Here’s part III of my 30 Years 30 Health and Fitness Tips.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician. I do not provide meal plans or claim to be a nutrition expert. I only make recommendations on what foods to eat or avoid based on past experience and my education.

toast

21. Gluten-free alternatives are just as bad as the gluten rich products in terms of nutritional content. If you’re dying for a grilled cheese or burger, eat these products in moderation.

22. On that note, most health problems are caused with the combination of wheat, sugar and alcohol in the body. Again, refer to the Perfect Health Diet.

23. The only thing you should drink is water, period…or juice from a juicer…or some teas…okay, or organic coffee (but seriously take out all the high-sugar beverages – this includes diet pop).

24. Invest in your health now – be preventative – or just wait until you’re sick and spend all your hard earned money then.

25. Juicing is great to get many nutrients in your body you wouldn’t normally. This does not replace eating the real thing. Eat salads and throw some spinach, kale and/or broccoli into your shakes – trust me, it’s not that gross.

26. Be the change you want to see in yourself. Move more throughout the day and exercise!!

27. Reducing the amount of toxins you consume is the goal of the Perfect Health Diet. (getting the hint on my new favorite book on nutrition??)

28. Get a support system in place before changing your lifestyle. Surround yourself with health-conscious, like-minded people. Remove all the negative people in your life and people with health habits you don’t want. You’re more likely to be successful.

29. Laugh, smile and cherish your life on this planet. You never know when you’ll be hit with illness.

30. Chill out! Try reducing stress to improve overall health and your well-being. Take time for yourself daily. Learn how to meditate. Find a job you love and it wont be a job. Sleep 8 uninterrupted hours nightly.

And remember, exercise is more effective than any pill on the market at improving your health and level of wellbeing. Side effects include more strength, larger muscles, better health, mobility, flexibility, a better sex life and looking great naked.

Well, that’s a wrap – all 3 parts have been posted.

I hope you enjoyed this series. Please leave your comments below.

Thanks for reading.

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-JK

JKC was recommended to me by my good friend Casidhe Dyke. Cas had been training with JKC for a while, and both he and his father had seen great results from the personal training that Jon and Thomas were giving them. I was and still am primarily a triathlete and I’ve always struggled with injuries. I was talking to Cas about incorporating more strength training in my program to try and prevent injuries going forward and Cas suggested that I give JKC a try. I reached out to Jon not long after, and the rest is history! After working with Jon and Thomas for a few months, I was getting stronger, faster, and most importantly, I was staying injury-free. I ended up being able to train the whole season without significant injury and posted a personal best at Ironman Copenhagen in 2018. A big part of that was due to the strength training and coaching I received at JKC.

I am turning 67 next month and I started my journey with JKC in 2018. Seven years ago I experienced significant foot pain which had a negative impact on my day to day activities. I learned that issues in other parts of the body need to be addressed to achieve a positive result. My doctor (Dr. Jessica Wade) suggested, along with some other therapies, that I could  benefit from the conditioning JKC had to offer. I previously had not trained in any gym. I observed how many gyms operated and had a sense that JKC would be more my style: training in a small group setting, having such personal attention, and a program meeting my specific needs is fantastic! I love the atmosphere at the gym. Everyone is accepted and you feel supported and comfortable.

I heard really good things about it from my sister, and I could see the positive results she was getting.  I needed to do something.  I was overweight, depressed, and recovering from a back injury.  I had reached a point where simply getting up out of a chair was becoming difficult.  I knew that if I didn’t do something about it my senior years would be very burdensome to the people close to me.  I’m so glad I did!  After just a few weeks my day-to-day pain was drastically reduced, and my mobility increased. I had the confidence to try sea kayaking, and I now play ice hockey twice a week!

The key difference is the expertise.  The trainers know the gym equipment and the exercises, but they also have degrees in kinesiology, and can apply what they know to your workout.  As someone who was in poor physical condition starting out, I was worried about hurting myself.  Previously I tried an outdoor weekly bootcamp and injured my knee by pushing too hard.  The trainers at JKC constructed a program that started at the right level for me, evolving it as I grew stronger and more fit.  I feel well looked after.

I started at JKC in January of 2014 and I’m 67 years old. When I had my Initial Assessment, I knew – almost immediately – that Jon knew what he was doing and what he was talking about. I was overweight, out of shape, and in serious need of someone, like Jon, who could get me back on a fitness/conditioning routine that suited me, my age, my less than acceptable physical condition, my sometimes intermittent RA, and my need for a structured, consistent and yet flexible training and conditioning program that would work for me.

Fundamentally, if I made a choice at all with respect to JKC – it was to continue to come back each week. I have not been in a lot of gyms. To be honest, they used to intimidate me. What makes JKC different is their approach to each and every one of their clients. Jon and Thomas – and now Craig – tailor each training regime to the particular needs of each client. That ensures that the training regime will suit each client upon the start of training and changes as the client improves. It adjusts for any physical setbacks such as injuries and it adjusts for success. It is just that simple.

It is also the consistent encouragement that comes from Jon, Thomas and Craig. That voice that comes to you while you are in the middle of a particularly difficult set – rear-foot elevated split squats comes to mind immediately – that says “good job” or “keep it up” or “just a couple more reps.” To know, in that moment, that you are not alone and the trainer is paying attention to what you are doing. That is priceless for me.

I’m 34 and started at JKC in 2015. My wife joined while I was working away in 2015 and started making amazing progress while also completing exercises I’d never perform on my own. I felt I was missing out so I signed up. JKC helps in establishing goals while also having clear direction of what to do, and how, in each session. They also measure your progress which is another means of motivation! At other gyms I wouldn’t have a clear plan and would just use whatever equipment was free, it was hard to see any results. Between setting some personal bests and making good friends its hard to identify a favorite memory.  One that does come to mind was when I hit my target goal/PB in both bench and squats in the same session, big day.

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