30th birthday cakeWell, it’s hard to believe, 30 years ago I was born.

I’ve been blessed with health, education and awesome family and friends.

I thought it would be fitting that since I’m 30, it would be a good idea to share with you my top 30 health and fitness tips that will help you live an awesome healthy life.

Currently, I’m on a plane to Toronto for the inaugural Personal Trainer Development Center seminar. I’m really looking forward to meeting big names in the fitness industry and learning a thing or two.

Let’s get to the goods! Here’s part I of the 3-part series.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician. I do not design meal plans but I do give recommendations based on my experience and education to my clients. Below are several nutrition-related recommendations based on my current understanding of nutrition and health. Please consult with a doctor before making drastic changes to your nutritional habits.

JK’s Top 30 Health and Fitness Tips Part 1

 
1. Every single person will benefit from getting stronger. Lift weights that are challenging for sets of 5 or less.

2. On that note, females should not be scared of getting “bulky” when heavy resistance training, also referred to as strength training. Woman want to build “toned” muscle, but what most don’t understand, strength training plus a real food diet will get them the body they want.

3. Fill your diet with real food and there won’t be room for crap. If you eat a traditional North American diet, you’re filling up on industrial food or fake food: low in nutrients, high in sugar, preservatives, stuff you can’t pronounce and PUFAs (poly unsaturated fatty acids). Almost everyone on this diet has a super high omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid ratio, which has been shown to be hazardous to your health. Read The Perfect Health Diet for more info.

4. Yeah, high intensity interval training is more effective at burning calories compared to a lower intensity session of the same duration. BUT, lower intensity cardio sessions are important for those unfit enough to handle the high intensity of sprinting and pushing their bodies beyond red-line. Cardio sessions at 60-ish percent of max heart rate are not only important for many physiological acclimations, but this type of training builds a strong base for higher intensity training later in your training program. Elite endurance athletes periodize their programs like this year after year.

5. Lactate should not be held under a negative light as it traditionally has been since its discovery. Lactate is actually a very important signaling molecule and energy substrate. It has been shown to serve as fuel for exercising muscle cells, the heart and even the brain. Lactate is produced at all exercise intensities, not just in the absence of oxygen, as was once believed. Other metabolites such as H+ ions are responsible for local muscular fatigue, although, high concentrations of lactate have been shown to provide feedback for enzymes higher in the glycolytic pathway, which slows the production of ATP and more lactate.

6. If you don’t have time for core exercises, using correct form for all major exercises (squats, deadlifts, rows, pulls, presses, etc) will suffice. Filling your program with sit-ups and crunches won’t do you much help as your posture is probably like most: rounded upper back with a chicken-poked head. If you have time, you can add in core exercises that challenge you ability to maintain neutral spine such as anti- rotation presses and jackknifes (but if you really want to crank out some crunches, it’s not going to kill you…maybe).

7. The fitness industry isn’t black and white. They are probably better ways of achieving a particular goal but bashing a certain training method over another is just plain stupid.

8. Drinking a Greens powder does not give you a free pass to skip salads. Have at least one colorful salad everyday. Don’t eat that iceberg lettuce crap – fill your salads with spinach and kale and all things green.7. There are no contraindicated exercises, only contraindicated people. There is no one person fits all program out there, so choose your exercises wisely based on your anatomy, injury history and pain.

9. Don’t eat pre made salad dressings – they are filled with seed and vegetable oils, which are high in PUFAs. Refer back to the point above about the Perfect Health Diet.

10. There is nothing wrong with biceps curls or triceps extensions. They are considered functional training if your goal is to increase your arm size.

That’s all for part I.

Thanks for reading.

-JK

I’ve always struggled with both my weight and anxiety throughout my life. As a writer you live a pretty sedentary lifestyle filled with both realistic and unrealistic deadlines, so I needed something to get me off my butt and to get me moving. JK has been a godsend during this past year and a half in particular. The pandemic has been tough, but workouts with both Thomas and Jon have really helped reduce the stress and strain of a global pandemic, and added an anchor of normalcy back into my life — which has been worth its weight in gold.

JKC has created an incredibly inclusive environment that’s filled with all kinds of supportive folks from all kinds of different backgrounds. For folks like myself, being surrounded by people with such athletic ability can be intimidating in most gyms. It can actually be a deterrent, and it sometimes has been for me. But, at JKC it’s far from that — it’s inspirational. Everyone supports one another. Which is something that’s not easily found in this day and age, inside of a gym or out. Not to sound like a total cheeseball here, but it really feels like a family.

I had been struggling with work-life balance resulting in not exercising or playing hockey as much as I had been doing in the past. In addition to being out of shape, I was starting to experience some back/shoulder issues and realized I needed to make some changes. Around this time, a friend (who was also a client) recommended JKC and that’s when I started!

You really feel part of a community where everyone is welcoming and supportive. You get a program that is designed specifically to achieve your goals, with the ongoing coaching, progress tracking and support required to achieve them. The JKC team are very knowledgeable about fitness and conditioning, and very engaging with everyone to answer questions or discuss anything and everything training related. I also like the flexible scheduling and gym times that work for my schedule (I like early mornings and evenings).

After my children were born, I was completely out of shape. I had been active before my first pregnancy in 2008. I saw a post on social media about a charity event that was hosted at the gym. It prompted me to check out the JKC website. I was immediately impressed by the professional content and decided to give it a try. The professionally crafted and uniquely tailored work outs, as well as the sense of accountability and commitment that they foster. I have not missed a workout since joining – contrary to other experiences I have had when purchasing gym memberships. The flexibility of booking and rescheduling workouts, made easy by an online app, also contributed to my success in meeting my fitness goals.

I enjoy every session, working out with Jon, Thomas and Craig, as well as the “JKC Community”. Anytime someone achieves a personal best, I enjoy the celebration and support everyone gives each other. For me, I fondly remember achieving personal bests on bench press, chin ups and the sled push, in particular.

I chose JKC originally to help prevent rowing injuries. I’m a rower and we won the St. John’s Regatta in 2019 but I rowed through a rib stress fracture and missed significant time in the boat during the racing season. Training at JKC consistently since the pandemic helped me stay injury free this year and made me the strongest I’ve ever felt, which helped me help my team win the 2021 St. John’s Regatta! Jon adds variety and mixes the exercises up well so that the workout goes by quickly and strength is gained. The gym is very personable and I like the eclectic mix of people that are there. JKC is much more intimate and personal than other gyms.

As Seen On: