March Challenge

Lifestyle Challenge

It's that time of year again!! The month of March will be a busy, but exciting month. I am eager to organize another Lifestyle Challenge for you, because each and every one of you deserves to feel good from the inside out. I really would like you to set aside some time for yourself this March and notice what a difference a little self care can do! 

I have outlined a few of the challenges that you will be encouraged to take part in. There will be special incentives for some of the challenges as well as a BIG grand prize! Last year the grand prize was over $1500 of goodies! Ahhhhhh, I'm so excited for all of you!

If you know anyone interested in personal training, this is the month to join! Let them know about all the fun and exciting things going on. A little more competition couldn't hurt! 

I have thought a lot about how I wanted to structure this challenge. Most Fitness Challenges reward those who lose the most weight or inches, but that is not what I am all about. Each and every one of you works your butt off for me, you all have different goals, and you all have different body types. My goal is to help you live happier and healthier lives. A life that is driven by image and the need to be skinny will not make you happy or healthy. That is why I have created a point system based on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual elements. Here's how it works...

Each challenge is given a certain number of points. By the end of the month the individual who works on all elements of themselves and collects the most points will be awarded the grand prize.

Fitness Challenges:

• For the month of March - Run!! - track all your kilometers.

• Week 1: Sprints - 8mph @ 8 degrees incline - 20s sprint : 10s rest - how many can you complete?
• Week 2: Tricep yoga plank - from knees - how long can you hold?
• Week 3: Balance - toe touches -eyes closed- how many can you complete?
• Week 4: Wall sit - how long can you tolerate the pain?

And here are just a few examples of other ways you can gain points:

• Prepare a healthy meal
• Take a bath
• Days without refined sugar 
• Random act of kindness
• Call a friend you've been meaning to
• Sleep 7+ hours
• Tackle something you've been procrastinating - clean out your closet...?

MESSAGE ME FOR A FULL LIST OF ALL THE CHALLENGES!! 

 Much love,

Amy

 I am all about fitness. That is, in essence, what connected us. I am committed to making you stronger. I see potential in you not only physically, but in all elements. I'm here to push you to be the best you

February Challenge

Take on one bad habit!

Are you ready? This month we are going to take everything we learned in January about goal setting and apply it to tackling one bad habit. Whether you nailed your New Year’s resolutions or struggled to get through to the end, doesn’t matter - I am sure you learned some important lessons.

So this month we are going to focus in on one thing you want to change. We all have habits that we have been trying to break forever - little or big, they are unconscious practices that we would be better off without.

Maybe for you its:

• Too many sweets
• Hectic mornings with no routine
• Unorganized stack of receipts or mail
• Late night snacking
• Biting your nails
• Going to sleep with your makeup on.

Step One

Take a minute to think about the one habit you are ready to finally be done with. Okay, do you have it? Good. Let’s get started.

Step Two

Take out your agenda or your calendar or whatever keeps you organized and start planning.

Do you want to finally get your morning routine down right? Maybe that means setting aside time in the evenings to make sure:

• Your outfit is picked out for the next day
• Coffee maker is pre-set and ready to go
• You’ve prepped your breakfast and lunch for the next day’
• Set up your yoga mat and preloaded a 10 minute morning yoga video on YouTube.

You may find it cumbersome at first, but after a few smooth mornings you will notice how easy it can be. 

Successful change is often created when your environment is setup properly.

For example - hectic mornings - set out clothes the night before, per-set coffee maker, and make overnight oats. 

As always a prize/incentive awarded at the end of the month

January Challenge

Rethink Your Resolutions 

Happy New Year! After an sometimes indulgent holiday season, the New Year is a great time to re-evaluate your habits and priorities, and set up a new routine.

Which is why this year’s January Challenge is all about Goal Setting! Before setting down a path to a happy and healthy 2017, let’s all make sure we are heading down the RIGHT path.

As you know, goals work best when you keep them SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. This January’s Goal Setting Challenge is going to take us one step further. This year we are going to focus on the END goals, rather than just MEANS goals.  

Means goals – Objective or Societal goal. Like getting good grades, buying a house, getting that raise at work.

End goals – Experiential or Growth goal. Like experiencing love, being happy, finding emotional balance.

The Challenge!

Set a timer for 90 seconds and write whatever comes to mind for each of the three area:

Experience:

• If money or time weren’t restriction, what would you want to experience in life? For example:
• I want to travel to all seven continents
• I want to feel unconditional love
• I want to feel healthy and strong
• I want to have a family

Growth:

• How would you grow your mind, body, soul? Maybe ask yourself:
• What books would you read?
• What skills would you want to learn?
• What personal characteristics would you want to strengthen?
• What are you doing to challenge your health - run a marathon, implement regular gym practice, perfect your downward dog?

Contribution:

• What various ways do you want to contribute to your friends, family, community, the world? If you had all the time and money in the world:
• Where could you volunteer?
• How could you help co-workers?
• What causes would you financially support?
• What art or talent would you share with the world?

Now that you have a clear understanding of what motivates you, it is now time to create a plan. Construct a list of 1-3 actionable initiative per area.

PLAN: Review your list and choose one or two initiatives that you can start implementing today. Organize the remaining initiatives into your calendar, making sure you cover all areas throughout 2017. 

Points:

• 1 point/initiative 
• 10 points for yearly implementation schedule/calendar 

"This exercise will change the way you plan your life and see your goals. It’ll change the way you see your career, mission, and life purpose unfolding"  - Vishen Lakhiani

Concept Credit: Vishen Lakhiani owner of Mindvalley Academy

December Challenge

31 DAYS OF SWEAT!! 

The Holidays are coming folks! And now, more than ever, we need to stay on top of our commitments to our health and fitness. With all the cookies and cocktails and holiday parties coming our way, temptation will be around every corner. Let’s not wait till January to resolve to be good to ourselves!

But you know me, I am all about moderation and setting realistic and manageable goals - I’m no holiday Grinch! That’s why this December’s challenge is a physical one - I might not be able to keep you from drinking that glass of egg nog, but I am definitely going to help you sweat it off!

For the month of December I challenge you to 31 Days of Sweat! I want you to sweat every single day this month. Whether it’s 10 burpees to start the day, taking those 10 long flights of stairs to the office, or 3 minutes of jumping jacks during your lunch break, I want to see you sweat! I promise, if you stick to this daily sweat challenge, you can avoid that gross, lethargic, over-stuffed feeling that is all too frequent during the holidays.

And don’t fret - you aren’t alone! I will be posting lots more mini-exercise videos on social media to provide you with lots of motivation and inspiration to get you sweating each and every day.

As always there will be a special gift for the sweatiest participant!

November Challenge

SOLO DATES ARE BACK

Embrace being alone with yourself, being quiet, being you. 

For the month of November I want you to take yourself on a date once a week. Set aside some time to do what makes you happy inside. It might be going to a cafe with a book, taking a walk through the park with your dog, going to a museum or art gallery, or lighting a candle and taking a bath. All I ask is that you block off some time for just you. I feel as if we often lose track of time, get caught up doing too many things for other people, and waste hours scrolling through social media when we could have been doing something that truly brings us happiness.

GUIDELINES:

• Plan something that makes you happy inside
• Set aside at least 30 minutes every week for yourself
• Have Fun!
• Record what you do and email it to me at the end of the month
• Every date with yourself enters you into a win a lovely prize

October Challenge

STOP PROCRASTINATING!

What a glorious summer! I hope you took the time to enjoy the beautiful weather, absorb some much needed Vitamin D, and take advantage of the fresh air and sunshine! How did it all go by so fast?

For many of us, it can be easy to overindulge in the summer. Maybe you spent a few more happy hours on the patio with a nice cold beer than you meant to, or enjoyed a few too many cheeseburgers up at the cottage. Well with Fall upon us, now is the perfect time to re-establish a healthy routine to set us up for success for the rest of the year. And as always, I am here to help!

This month’s challenge is a big one - it’s called “Stop Procrastinating!”

I want to help you tackle those projects that have been nagging at the back of your mind. Maybe you have been meaning to clean out your closet and finally donate all of those clothes you never wear to charity? Or maybe you want to up your meal planning game and really commit to the Sunday night food prep? Perhaps it’s scheduling a month’s worth of workouts and finally sticking to it or maybe even something as simple as finally organizing that junk drawer.

Well ladies, it is time to Stop Procrastinating!

• Step 1: Make a list of all of the things you have been putting off and highlight the top three things you can realistically get done.
• And don’t forget about yourself! Maybe you have been meaning to finally use those benefits and get a massage or treat yourself to a pedicure. Put it on the list!
• Step 2: Share the list with me, your roommate, your mom, your best friend - who ever is going to help keep you accountable.
• Step 3: Keep track of your success. If you spend 15 minutes tackling that junk drawer, write it down in your calendar. 45 minutes on that closet? Write it down!
• Step 4: Earn Points! Let me know at the end of each week how many minutes you spend Not Procrastinating and you could win a fantastic prize!

September Challenge

SELF - LOVE

Self-love September is BACK!! It's the ideal time of year to get back into a routine, and I am here to help motivate you!

This challenge is the perfect way to re-set your intentions, help you be at peace with yourself, and not seeking outside validation. It will allow you to live the life you truly want, fueled by your own inner happiness and self-love*

As you know, I am all about a well-rounded approach to health and wellness. While we are working to make our bodies stronger, it is important to take care of our hearts and minds as well. 
 
What is Self-Love?
Self-Love is valuing yourself and owning what makes you amazing because “if you can’t see your value, the world doesn’t give value back.”*

As women, we spend so much time building up our friends and family, reminding them that they are beautiful and strong and worthy of love. Well, it is time to start leading by example.  If you don’t value your insights, ideas, creativity, self-worth, and dedication, why on earth would anyone else?

Whether you want to land your dream job, get that promotion, find someone special, get out of debt, or lose those extra pounds, I have the key to all of this:
It starts by loving and valuing yourself!

About the Self-Love September Challenge:

• Reflection: Starting September 1st I want you to write three things you love about yourself every day for 21 days. They can be anything about yourself, from “I love my curly red hair” to “I love that I am assertive at the work place, and asked for that raise I deserve” to “I love that I stopped to help that lady with her stroller on the subway today.”
• Be Specific! For example - “I’m healthy” is not going to cut it. “I can run 10km no problem and I always feel great after.”
• Mix It Up! You are a beautiful, talented, brilliant woman! Write different things you love about yourself each day. Physical traits, personal accomplishments, emotional milestones, mad cooking skills: there is so much about you to love!  
• Be Consistent! No skipping days and writing out 9-12 things one day – you are only short-changing yourself!
• You Aren’t Alone! I will send out an email reminder daily to keep you motivated and on track. I will also share some of the great resources I have found on Self-Love through these emails, from books to articles to Ted Talks, to help you through the tough days (if you want to opt out of the daily emails, just let me know!).
• Rewards!! At the end of the 21 days (and I trust you will be honest!), if you completed the challenge you will be entered to win a Fantastic Health and Wellness Prize!!  
• I am reasonable: Life happens, so you are allowed to miss only 1 day if you must...

There will be a PRIZE to be entered to win at the end of the month for those who participate. Stay tuned to learn more!

August Challenge

Skin Care Nutrition 

Welcome to the second installment of Summer Skin Care from Aim Fitness. If you began to implement some of the tips from last month, I’d love to hear from you so that I can share your results in future blog posts!

Now let’s look at the next steps to keeping your skin healthy and glowing all summer long. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat’ right? Well it’s true, food has a very important role in the look and feel of your skin. The impact of the nutrients you put into your body could seriously influence not only how your body feels on the inside but how it looks on the outside. Lucky for you, I have done the research for you and I have created a list of 5 key nutrients we should all incorporate into our diet regularly. Don’t forget to check out the recipe at the bottom of the page to see just how easy it is!

Keep in mind, the goal remains the same as last month, achieving healthy beautiful skin!! You’ll notice though, that I also fully support implementing wine and dark chocolate into my diet. Who said you can’t have healthy skin and enjoy what you eat!? So, this month, try adding a few more of the following to your diet.

1. Red wine -  why it helps: polyphenols - this will help protect your skin from the sun. Read more
2. Dark chocolate - why it helps: polyphenols and flavonoids - polyphenols and flavonoids help with sunburn inflammation. Read more
3. Walnuts - why it helps: Omega-3 fatty acids - shown to help reduce skin cancer. Read more
4. Tomatoes - why it helps: Lycopene - this will help lessen UV sensitivity. Read more
5. Sweet potato - why it helps: Beta carotene - this will help guard the skin against harmful UV damage causing redness. Read more

Summer Salad Recipe

• 2 poached eggs
• Handful Arugula
• 1 Sweet potatoes
• Handful Walnuts
• Handful Sundried tomatoes 

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp Vega omega 3 oil or olive oil
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove Garlic
• A little oil from sun dried tomatoes

Directions: Cube sweet potato and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and chlli flakes, roast at 350 degrees for 20ish minutes. Boil water for eggs, once boiling gently crack eggs into pan, poach for 2-4 minutes, remove eggs with a slotted spoon. I also poach in the microwave if it’s just me. Fill mug ⅓ of the way with water, crack egg into mug, microwave for 45-60sec. Easy! Place arugula, walnuts and chopped sundried tomatoes on plate add sweet potatoes, drizzle dressing over salad and top with eggs.

Wine:

Here is a little information about wine that may help you choose your next bottle. After working in a private wine store for just over 5 years I may have developed a habit. I enjoy trying new wines but I tend to stick with old world wines. FACT: American wines can have up to 76 chemical additives, and 38 are G.R.A.S (generally regarded as safe) This doesn’t sit well with me, the fact that there hasn’t been enough research done on some of these additives does not make me want to be consuming them, even in wine. European wine can have up to 56 chemical additives, no G.R.A.S and old world wines have very traditional, strict wine producing processes and regulations.

It is also important to note that sugar content in wine varies a great deal. Most of the time the sugar in wine is produced during the fermentation process, however some new world wineries cater to pleasing our sweet tooth by adding more sugar.

Sugars:

• Yellow tail 12g/L
• Apothic Red 18g/L

Dry wines tend to have lower sugars. I love a great cabernet sauvignon from Bordeaux or a Ripasso from Italy  

Chocolate:

Not all chocolate is created equal and the chocolate that most of us grew up on is the sugary milk chocolate that I unfortunately cannot suggest here. Dark Chocolate has been increasingly been researched for its health benefits. It may take some time before you develop a taste for 90% dark chocolate but I promise it will be worth it, especially with a nice bottle of wine. The lindt 90% is my go to.

Cheers to the summer!!

July Challenge

SUMMER SKIN CARE 

As you run out the door to soak up some much needed summer rays it is so important to remember how damaging the sun can be.

Laying in the sun, letting your skin bake to that perfect bronze hue for countless hours is not without its side effects. Sunburns may seem like nothing to be concerned about, just a little temporary pain, right? As I have been researching and observing my own changing skin, I want to help you avoid or at least lessen the harmful effects of the sun. We can all start a healthy skin care routine and lessen the impact.  

4 Tips to Healthy Skin

1. Invest in good products - Your skin absorbs what you put on it so why not feed it clean, healthy products that make it glow? I know that some products can be quite an investment, but when you think about it, don’t you want your face to stand the test of time? You’re going to be happy you invested in you rather than those cute pair of shoes in 5-10 years. A good cleanser and moisturizer are great places to start.
2. Hydrate - Your skin needs water and if you have ever looked at your face after a long day in the sun or a heavy night of drinking, your skin can appear cracked and the lines don’t fade as quickly. This is because your skin is in desperate need of a drink! Make sure to keep a water bottle near you at all times.
3. Sunscreen - Not all sunscreens are created equal!. For example, some research has suggested that chemical sunscreens can be linked to hormonal disruption as well as skin allergies.* Chemical sunscreens are most likely the ones we grew up on, but it's not too late to switch over to a mineral based sunscreen. Also, make sure your sunscreen isn’t expired.
4. Exfoliate - If you are noticing your skin flaking or looking a little dull, it's time to remove those dead skin cells and exfoliate. The body regenerates skin cells everyday but if you are not actively exfoliating your skin cells will pile up and can result in excess oil, clogged pores, and breakouts. Having a scrub or exfoliating glove in the shower that you use regularly will help achieve that summer glow!

DIY Grapefruit Scrub:

• 1 c salt or sugar
• ½ c coconut oil
• 20 drops grapefruit essential oil

DIY Coffee Scrub:

• ½ c coffee grinds
• ½ c salt
• ¼ c avocado oil or olive oil
• 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/

June Challenge

A Month of Giving!

Summer has arrived and I’m feeling some seriously positive vibes! That’s why this month I am challenging you to pay it forward, all month long!

The “best way to attract abundance into your life is to be in a perpetual state of giving and gratitude.”  That is our goal this month - to shift our mindset from being focused on our own self-improvement, to focusing on the well-being of others.

You may be thinking, but Amy, I don’t have the spare cash to be handing it out every day this month! Don’t worry - this month’s giving challenge is about more than just giving money. It’s about giving your time and your support.

This challenge is very simple - for every act of kindness you share with me, you get 1 point (up to a max of 5 a day!). Share those acts on social media with the #GivingChallenge and #AIMFitness and you will get a bonus point.

How to Give this month:

• Help your co-worker finish off their project
• Hold the door open for your neighbour
• Bring in (healthy) muffins for your office
• Donate the clothes you don’t wear to a shelter
• Make dinner for a friend
• Offer good mornings and a wave to each person you pass on your morning run
• Buy the person behind you a coffee

For every action there is a re-action and when your intentions move in a positive manner and are coming from a genuine and mindful place, I promise, beautiful things will begin to happen.

I encourage you to give a little every day, and avoid saving all those good deeds for a single day. Try your best to embrace this as a new daily habit!

*http://www.29gifts.org/