December 2022 I answered a request for a personal trainer. The poster was looking for a trainer who could carry a good conversation, laugh and help her to keep dead lifting more than her body weight. I met Dolores Luber.

At 84 years of age Dolores is an editor of a magazine, speaks 4 languages, belongs to several book clubs, is an avid dog lover, relishes sharing her children and grandchildren's exploits and is committed to living a long life by exercising everyday. She also loves to subvert authority and gets a devilish look in her eye when she can step just ever so slightly out of the rule box.

The lessons I am learning from Dolores are priceless. To live not just a long life, but a life that is worth living means you must ....

1. Exercise daily. Not because you want too or to be a certain size but because you to need to be strong. You need strong bones so when you fall, you don't break. You need strong muscles to carry you all day. You need a strong heart. You need a strong mind. As Dolores would say, "You just do it! Of course I hurt some days. Of course I am tired, but I just do it!"

2. Be productive. Give your day purpose. "We are meant to work!" Sitting idle is probably the closest thing to a sin for Dolores. If she isn't working on her magazine that supports retirees in the Jewish community, she is taking Hebrew lessons or preparing for one of several book clubs she belongs to. She works daily and in a way that gives back to those around her.

3. Have a routine. Get up everyday at the same time, irrelevant if it is the weekend or a holiday. Structure your day around set activities. Start your day with movement. A body in motion stays in motion.

4. Don't wait to start living and don't wait for the perfect moment. Listening to Dolores' adventures (she needs to write her memoirs) I realize she is where she is because she never let fear hold her back. She used and uses fear to push her into action. Did she stumble at times ... of course, we all do but she used any setback as a set up for something even bigger.

Dolores is a daily reminder that mindset is everything and how we choose to live our life is important. In today's world where we constantly are rewarded with instant gratification we forget or struggle with delayed gratification. To live a long life and a life worth living we need to embrace the long game. We need to act today in order to live tomorrow. It means taking action even if we are afraid or experienced set backs before. It means doing it when we don't want to. We need to stop living life from the sidelines and jumping in with 2 feet. To quote Dolores, we need to "just do it!"

I know ... what are macros? They are the large building blocks of what make up a plate (carbohydrates, protein, and fat). Most of the focus on nutrition and weigh loss is on the ratio of macros and total calorie consumption but the true magic of nutrition is how it heals our bodies and helps fortify our bodies. I talk in great detail in the TriFIT nutrition program, ReSET, about the power of food and how shifting our focus to what food does for us can help us make the necessary changes to our diet to build a healthy body. A body that is resilient to stress and chronic disease.

I was reminded about the power of food when I came across this article: The Science Behind An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

To learn how to make changes to your diet that serve your body today and tomorrow you can access the full ReSET program for just $20. You purchase and own the program for life, being able to download the workbook and videos coaching you through my philosophy and how I incorporate it into my family's daily meals.

~ Amy, your coach and trainer

I turn 46 today. My birthday is always a time I like to reflect on what I've achieved, what I need to work on and where I want to go.

Over the past year this word "longevity" has become a force in my life. I live a relatively healthy life. I exercise almost daily, eat well with some indulgences and get adequate but not quality sleep. Compared to most I live a healthy life but am I living a long life?

From day one of creating Get TriFIT I shared my view on exercise and nutrition; namely, that we should see movement and nutrition as a daily supplement we take to achieve optimum health. That movement is nature's anti-depressant and nutrition is medicine for the body

And I whole heartedly believe these things but it isn't enough - not enough if we want to live a long life of QUALITY.

The key words are long life and quality. Does anyone want to live a long life with poor health or worse as an empty vessel? I think deep down that is our biggest fear and we do EVERYTHING we can to put our head in the sand and ignore it.

Ignorance may be bliss short term but long term it is a silent killer. We must stop chasing a number on the scale or a dress size or some magical number of weight loss. We must stop seeing exercise and nutrition as these monoliths in our lives by always focusing on what we haven't done or worse ... the latest fad.

We DO need to start seeing exercise, nutrition and SLEEP for what they are .. the building blocks of our physical and mental health both currently and in the future. Most importantly exercise, sleep and nutrition are absolutely key to longevity. Living a long life of quality. AND THEY ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND RELATIVELY LOW COST.

I will not promise you weight loss. Yep, read that one again. I DO NOT promise weight loss. I will provide you with tools, strategies, coaching, support and programs for longevity

This requires honesty of what you are doing, what you want to do and what you are willing to do. It requires taking control and saying I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SHIP

Health starts and ends with you. And I am all in to help you live a long life.

Ready to start?

Whether you are a current member, past member or hopeful a soon-to-be new member, it is never too late to start but you need to start. Starting means taking small daily actions that compound over time to build a healthy, long life on your terms not dictated by chronic disease. It starts with something as simple as 10 minutes of movement and shifting one aspect of your nutrition.

ALL OF THIS IS DO ABLE. I am here to help. I am always available through messaging, email and coaching calls. You are not in this alone but you do have to reach out and ASK.

Reach out here or through the comments on the website. I am one click away to helping you build a life of longevity.

You just need to say ..... YES

Level Up Day 13 2nd time around. Leveled Up the weights. 15/20/25/30 for each round. Every video I cannot believe how much stronger I am. LIFT Max delivers!!!! I am pushing weight I never thought I would push in HIIT workouts. Excited to see the gains continue to grow.

I designed Level Up to be an intermediate to advance program for those TriFIT members who not only wanted to push themselves but could HIIT RePlay over and over again on Level Up and still experience gains.

How you get more is by challenging your weight and depth of movement. After finishing filming LIFT Max I knew I had gained significant muscle. Specifically bulk muscle.

Cycling is a term you hear in the fitness industry and it refers to the cycles of training you go through.

• First you "bulk" or build muscle

• Second you lean the muscle

• Third you had power or explosive movement

Level Up combines the second and third phase beautifully over a 6 month period. By combining LIFT Max you have a 9 month cycle of training that cycle after cycle will continue to challenge and strengthen you.

When I filmed Day 10 I used a 15lb kettle bell for the entire workout. Today I used a 20lb kettle bell for 2 rounds, 25lb kettle bell for 2 rounds and a 30lb kettle for the last round. I can truly say this is a new PB for me and I am excited to achieve many more PB's HIITing RePlay on Level Up.

I know it's tempting to jump around and do the videos you enjoy but I invite and strongly encourage you to do a complete program from beginning to end. These programs are written to bring the best out of you and your body while building strength and BALANCE.

For People new to exercise I recommend:

HIIT10 beginner options -- Back 2 Basics -- HIIT10 advanced options -- HIIT20 --LIFT20

Looking to incorporate weights:

LIFT20 -- HIIT20 -- LIFT Max -- Level Up

Looking to maintain:

LIFT Max -- A Modified Level Up (2-3 days of Level Up, Next day cardio of your choice, Rest Day, Repeat until finished the Program)

Most importantly .... TRACK your progress. record how much you weight you lift, how confident you feel in the movements, if you complete the workout, your heart rate. All are measures of your progress.

Don't forget to share your wins with me! Post to the community board and celebrate. Plus, you just might inspire someone.

~ Amy, you coach and trainer ... and fellow TriFIT member

This challenge is designed to help you find little moments in your day to work on goals. 

The goal ... complete 40 push ups in a row by the end of the 30 days.

Did you know one key indicator of cardiac health is the ability to do 40 push ups in a row?

So this heart month we are working on our hearts ... one push up at a time.

Screen shot the tracker or download it from here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d2vZuD-NNnEwX8SyoK3DNNV-jKQfDmZA/view?usp=sharing

Comment below if you are joining the challenge. Feel free to tag me if you post on social media. This challenge is open to everyone. Challenge your partner, your kids, your family and friends. You can share the link for the tracker. 

Let's get everyone heart healthy this month.

~ Amy, your coach and trainer

One big benefit to adding whole grains to your meals is the fibre. The beautiful, gut loving bacteria making fibre.

A key way to start reducing your cravings for sweets is to add whole grains like:

Barley

Bulger

Farro

Quinoa

Black Rice

Red Rice

Wild Rice

Brown Rice

And yes ... even popcorn! Just be sure to make your popcorn from scratch. Air pop or on the stove like we do in my house.

To say fruit is bad because it has fructose is missing the point entirely.

An 🍎 has: 4g of fibre, 1g of protein and 13g of carbohydrates

It also has:

Vitamin C

Potassium

Quercetin (why it keeps the doctor away)

Catechins

Chlorogenic Acid

Let's talk about Quercetin .. which is a trendy supplement lately. Why? It is a versatile antioxidant known to possess protective abilities against tissue injury. It's an immune booster that also can heal our tissues.

How can you source Quercetin naturally?

Fruits and vegetables are the primary dietary sources of quercetin, particularly citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, sage, tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and bilberries are also high in quercetin and other flavonoids.

Fruit is more than sugar! It is not candy. It is not processed foods that are designed to make us compulsively eat them to make companies rich and us unhealthy.

By this point you should be detoxed off of sugar and able to really enjoy the natural sweetness of fruit. Fruit is delicious and delivers so many micro nutrients that our bodies NEED.

The old wives tale about a tbsp of cod liver oil keeps you healthy ... is right!

1 tbsp of cod liver oil is 1 full daily serving of vitamin D

Fish, especially cold water fish are rich in nutrients our bodies need

• Lean protein

• B12

• B5

• Phosphorus

• Selenium

• Omega 3

• Zinc

• Copper

• Vitamin E

• Riboflavin

Many of these nutrients are artificially added to our food because its either stripped in the processing or we no longer eat the foods rich in these essential nutrients.

Fish and shellfish are packed with these micro nutrients and healthy fats are bodies need.

I know fish can be intimidating to make so start small. Start simple.

• 
  

• Most steak size pieces of fish bake at 400F for 18-20 mins

• Every fish I've ever cooked tastes amazing with a bit of salt & pepper and lemons. squeeze the lemon juice and then add slices to the top of the fish as it bakes

• Pan frying takes about 3-5 mins per side

Do you eat fish 2-3x a week? Tell me in the comments. If you have a favourite fish recipe share it to the group.

Fats Day 3 Video

Can we have an amen for seeds please!

I add seeds to EVERYTHING! Remember my post about breakfast ... SEEDS

My post about salads ... SEEDS

Smoothies ... SEEDS

Snacks ... SEEDS

These little miracles need to be a regular staple in your diet. Chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax are in almost every category of 3X food groups. 2 tbsp of hemp seeds is 10g of protein, omegas, fibre and so much more

And ....

Calcium

Magnesium

Phosphorus

Copper

Selenium

Iron

Seeds regulate your gut health and help repair a leaky gut. They improve your digestion.

Challenge yourself for the next 5 days to add seeds to your meals. And check out the workbook for my seedy cracker recipe. I use these crackers for open face sandwiches and snacks. SO good! Best of all you can switch the flavours to suit you.