James Young lost 29 pounds and 12% Body Fat so far on the Greco Lean and Fit Program!
James was featured on todays CTV News at Noon Segment, and works out at the Greco on Sparks Street. Congrats on your success James!

Ian Joyne’s will be on our CTV news at noon segment today to share his story.

I started training at Greco Kanata in September of 2010 weighing 128 lbs. with a body fat percentage of 24%.  I was unhappy with the way I  looked and had low energy and very little strength.  I had tried a few  other gyms, but lacked the self motivation to get any results from them.  I  started with the Lean and Fit classes and from them, I got down to 116lbs and  15% body fat after a few months.  I then started some personal training  with Matt Sicoli and lost a further 8lbs. and down to 12% body fat, with a lot more  muscle definition.  It’s been a huge change for me as far as energy and  strength…when I started I could not do even one push up from my feet.  On  Halloween at the Kanata Greco there was a push up competition after the class  and I did 73 in a row…huge difference in strength!

I joined Greco towards the end of December 2009/ January 2010. The motive had been to lose all the weight (~ 60 lbs) I had gained the past 2 years and lead a healthier lifestyle; I had been battling severe degenerated herniated discs in my back. Within few weeks I realized that the Lean & Fit Program is effective, but more so when I consciously altered my eating habits and substituted the ‘bad’ snacks with healthier choices. The weight came off noticeably. In the summer of 2011, I took on a new challenge and started ‘Personal Training’ with Jake Wright. We had 1 goal in mind: core strength to protect the herniated discs. Within 2 months I saw unbelievable results: a muscle fort surrounding my core. Now Jake is helping me build upper body strengths and muscle form. While Lean & Fit changed my life, PT with Jake redefined it. This young man knows what he is doing.

End results: lost 14% body fat, have not had back pain in over 1.5 years, leading a happier lifestyle, and through this journey made great friends at Greco Kanata. Now it is my lifestyle- and I chose it smartly and happily.

Last summer (2010) I was extremely busy coaching football, living on my own for the first time and work. I rarely had time for myself, not only to get to the gym but also to cook, so I was constantly eating out. This carried over into the fall season and took a toll on my hockey officiating.  I was having a harder than normal time to do what I needed to do just from being so out of shape.  I had heard the advertisements on the Team 1200 for Greco and gave the OAC a call. Spoke with the manager at the time and really found out what it was all about.  Seeing as at that point it was coming up to the holiday season it didn’t make much sense with all the gatherings to start a regimen.  I went in early January for my physical assessment and hurt for a couple days thereafter, that didn’t sit very well.  I then met with Tony and did the nutritional assessment, this was going to be and still is the hardest part of my day to day, but I knew I had to make changes if I wanted to see results.  I made up a meal plan based on what Tony allowed, within the first week of Lean and Fit I had lost 8 pounds.  This was encouraging and made me work harder, the more I saw results the harder I wanted to work and the better I felt.  The best part of the workouts to me is the structure and knowing I can’t change the schedule to what I want, and that I need plan for the gym.  I have had to tailor all my clothes and continue to get compliments from people who have not seen me in a while.  I weigh less now than I did when I entered high school. Greco has been one of the best decisions  I’ve made and will continue to better my way of life.

The thing about denial is that you usually don’t realize you’re in it.  Almost every day there is a story in the news talking about the health implications of so many overweight Canadians, or how carrying extra weight around your middle greatly increases your risk of heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes – this is all common knowledge.  And you know personally that you should make more of an effort to eat better and exercise more, yet my own efforts to get back into shape were consistently sidelined in favour of other responsibilities that just always seemed to be more important.  Every once in a while I would be spurred back to the gym after getting a sign that would hit me like a two by four to the head: chronic back and joint pain, getting out of breath after a single flight of stairs, outgrowing my clothes, having a herniated disk, even slowly losing touch with friends I used to be active outdoors with because I’d rather sit out a trip than be the straggler who can’t keep up.

It’s no surprise that having a child prompts all kinds of planning for the future, so the real tipping point for me came in the quiet hours of the morning as I was feeding our newborn.  It was while holding my son and thinking about wanting my kids to know the joys that come from an active lifestyle that triggered a basic realization.  I realized that as our kids grow up, more than anything else, they will require our example.  And I was going to need some help.

Anybody who has been physically fit at any point during their life understands that there are no shortcuts around the hard work that is required for getting and staying in shape.  So it stands to reason that if you are going to be investing your hard work into a program, you also want the best possible return on that investment.  And that’s where Greco comes in.  In the first ten weeks of the Lean & Fit program, I lost thirty pounds, decreased my total body fat percentage by ten percent, and dropped from a size forty to a size thirty-six; having stronger core muscles and losing the weight resulted in my nearly constant back pain fading away to nothing.  Getting fit has made the difference between simply enduring versus actually enjoying physical activity.  A two hour weekend road bike through the countryside – bring it on!

What is most remarkable is that achieving these results did not require a complete overhaul of my life and habits, only a bunch of minor changes and smarter choices as suggested by Greco.  No fads, just a comprehensive look at what I was doing, what I was eating, and tweaking it by stopping what doesn’t work and doing more of what does work.  It helped to take advantage of the resources on the SNI website (especially the recipes) and I love the variety and taste of what I get to eat on a daily basis.

Simply put, the Greco Kanata team is amazing.  From the first impression at the front counter to working with the trainers, it’s clear that the team is genuinely interested in seeing you succeed.  What continues to impress me is how each of the trainers can be empathetic to how hard you’re working during the drills, yet how they are also able to push you further to get that extra effort out of you.  I think it makes the difference between good results and great results.  It makes the difference between the workout being a chore versus looking forward to the next workout.

It worked for me and I recommend Greco with no reservations.     -Evan

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Tony Greco and Leanne Cusack on CTV News at Noon – July 5th, 2011. Getting the Ottawa Firefighters from fit to Shredded and Ripped for “Boys of Fire” Calendar.

February of 2011 was a milestone month in my life.  I had recently found out my wife and I were expecting our second child (later to be change to second and third ‘children’), I donated platelets for the first time, and I decided it was time to do something about my fitness level, or lack thereof. 

I had heard friends talk about the Greco Lean and Fit program and, having tried to get into shape by myself multiple times in my life with no success, I decided to give Greco a go.  When I went for my initial consultation, I was 208 lbs and had almost 30% body fat (considered obese by most charts I have seen). 

I was immediately impressed with the knowledge Josh seemed to have and his ability to translate that knowledge into something understandable.  I began my journey down the Lean and Fit road a few days later.  Lean and Fit, at the beginning, was likely the most difficult undertaking of my life.  I had to drastically change my eating habits (I LOVE to eat), and had to force myself to go to ‘the gym’, as my daughter calls it, three time a week.  As time went on though, the lifestyle change I had decided to make became second nature.  I now make healthier choices in foods without even thinking about it and going to work out is something I look forward to as opposed to dread. 

Five months after my initial visit, thanks in large part to the staff and trainers at Greco Barrhaven, I weighed in at 147lbs and about 11% body fat.  

Greco Lean and Fit has allowed me to do more than I could ever have imagined, or even thought myself capable of!

This Saturday on Grecosize and Greco Lean & Fit 4 life:

1. Former Ottawa Senator Mike Fisher will be on the show
2. Kayla Bouffard has a great Greco Success Story that she will share with us

Team1200 Grecosize Promo:

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CFRA Greco Lean & Fit for Life Promo:

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Tune in this Saturday at 7AM on CFRA, or 9AM on Team 1200 to listen live or by podcast on the Team 1200 website.

To listen to full previous shows, click here.

Its been 6 years since I started lean and fit.  I started in 2005 when Greco only had the one location in Barrhaven – I still remember the days of Kelly and Todd, Josh, and even your advanced classes one night a week!  When I started Lean and Fit, I was 172 lbs (keep in mind I am 5’7), my BMI and Body fat percentage were well over 20% ( I think BMI was 26 and Body Fat was 26.9%). Now, my body fat fluctuates between 13 – 16% and weight is around 145 lbs.  I recently got married and have put on a little weight, but a year ago, in my prime, I reached 13% body fat and 135 lbs.   

Lean and fit has changed my life – it has given me self confidence, It has given me positive energy.  I feel amazing and formally wanted to thank you and your team in Barrhaven (I was there from 2005 until Kanata opened) and Kanata (opening until now).  

Thanks again, Anik Dattani

On a Wednesday in suburban Kanata, the air is fresh, a carryover from a welcome cool night, the mid-morning sun not yet burning hot.

Tell it to the six hockey players inside the Greco training facility, sweat rolling off their faces as they dance along a floor ladder (think about old schoolyard games of hop scotch), music pounding in their ears so loud it’s impossible to think. (That’s generally good, when hockey players aren’t thinking). Ripping through the ladder, dancing in and out of the squares, at three-quarters speed, on the heels of 30 minutes of dynamic weightlifting exercises, would be tough enough.

But Tony Greco and his fellow instructors – one per player at this session – turn the ladder into a gauntlet, literally pushing the players during the footwork drills, calling on their core strength to maintain balance. Now they’re yanking on the players via straps lassoed around the shoulders. Makes sense. Being pushed and pulled while trying to execute a skill is a lot like hockey isn’t it?

“You can always do better than you think you can,” bellows Tony Greco above the blaring music. “Give it! Give it!”

To enhance effort, he talks tough during the sessions, but afterward he sits on the gym apparel and chats easily with these players, who range from an established NHLer like Claude Giroux to others looking to get to another level.

“It sucks while you’re here, but the results are worth it,” says Calvin de Haan, a 20-year-old defenceman from Carp drafted 12th overall by the New York Islanders in 2009. “I really enjoy working with Tony and the other trainers here are great as well.”

Read more of the Ottawa Citizen Story…

Sharlene,

A few months ago I walked into your location and couldn’t make it through a workout. Today I biked 70k in the CN Cycle for CHEO and thanks to you and Luke was able to do it! My next challenge is 100k for the Ottawa Hospital in September.

Thanks again,
Stuntman Stu

“Stuntman Stu & Angie Poirier”  |  Weekday mornings 5:30-8:30  |  www.Majic100fm.com

PA announcer for the Ottawa Senators | www.StuntmanStu.com

I came from an athletic background in kickboxing at which time I sustained a hamstring injury.  I was told that I would never be able to participate in the sport again.  I did not accept this diagnosis and decided to take up cycling to repair and rebuild the damaged muscle.  That summer, I was hit by a car.  This resulted in broken bones in my chest, damage to my wrists as well as my lower back and hip.  All injuries healed over time except for my back and hip.  I endured pain and very limited mobility, which prevented me from any level of activity.  As a result of my lack of physical activity, I had gained weight and lost most muscle mass.  

Upon meeting Tony, he convinced me he would be able to help.  I told him if he would invest in me, I would become his “poster child”.  That was 1.5 years ago.  I had numerous false starts due to the pain in my back and mobility limitations.  We decided that personal training would be the best route for me to start with so that I obtained personalized regimes which were tailored to rebuilding my injured body.   

I am now completely pain free, at a healthy body weight and am in the “excellent” category for my body fat composition.  I have just celebrated my 51^st birthday and am once again living a full balanced life, which includes a strong body which is essential to feed an active work/home life and nurture the spirit.  I am elated to be back to my “old self” and continue to work with my personal trainers who consistently bring me to “the next level”. 

Arlene Dorey

Barbara Mireault, owner of the Fish Market in Downtown Ottawa; shares her Greco Success Story on Grecosize.

Listen Below for her interview with Tony Greco and Steve Warne, February 26th, 2011.

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