I have been operating ACAINtraining for almost a full year now, and still haven't settled into a routine. As a personal trainer/business ownder/athlete I find myself working sporadic hours, and putting on many different hats throughout the day.
Today, for example:
Up at 5am - ate my egg whites & salba, off to teach Boot Camp at 6:15am and train privately afterwards. During my non-training time, I attended a Hot Yoga Class, did 20 minutes of cardio and some light strength training after a strenuous 23km run and an upper body workout on Sunday, as well as a few hill sprints yesterday with Jenn (jennifercatt.blogspot.com -follow her along her 21-day detox!)
Now, I am making some food (turkey muffins with spinach), working on my website, marketing tactics, getting ready for upcoming speaking engagements and off to coach basketball at SAC, then teach my nighttime boot camp which ends at 8:30. Today is an early day as I do not have any clients afterwards, so I will be home around 9pm :)
I am hoping in the future to provide more Boot Camp classes throughout the day, as well as gain some interest in a new type of workout I have invented called "Bootoga!"
There is a free class this Saturday, Feb. 26th at 10:30am at FitCity. Please email me if you are interested in attending.
=) Keep moving!
ACAINtraining - www.acaintraining.com
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Carolyn's 21-Day Challenge Reflection
At the beginning of January I put a call out for women who would make no excuses and wanted results. I was happy to take on 6 woman who took on the challenge of participating in physical activity everyday (cardio, light strength training,stretching, 2 group sessions a week and 1 private session a week) a nutrition plan and eliminating 3 food items that sabotaged their diet. I was impressed by Carolyn and her dedication to this 21-day program. Carolyn, already quite healthy and fit, lost approx. 4 lbs, 4 inches and dropped 2% body fat. Most importantly, she has now implemented healthy changes into her nutrition plan and has taken her fitness regiment to a whole other level! Congrats Carolyn!Below is Carolyn's story from the 21 Day Challenge:
I participated in Alli's 21-Day Challenge because I was hoping to lose the few extra pounds I had put on over Christmas.
I didn't know what I was in for because I had never worked with a trainer before. Alli was incredibly motivating and knowledgeable. I had nine workout sessions with Alli and I never once repeated an exercise. I couldn't believe that she could come up with so many different and effective exercises. She was also very adept at modifying the exercises in group sessions to accommodate those of us with different physical limitations.
With my regular fitness routine I thought that I was working pretty hard but Alli proved me wrong! When she showed me a new exercise I would usually groan, roll my eyes and say that I couldn't do it. Alli assured me I could do it and she encouraged me to do my best and even work harder than I thought I could. I really was surprised at how much further I could push my body. I was quite proud of myself because I am no spring chicken!
At the end of the first week I started to notice small positive changes in my body shape but the number on my scale did not change. I mentioned this to Alli and she asked me about my nutrition habits. I thought I was eating pretty well but I think my portion sizes may have been too large. Alli gave me her nutrition plan and I lost 4 pounds in that week. Five small meals a day meant that I was never hungry. I discovered some new foods: egg whites and oatmeal, flavoured cans of tuna, fat-free yogurt and grilled Tilapia. When I craved something sweet I had a small handful of grapes. These are not part of the nutrition plan but they helped me with the sweet cravings. I loved exchanging healthy recipes with Alli and she offered great suggestions to make some of the meals a little more flavourful with spices or fat-free yogurt. Sticking to the exercise program and the nutrition plan was tough but I knew it was only for 21 days and I did my best to stay on track. In the end I lost pounds, inches and lowered my body fat percentage.
Alli asked me what I learned during this challenge. Well, I learned to love egg whites and spinach! I also learned that if you do the work you will see the results. Alli gave me the tools I needed to see those results. I discovered you need to be honest with yourself about how hard you are working out and how well you are really eating.
I am going to continue to follow Alli's nutrition plan and I will try to do something active every day. I am also looking forward to working with Alli again in the future.
Thanks so much Alli for inspiring me to achieve such amazing results. You're the best!
Carolyn K.
Thanks Carolyn!
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
I participated in Alli's 21-Day Challenge because I was hoping to lose the few extra pounds I had put on over Christmas.
I didn't know what I was in for because I had never worked with a trainer before. Alli was incredibly motivating and knowledgeable. I had nine workout sessions with Alli and I never once repeated an exercise. I couldn't believe that she could come up with so many different and effective exercises. She was also very adept at modifying the exercises in group sessions to accommodate those of us with different physical limitations.
With my regular fitness routine I thought that I was working pretty hard but Alli proved me wrong! When she showed me a new exercise I would usually groan, roll my eyes and say that I couldn't do it. Alli assured me I could do it and she encouraged me to do my best and even work harder than I thought I could. I really was surprised at how much further I could push my body. I was quite proud of myself because I am no spring chicken!
At the end of the first week I started to notice small positive changes in my body shape but the number on my scale did not change. I mentioned this to Alli and she asked me about my nutrition habits. I thought I was eating pretty well but I think my portion sizes may have been too large. Alli gave me her nutrition plan and I lost 4 pounds in that week. Five small meals a day meant that I was never hungry. I discovered some new foods: egg whites and oatmeal, flavoured cans of tuna, fat-free yogurt and grilled Tilapia. When I craved something sweet I had a small handful of grapes. These are not part of the nutrition plan but they helped me with the sweet cravings. I loved exchanging healthy recipes with Alli and she offered great suggestions to make some of the meals a little more flavourful with spices or fat-free yogurt. Sticking to the exercise program and the nutrition plan was tough but I knew it was only for 21 days and I did my best to stay on track. In the end I lost pounds, inches and lowered my body fat percentage.
Alli asked me what I learned during this challenge. Well, I learned to love egg whites and spinach! I also learned that if you do the work you will see the results. Alli gave me the tools I needed to see those results. I discovered you need to be honest with yourself about how hard you are working out and how well you are really eating.
I am going to continue to follow Alli's nutrition plan and I will try to do something active every day. I am also looking forward to working with Alli again in the future.
Thanks so much Alli for inspiring me to achieve such amazing results. You're the best!
Carolyn K.
Thanks Carolyn!
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My Clients
I am SO lucky to train such amazing athletes, friends, clients etc. I recently asked some of my oustanding clients (busy moms, successful business execs, marathoners, athletes, yoga instructors...) some questions about what motivates them. Hopefully seeing how they include fitness into their lifestyle will inspire the same in some of you :) Here is Monika Torre, my first client at FitCity who is with me 4X a week at 6am before she heads to her job in TO where she is extremely successful. Along with being a Manager at Ford, Monika owns rental properties, owns a cottage, fits in skiing with her two kids and hosting exciting parties for her many friends and charities. Monika is such a pleasure to see at 6am every morning - especially her nails ;) Monika, you are such a great client and friend!
Name: Monika Torre
age: 47
Commercial Sales Manager - Ford
Top 3 Exercises? Weights, walking, roller-blading...
How long have you been exercising ? Off and on for years!
What motivates you to stay fit and active? I just feel better overall….more energetic, better able to handle stress, stronger..look & feel great!
How do you fit exercise into your schedule? I go early & first thing in the morning, get it done & out of the way! It invigorates & energizes me for the day!
Describe a typical day for you? Into the gym at about 6 am, home for breakfast & shower, at work by 9am til 5pm…dinner at home with the family or out with friends or putter around the house with household chores or watch TV or read, usually in bed by 10pm. In summertime, I would likely be outdoors after dinner, going for a walk, roller-blading or golfing…
What would you say to somebody to encourage them to begin a fitness program? When you don't feel like dragging your butt into the gym, stay focused on the goal & think about how good you're going to feel afterwards!
Final Comments: Alli, you area an amazing trainer, a wonderful inspiration…you keep me focused with your positive, perky & energetic attitude & is great to look forward to every day! Thank you!
Sincerely, Monika
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
FW: IMG00430-20110103-0657.jpg
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
> Subject: IMG00430-20110103-0657.jpg
> To: alli_cain@hotmail.com
> From: alli_cain@hotmail.com
> Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 18:20:56 +0000
>
>
> Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
My Weekend
What a weekend! Started off with a great NYE! My friend Katie and I went to St. Catharines to watch the hockey game, and to attend a house party. I made sure to squeeze in an hour of cardio during the day! Although I am competing, and always make sure to eat healthy, I did indulge on Friday Night with Vodka and Water. Kept hydrated and only ~65 calories per shot, so I felt pretty good the next day!
On Saturday, my Dad picked me up to fly to Baltimore ot catch a Ravens game. I WAS SO EXCITED. He decided to challenge me to see if I could stick to me "eat-clean" diet the entire trip. OBVIOUSLY DAD! I didn't even think about going crazy, it is January 1st, 60% of the people who made resolutions the night before have already failed..... NOT ME!
First things first when I'm travelling...... I always come prepared. Homemade trail mix, protein powder, my shaker and a protein bar (just in case - usually pretty high in sugar).
This way, if I know it is a while before I can get a meal, I will at least have a little something and combat binging and salivating all over a big plate of nachos with extra cheese or some showing the street meat a little too much love.
Second, I steal........... from the all you can eat buffet! Usually they will have some kind of fruit, or in my case they had hard boiled eggs. I just took a few with me to have....... and to potentially throw at the team the Ravens were opposing.
Third - I take a look around and do not settle for eating crap. At the airport on the way home, I was hungry for breakfast and it looked like a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonald's was going to have to do (not on my diet). I decided to wander around and behold the picture below - I found hard-boiled eggs!
You CAN eat and workout while travelling too! Check out my "living room workout" routine which you can do anywhere. For me, travelling doesn't mean completing undoing all of the hard work I have done over the previous months, it is just a more challenging way to stick to my goals.
Turn your resolution into a lifestyle!
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
On Saturday, my Dad picked me up to fly to Baltimore ot catch a Ravens game. I WAS SO EXCITED. He decided to challenge me to see if I could stick to me "eat-clean" diet the entire trip. OBVIOUSLY DAD! I didn't even think about going crazy, it is January 1st, 60% of the people who made resolutions the night before have already failed..... NOT ME!
First things first when I'm travelling...... I always come prepared. Homemade trail mix, protein powder, my shaker and a protein bar (just in case - usually pretty high in sugar).
This way, if I know it is a while before I can get a meal, I will at least have a little something and combat binging and salivating all over a big plate of nachos with extra cheese or some showing the street meat a little too much love.
Second, I steal........... from the all you can eat buffet! Usually they will have some kind of fruit, or in my case they had hard boiled eggs. I just took a few with me to have....... and to potentially throw at the team the Ravens were opposing.
Third - I take a look around and do not settle for eating crap. At the airport on the way home, I was hungry for breakfast and it looked like a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonald's was going to have to do (not on my diet). I decided to wander around and behold the picture below - I found hard-boiled eggs!
You CAN eat and workout while travelling too! Check out my "living room workout" routine which you can do anywhere. For me, travelling doesn't mean completing undoing all of the hard work I have done over the previous months, it is just a more challenging way to stick to my goals.
Turn your resolution into a lifestyle!
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Healthy Foods making you Fat
ACAINtraining.COM NOTE: READ THE LABEL!!
Ever wonder why you go all day munching on fat-free pretzels and granola yet never seem to lose any weight? Why your tasty yogurt with fruit is leaving you feeling blah and your trail mix has you bloated?
It's because all those healthy things are nothing but junk. Crap. Garbage. They are well-disguised as health foods, I'll give them that, but man are they ever liars. And they know it, too.
I went out and checked labels, read nutrition information, and came up with seven of the worst offenders -- including one or two whose labels are painfully misleading. Put down that sugar-filled energy drink and read on.
More from The Stir: Yogurt -- You Might as Well Drink a Soda Instead
- Granola bars and trail mix are the quintessential health food. But most granola these days are packed with salt, sugar, and fat. Basically, if it tastes good and comes in a package, it's bad for you.
- Pretzels are better than chips, but they are also nutritionally empty and made from white flour. If you need a salty crunch, try a handful of tamari roasted almonds instead.
- Bran muffins these days are huge and filled with sweeteners to make them palatable. Don't forget that muffins are basically cake -- which is why you aren't losing any weight by munching on these.
- Vitamin waters are king of the misleading names and labeling. They make you think you are drinking a health supplement, but they're really no better than a soda. And at 32 grams of sugar, you might as well eat a Snickers instead.
- Yogurt, especially with fruit on the bottom, is one of the biggest offenders in terms of fat and corn syrup. And despite their recent marketing campaign, corn syrup just isn't good for you -- and it still packs on the pounds.
- Energy bars ... come on, they're just candy bars in disguise. They usually have as many calories as a candy bar and contain many, many teaspoons of sugar to make them go down.
- Multigrain products aren't very "multi" after all. Unless the label says "whole grain," you are still getting the same old Wonder Bread flour with a couple of sesame seeds thrown in.
So-called health foods make up a multibillion-dollar industry -- and they're making you just as fat and insulin-dependent as the soda industry. It's completely disgusting, but what can you do?
Funny you should ask!
Make your own foods: trail mix with unsalted nuts and fruit, muffins with low sugar and fat content. Drink water flavored with lemon and switch to Greek yogurt with frozen berries mixed in. As for those energy bars -- dump them altogether and score natural energy from fresh fruit.
Have you even been shocked by how fattening your "healthy snack" is?
Image via The Kitchn
Written by Megan Van Schaick for CafeMom's blog, The Stir
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Reducing calories most effective for weight loss
Even with nutritionists, personal trainers, seminars, classes, TV shows and large corporations all promoting healthy lifestyles, I would argue that eating "healthy" is still quite tough to do with the ever changing research, data and clever marketing.
So many food items now contain promotional terms "healthy," "organic," "containing omega 3's," gluten-free" etc. etc. and have caused people wishing to lose weight believe that because they have chosen a more nutritious option, they can eat the same amount or more and reach their goal.
While I do and will always advocate healthier choices, I want consumer to be cautious of the marketing, and where weight loss is the goal, to still take into account the calories and macronutrient content of the food they eat.
Case Study:
Mark Haub - profressor of human nutrition at Kansas State University ate snack cakes, doritos, sugary cereals and oreo cookies every 3 hours. He also took a multivitamin, veggies and one protein shake daily. He counted the calories of the food he consumed in order to prove that it is calories that matters most for weight loss, and not solely the types of food consumed.
His 2-month experiment resulted:
- losing 27 lbs
- decreasing his BMI from 28.8 - 24.9
-decreasing LDL cholesterol
- increasing HDL (the "good" kind)
Again, I write about this not because I promote the eating of junk food. I will always promote nutrient dense, high quality foods paired with safe and effective exercise for weight loss. However, I want to reiterate that calories do count when making a lifestyle change. What do you think about this?
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
So many food items now contain promotional terms "healthy," "organic," "containing omega 3's," gluten-free" etc. etc. and have caused people wishing to lose weight believe that because they have chosen a more nutritious option, they can eat the same amount or more and reach their goal.
While I do and will always advocate healthier choices, I want consumer to be cautious of the marketing, and where weight loss is the goal, to still take into account the calories and macronutrient content of the food they eat.
Case Study:
Mark Haub - profressor of human nutrition at Kansas State University ate snack cakes, doritos, sugary cereals and oreo cookies every 3 hours. He also took a multivitamin, veggies and one protein shake daily. He counted the calories of the food he consumed in order to prove that it is calories that matters most for weight loss, and not solely the types of food consumed.
His 2-month experiment resulted:
- losing 27 lbs
- decreasing his BMI from 28.8 - 24.9
-decreasing LDL cholesterol
- increasing HDL (the "good" kind)
Again, I write about this not because I promote the eating of junk food. I will always promote nutrient dense, high quality foods paired with safe and effective exercise for weight loss. However, I want to reiterate that calories do count when making a lifestyle change. What do you think about this?
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
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