The importance of a healthy breakfast

You’ve heard it a hundred times before; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And there’s a reason why you’ve heard it so many times, because it’s true!

Breakfast literally means ‘breaking the fast.’ It’s been several hours since your last meal, which means your metabolism has been at a standstill. To fire up your metabolism and start burning calories for fuel, you need to take in a full, healthy breakfast every day. There is no excuse to miss this meal.

When you eat breakfast, you are essentially telling your body, “eat up, use the calories quickly, and don’t worry, there is more fuel coming your way.” The calories you eat at breakfast will be burned off quickly as you prepare your body for the day ahead. By skipping breakfast, your metabolism slows down and starts conserving fat because simply, it doesn’t know when it will be fed again. Also, if you miss breakfast, you tend to eat more later in the day. And with less time to burn off calories, a late night binge or a heavy dinner will slow your metabolism down because your body is preparing to go to sleep – not to burn calories. You burn more calories earlier in the day, so take in the majority of your calories in the morning.

But just because the calories you consume at breakfast will get burned off throughout the day, you should avoid bad breakfasts. Sugary cereals and white breads are packed with refined sugar, which cause your blood sugar (energy) levels to spike and then crash. These bad breakfasts will cause you to feel sleepy, tired, restless and lethargic later in the day. So avoid these foods at all costs when eating breakfast.

So what makes a good breakfast? It’s simple. Fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and foods rich in protein and fibre all constitute healthy breakfast options. When choosing breakfast foods, stick to these four letters: PFFF.

P – Protein: protein has a good calorie to grams ratio, allowing you to take in a healthy level of calories while still taking in a good amount of food. Protein also keeps your body satisfied for a long time and helps keep your blood sugar levels in check so that you don’t crash 1 – 2 hours after eating.

F – Fruit: Fruit is packed with fibre and natural sugars. The fibre will help keep your digestive system running smoothly and the natural sugars are good for quick energy. Also, these natural sugars are broken down easily, making it impossible for your body to store them as fat.

F – Fat: Healthy fats found in nuts and eggs help keep you satisfied for a long time and make you feel fuller faster. The result is that you won’t need to keep eating in order to feel full. Also, omega 3 and other essential fats keep everything in your body healthy.

F – Fibre is a vital part of a healthy breakfast as it helps regulate your blood sugar levels so that you have enough energy to get through the day. Fibre found in whole grains and fruits keep you satisfied longer and help your digestive system operate properly.

Here’s some good healthy breakfast options:
(choose one food from each section)


Whole Grains: Oats, multigrain cereals, high fibre cereals, whole wheat breads

Protein and Fats: Eggs and egg whites, protein shake, yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter and other nut butters

Fruit: Any piece of fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice, dates, currants, raisins, dried apricots

I hope this helps and as always, if you have any questions, just ask!

Stay tuned for the next post on the “400 workout.”

Free weights vs. machines

I get asked this question all the time, “what is better, using free weights or machines?” And the answer is always the same; free weights!

Now, doing any sort of resistance training, with free weights or machines, is good for you; you’ll get results either way. But the difference is that free weights will help you reach your desired results faster.

Why are free weights better? Well, it’s simple. When you use free weights, you work several muscles in one specific movement. Free weights allow you to work your stabilizer muscles, your core muscles and those primary muscles specific to each exercise. For example, barbell chest presses targets your chest but will also work your grip, back, shoulders, core and all the stabilizers in your arms. To hold the barbell straight and in a controlled fashion, all your muscles in your upper body are put to work so that the weight doesn’t come crashing down on you. Now, if you performed the chest press with a smith machine, you would only be targeting your chest, since the stabilization of the weight is being done by the machine.

Smith Machine Chest Press


Free Weight Bench Press



With free weights, you can work the same muscles that a machine works, but in a more complete and efficient way. With a machine, all you have to do is press against the resistance the machine produces; you don’t need to stabilize the weights or control the grip. But with free weights, you have to engage more muscles in order to perform the exercise.

Next time you’re in the gym, look at the fittest people and take note of the exercises they are performing. 9 times out of 10 you will notice that they will strictly be using free weights.

All you need to use is a set of dumbbells and weighted barbells to get fit. Free weights are extremely versatile and require you to engage dozens of muscles in a single movement.

Here’s a good dumbbell exercise that targets several muscles:



Dumbbell chest press works your chest, grip, core, shoulders, back and all the stabilizers in your arms.

So next time you’re in the gym, walk past the machines and focus on using free weights for all your exercises.

Stay tuned for the next post on healthy breakfasts.

Circuit Training - the best way to get fit

Circuit training is the best way to burn fat, turbo-charge your metabolism, build muscle and most importantly, get fit.

Far too many people go to the gym and focus on single movement exercises. Do you ever notice that the people doing single movement exercises and hang around the ‘machines’ all day are out of shape? Well, they are. Why? Because these types of exercises concentrate on only a few muscles and require extended recovery times between sets. The problem is that when you take extended breaks (over 2 minutes) your heart-rate plummets, making it hard to burn calories. Also, these concentrated exercises (concentrated curls, single leg extensions, triceps pull downs, etc.) only engage a few muscles at a single time. So when you finish 1 set, the few muscles used need a few minutes for recovery. Again, your heart-rate slows down at this point.

Circuit training means performing 3 or more exercises in succession; enabling you to target several muscles within 1 complete circuit set. The result is that your heart-rate skyrockets and you tax several, even dozens, of muscles at once.

Here is a good circuit training routine to get you started:



You can incorporate any 3 or more exercises into your circuit sets. Focus on free-weights and try to target as many muscles as possible. Also, the nicest thing about circuit training is that your core is constantly being engaged. And the best way to strengthen your abs is through multiple full body and multiple movement exercises. Straight sets of crunches are a thing of the past because simply, they don’t work as well as a well executed circuit set.

So to get really fit, make sure you tax your whole body and keep resting times to 1 minute between circuit sets.

Contact me if you have any questions!

And stay tuned for the next post on the benefits of free-weights.

The Cardio Myth

If you’re trying to lose weight, tone-up, or just feel better you will probably ride stationary bike or jog on a treadmill. Why? Because you have been told that ‘cardio’ will get you fit. This is the ‘Cardio Myth.’

First off, traditionally, idea of ‘cardio’ involves running or biking on some stationary piece of equipment.


(ancient technology really)

Fine, but it’s wrong! ‘cardio’ means ANY activity that spikes your body’s usage of oxygen. Your heart beats, your blood pumps, your lungs crave oxygen and effectively, you burn calories.

So ‘cardio’ should stand to mean any exercise that makes your body work hard.

Okay, so how does this new definition get me fit?

It’s simple. When you ride a bike or run (traditional ‘cardio’) you burn calories, which is good. But there’s one problem with these methods; you aren’t re-training your body to function differently. Your body is operating the way it always has except for burning some extra calories.

To really get fit, you need to focus on resistance exercises. Weight training, and especially circuit training, helps you burn a lot of calories. But more than just that, weight-lifting RE-TRAINS your body.

By tearing down and then building up muscle (the process of gaining muscle) you are effectively re-training your body to function in a different way. The calories you consume can now be put to work, repairing broken down muscle, not just sitting there.

Put it this way:

Traditional Cardio -> burn calories -> then you re-consume calories -> calories sit idle = same loose body with a little less fat

Weight training -> burn calories -> tear muscle -> then you re-consume calories -> calories are used to repair muscle = trained, fit body

I’m not saying traditional cardio is bad, but I think it’s over-rated. If you weight training, your body will constantly be using calories for repair – reshaping your body.

Weight training isn’t just for bulky body builders, anyone can do it and by doing it properly you can achieve your fitness goals – big and strong, long and lean, sleek and slender, etc.

I hope this makes sense, but if you have any questions feel free to drop me a line. Let’s discuss.

Stay tuned for the next blog post on Circuit Training!

Fit New You - the beginning

Welcome to Fit New You! Before we get started on getting you fit, I should tell you my story.

I was always over-weight and out of shape. I blamed it on genetics, metabolism and just an overall misunderstanding of what it takes to get fit. But one day, while sitting on a couch eating a family size bag of chips, my best friend and I decided to stop this insanity and start looking and feeling good for a change. So from that point on, we both decided to change our eating habits and start exercising.


(The Before... 4 years ago, out of shape and oblivious... me left, Steve right)

Well, that was 4 years ago and since then we have both dedicated ourselves to fitness and good nutrition. We have found our fit new bodies.

We researched good workouts and nutrition tips. But along the way, I noticed that there was a lot of crap on the internet that simply, wouldn’t work. We took a select few tips to heart and starting compiling workout and meal plans. The rest is history.


(The After...this past summer. Steve left, me right)

We lost a combined 110 pounds and feel great every day.

Now, after helping out a dozen or so friends and family members with their personal fitness and nutrition goals, I’ve decided to bring my findings to you!

Every week I will post some tips on good nutrition, good fitness exercises and overall strategies for getting you fit. I will also debunk several fitness and nutrition myths that are keeping you ‘un-fit’.

Just remember, check back frequently, ask questions and prepare to work hard.

Get ready to discover a Fit New You.

Andrew