation to become healthy.
          I am always amazed at how strong an individual can get in a short period of time, and Mitzi blew me away. She worked and worked at her strength, endurance, and cardiovascular exercises, and eventually worked off 40 pounds! Mitzi has changed her diet as well. She avoided indulgences at the holidays and in a work environment that loved to eat processed foods. Her friends tell me she is a different person, with more energy and vitality, and she is a role model for many others in the community. Mitzi has gone from a pant size of 14 to a size 4 and is working hard to lose the last 10 pounds! Congratulations Mitzi, keep up the great work!