Cheat Days: The guilty truth!

Do you eat really well during the week and then reward yourself with a cheat day. A cheat day that basically means you can eat anything you want? Maybe you treat your entire weekend as a cheat day?

If you do this then I’m sure that you can relate to the feeling of self loathing and guilt you may feel come Sunday, when it’s time to start thinking about eating healthy again.

I can certainly relate. I used to believe that cheat days were a good idea too. They were my weekly ritual I looked forward to and dreaded all at the same time.

I thought, I’m going to be so good this week and reward myself on the weekend. After all, I deserved to eat whatever I wanted!

My relationship with food really sucked at this point in my life. I was rewarding myself with food even when I wasn’t even hungry. And the worst part was that once I started the cheating process it was hard to stop.

Ever been there?

The problem with cheat days is that most people take it too far. It doesn’t end up being a few cookies or a bit of ice cream or a bowl of chips. It often ends up being that every meal is a cheat meal because it’s free for all day.

The other big problem with cheat days is that it breaks the healthy habit you begin to build during the week and then you feel like you’re starting from scratch. So you never actually give yourself the change to build a true healthy relationship with food, instead it becomes a relationship built on compromise, deprivation, guilt and self loathing.

So should you chase perfection each and every day of your life? Well actually there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to our diets, because we don’t live in a perfect world with perfect foods and we as humans are not perfect. But what we can do, is to be mindful and conscious with the choices we make.

Instead of thinking healthy food equals deprivation and junk food equals delicious, it’s important to start shifting your mindset to healthy food equals – good for my body, what I deserve, what will make me feel optimal, what will bring me closer to my goals and junk food equals – not what I deserve because it’s bad for my body, will make me feel lousy, and take me further from my goals.

The idea with a healthy diet is that you are enjoying what you are eating. Enjoying a variety of foods that are healthy for you always, while still sneaking in some healthy goodies, such as cookies made with wholesome ingredients, because food should be pleasurable. It’s not about deprivation, and eating salads all the time, it’s about eating foods that you love but made with better ingredients.

And in terms of not being able to have a cheat day, instead think of eating healthy and not stressing when you can’t eat exactly as you want because it’s just not possible.

I used to be obsessed with eating organic everything especially when it came to my son. And yes, I am still quite obsessed about clean organic eating but  I have loosened the reins a bit. I had to.

Sometimes you travel and think you packed enough but didn’t, sometimes you end up at a restaurant you had no control over, sometimes you are with friends who don’t have the exact values you do. So unless I want to be a hermit, sometimes I have to adjust and bend a little and make the absolute best choice possible with the resources available. However, if I had a ‘cheat day’ mentality, then I would end up eating whatever just because I’m travelling. It’s not about eating whatever, it’s about making the best choices you can.

When you truly believe that our bodies deserve the best that we can give them, you start to rid yourself of the idea that you should eat healthy because of obligation. Rather you choose to because you want to. Only then, do cheat days start to feel less important because you would rather feel great than feel lousy.

Much love

Daniela

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KARSTEN DICKIE

Hey BBBC family! My name is Karsten Dickie and I am a coach at King West Best Body Bootcamp.

Growing up I was very involved in sports. I played competitive volleyball, basketball and hockey. I was always fascinated with how the body works, nutrition, strength training and anything that involved athletics. Applying my knowledge I noticed improvement of my health, energy and body transformation which then had me hooked on weight training. That’s when I knew I wanted to help impact people’s lives and share my knowledge about exercise, mobility and nutrition to help achieve their goals.

I received my diploma from Algonquin College for Fitness & Health Promotion and I have been doing group training for six years now. Additionally, I’ve trained hockey teams, volleyball teams, large event groups, and one-on-one training.

I’m passionate about enhancing the health, fitness and overall well-being of clients. With my skills and knowledge, I help clients achieve their goals in and out of the gym.

Outside of training I like to do yoga, read, play team sports, and spend time with my friends and family.

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Algonquin College Fitness & Health Promotion
CanFitPro PTS
Lucas Parker Barbell Cycling
CPR/AED2

ANDY RANDHAWA

Hey there!
I’m Andy Randhawa, the newest addition to the Best Body Bootcamp family.

You can’t hear my accent while reading this but I’m Australian.
I grew up playing a lot of sports like tennis, basketball, boxing and footy (Aussie rules football) and competed professionally in tennis.

I have transformed bodies for over 12 years and also helped them show it off on stage.

I have an extensive knowledge about training and nutrition which I can apply to my clients to bring them closer their goals.

When I’m not making people sore or make them complain while training I spend my time doing filmmaking, videography and hanging out with friends (I need new ones in Canada).

Look forward to making you get your dream body.

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Diploma of Fitness
Bachelors of Exercise Science
BoxFit Level 1&2

DANIELA NAHAS

My journey in fitness and health began about 15 years ago. Before that, like many of you I struggled with yo-yo dieting, and doing countless hours of cardio just to stay looking slim. Boy I wish I could talk some sense into my past self! But health is a journey and I am so grateful for all of my experiences, which have shaped what I have to offer our members today.
Over the years I have experienced first hand the life changing benefits of incorporating the right kind of exercise into my life. That motivated me to become a personal trainer 15 years ago, and it still continues to motivate me today. I want everyone to be able to to experience what exercise can do for their well being, self confidence and physique.
I used to struggle with my nutrition in a big way, so I completely empathize with you, if this is the hardest part for you when it comes to seeing long term change. I once struggled with eating disorders, followed by any years of a very negative relationship to food, even during my initial years as a personal trainer.

It occurred to me one day that I could not help my clients make changes and make better choices, without first focusing on myself. It was through completing my Holistic Lifestyle Coach Certification that I was able to change my relationship to food and be able to genuinely help clients get closer to their goals.

My increasing passion for nutrition and health led me to become certified as a Health Coach. As a health coach, I am able to help my clients delve deeper into your relationship with food and their health. What lies beneath our patterns and habits is fascinating and when you can tap into that it can have an incredibly powerful impact on our lives, and bring about real change!

These days I leave most of the bootcamp training to our awesome trainers, but I continue to share my passion for nutrition and fitness in our private member facebook group and work on our ever evolving member offerings.

My other passion? I am the luckiest mom to a 9-year-old boy. He keeps me on my toes and I must admit has helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. Together with hubby Roger Nahas, we like to spend plenty of time outdoors, along with the latest family hobby – board games.

When I get me time, I like to do yoga, read, cook, and spend time in nature.

I look forward to having you join us!

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Health Coach Certification – Health Coach Institute
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Human Kinetics Exercise Anatomy
SPI Advanced Training for General Fitness
SPI Technical Aspects of Strength Training
SPI Nutrition for Sport and Performance
Emergency First Aid & CPR

ROGER NAHAS

My journey in fitness and nutrition is a little different than most. You see, I’m a former fat kid! The kid who was a total introvert! I was always the guy who was too embarrassed to take his shirt off at the beach! But I remember the day everything changed for me – I looked in the mirror and wasn’t happy with what I saw. I made the decision to change my body and my life. It was 1999 and I took a before pic and measurements and body fat and I entered the Body for Life Challenge. Over the next 90 days, I completely changed my eating habits, and worked out regularly. I actually was awarded the Canadian Grand Champion for my age category!

I was no longer the fat kid. I looked forward to getting to a beach so I could take my shirt off and I became more outgoing and fun! After seeing the difference it made in my life I decided that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people realize the amazing benefits of optimal health and fitness.

I started out as most trainers do in your typical gym. After years of working in a gym setting, I was getting disillusioned with how Big Box Gyms operated. I wanted to train people functionally and to make their bodies strong in the movements they used in the real word. I wanted to make working with a highly trained instructor more affordable, and I wanted to make fitness fun because let’s face it; if you are having a blast, it makes it that much easier to stick to it. The result was the launching of Best Body . I have to tell you that although I looked great in the after pic above, the food and exercise plans I followed to get that after pic, hurt me in the long run. It made me look good from the outside but my body was breaking down on the inside. The way I was working out and what I thought was healthy eating was in fact hurting me in the long run. I was over training, taking longer to recover from my workouts, I tore my rotator cuff and had gut issues. Nothing I could do was helping and then I was introduced to a C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach who helped me. Turns out I was stressing my body beyond repair and then giving it food that wasn’t helping but was actually stressing my body even more. He made me look at my body and the food I put into it in a totally different way.

That lead me to complete my certification as a C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach and we pass that knowledge on and encourage holistic nutrition to our members.

In addition to running the day-to-day operations of Best Body Bootcamp, I also work with individual clients doing fitness training as well as holistic nutrition and lifestyle coaching.

When I’ve got a bit of free time, I spend as much of it as possible with my wife and son, I bike year round, play hockey, practice Tai Chi daily, read & take courses.

I hope to see you soon so we can transform your body and life!

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

C.H.E.K Golf Performance Specialist
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute
C.H.E.K Golf Performance Specialist
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute

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A great place with very supportive, caring staff. If you want to change your lifestyle and health this is the place to do it. You will see results and learn to be healthier. Small classes and accountability that challenge you every time. I should of done this a long time ago.

Jo Castrinos