The new training studio at our Upper Hunt Club location (Queensdale Avenue) has been getting rave reviews!

Complete with our new graffiti logo on wall and beautiful stone finishings. A soothing atmosphere that motivates you to workout hard!

• To build speed and endurance: Go slowly for the first third of your run, at a normal pace in the middle third, and at a faster-than-normal pace at the end. Gradually increase your starting pace each week, and you’ll increase your normal and fast paces, too.
• To hit a golf ball farther, take some practice swings from the opposite side. It strengthens and balances your muscles, which may help you clear that water hazard. Do a few opposite swings on the first three or four holes, or for a minute at the driving range.
• Decrease the weight by 10 percent when you change your grip. So if you’ve been benchpressing 135 pounds for 10 repetitions with a medium grip, drop to 120 pounds when you switch to a wide grip. “You’ll be stressing your joints and muscles in a different way than they’re used to, which can cause injury”.
• For faster foot speed in sports, try this move: Start with your feet hip-width apart and your hands at your sides. Lift your left foot in front of you, touch it with your right hand, and lower it to the floor. Lift your right foot, touch it with your left hand, and lower it. Then touch your left foot behind you with your right hand, then your right foot behind you with your left hand. Go for 20 seconds at a time, moving as fast as you can, and repeat for a total of three to five sets.
• Recover faster from a hard workout by lightly exercising the same muscles the following day. Use a light weight—about 20 percent of the weight you can lift one time—and do two sets of 25 repetitions. This will deliver more blood and nutrients into your muscles so they repair faster.
• It’s fun to meet while going for a run or a walk.
• Take a break, sometimes you really do need time off.
• When you change up your workouts, it doesn’t feel like work.
• Attend complimentary classes at studios, go for runs, hikes, swims – you name it.
• Because the feeling of fullness in the stomach can take as long as twenty minutes to register to the brain, it is important to regulate how much food is ingested before waiting for a full-feeling.
• Buy only workout clothes that are black, white, or gray. They’ll go with everything, and you’ll never again waste time looking for a T-shirt that matches your gold-and-purple Lakers shorts.
• Eat meat—4 to 8 ounces every day—to grow more muscle. A study compared two groups of older male weight lifters: One group ate meat, the other didn’t. Both groups grew stronger, but only the carnivores gained significant muscle. Chicken, turkey, and fish count, too.
• Between sets, take 20 to 30 seconds to stretch the muscle you just worked. Boston researchers found that men who did this increased their strength by 20 percent.
• Don’t worry about specific rest periods between sets. Instead, rest as you need it—less in your early sets when your muscles are fresh, and more as they become fatigued. “You’ll cut your workout time between 15 and 20 percent”.
• To hit more home runs, swing with a slight uppercut at high pitches. The high swing utilizes your powerful hip and midsection muscles instead of just your hands and arms.

• Moderation involves learning how much food is enough and how much is too much.
• Exercise companions add a social element to any routine. Ask a friend to be your workout partner — you won’t skip a workout if someone is waiting for you.
• When you have a positive self-image, you value and respect your body; you are also more likely to feel good about living a healthy lifestyle.
• Get new tunes, when you´re feeling unmotivated, add some new music to the mix. It keeps things fresh, fun and interesting.
• The friendship and support of others will make it easier for you pass through the sometimes difficult transition from old to new behaviors.
• Use dumbbells, barbells, and machines—in that order. “The smaller, stabilizer muscles you use with dumbbells fatigue before your larger muscle groups,” says Charles Staley, a strength coach in Las Vegas.  So progress to machines, which require less help from your smaller muscles, as you grow tired.
• Don’t be afraid of situps. We’ve changed our tune on these, and here’s why: Situps increase your range of motion, which makes your abdominals work harder and longer. (Doing crunches on a Swiss ball or with a rolled-up towel under your lower back has a similar effect.) Just avoid situps with anchored feet, which can hurt your lower back.
• Dilute juice with water.
• Have mostly veggies for lunch.
• Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet soft drink for your afternoon drink.
• If vegetables are boring for you to eat, try dribbling maple syrup over carrots or sprinkling chopped nuts on green beans.
• Mix three different kinds of beans with some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.
• Set your goals in reverse. That is, pick a date of completion and work backward, writing down short-term goals as you go. “The goals then seem more like deadlines”.
• When running uphill, keep your head up and your eyes focused on the top of the hill. This opens your airways, making it easier to breathe than if your upper body were hunched forward.
• Do your ab exercises at the beginning of your workout if you can’t pass this test: Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your legs bent—as if you had just performed a situp. Then place your fingers behind your ears with your elbows pulled back. Lower yourself to the floor as slowly as possible. “If it doesn’t take at least 5 seconds, you need to prioritize your abdominal training,” says a strength coach.

• Press your thumb into the bench before lifting. “If you can feel the wood, find another bench,” says a chiropractor. Hard benches can cause T4 syndrome—a misalignment of your thoracic spine that affects the nerve function of your arm, weakening it.
• To build speed in swimming, develop your ankle flexibility. Flexible feet will act like flippers and propel you faster through the water. To increase your flipper flex, do this: Sit on the floor with your shoes off. Extend your legs in front of you, heels on the floor. Point your toes straight out as far as possible, then flex them toward your shins as far as you can. Repeat for 1 minute.
• Shop for workout shoes late in the day. That’s when your feet are the largest. Make sure there’s a half inch of space in front of your longest toe, and that you can easily wiggle your toes. Then slip off the shoes and compare them with your bare feet. If each shoe isn’t obviously wider and longer than your foot, go half a size bigger.
• Roll a golf ball across the carpet to improve your putting. The distance doesn’t matter. Just toss it by hand and try to make it stop at a specific target. You’ll hone your ability to judge speed and line without even picking up a club.
• Exhale forcefully at the top of the movement when you do abdominal crunches. It forces your abs to work harder.
• Developing a healthy, positive image of yourself is the first critical factor in your fitness success.
• The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
• Start by incorporating bursts of speed into your workouts. After a gentle warm-up, alternate a fast pace with a slower one for recovery.
• Written goals are a tangible sign of a promise that you intend to keep.
• Get into a routine, it’s all about establishing good habits.
• Use a bench to squat with perfect form. That is, stand in front of the bench when you squat. Lower yourself as if you were sitting down. When your butt touches the bench, push yourself back up. Try it with a light bar or a broomstick first.
• Eat immediately after your workout. A 12-week study found that older men who drank a shake with10 grams of protein, 7 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fat (about the same as in a cup of milk) within 5 minutes after their weight workout gained muscle, but men who consumed the drink 2 hours later did not. For a serious postworkout muscle-building shake, try this formula: Blend a half cup of fat-free frozen chocolate yogurt, a quarter cup of egg substitute, a cup of fat-free milk, a large banana, and a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, and drink. You’ll down 23 grams of protein, 52 grams of carbs, and only 4 grams of fat.
• Do lunges in reverse. This forces your front leg to work throughout the entire exercise. Use the same movement pattern as in a traditional lunge, but step backward instead of forward.
• If you have a finger that is frequently jammed, tape it to a neighboring finger when you play sports. Together the two fingers will be stronger and less likely to bend at an odd angle.
• Lift weights to run faster. A study  found that 8 weeks of resistance training improved experienced runners’ 5-K times by 30 seconds.

My name is Sharon and I’m 35 years old. I joined Greco Kanata October 28th, 2011. And today I am in the best shape of my life!

I had my kids in 2006 and 2007 … And for the next couple of years it was all about survival!

Between my family, friends, and volunteer roles in Kanata, I found it extremely tough to eat healthy and get back into shape. I tried various ‘quick fix’ and ‘lose weight fast’ programs but nothing worked. I was eating poorly and had almost no energy – hard to raise kids 16 months apart when I was living coffee to coffee

Finally in the summer of 2011 myself and some girlfriends decided to run a half marathon. Training begun. It was tough! But we all did it – ran my first half marathon in September … and my second half marathon in October. The week after I decided enough was enough and it was time to join a gym. Many of my friends were already members at Greco and convinced me to come.  I had no idea what to expect but these friends all looked incredible so I joined. The next day I did my first class.

During my first class, I realized 2 things – 1. I couldn’t even do 1 pushup, and 2. I was in terrible shape. I looked around me and as everyone was giving it their all as I was trying to find the best excuse to leave! Thankfully, Megan (@Greco Kanata) never let me stop. I stayed for the entire class. From then on, I started attending classes about 4 times per week.

It’s been 6 months, I’m in the best shape of my life! I’ve turned flab into FAB ~ 18% body fat! I’ve shaved MINUTES off my runs – ran my best 5K/10K to date – 24:53min./58:44 (previously 28:20/1:01:39) and I can do 100 pushups in a single class. I find I have more confidence, energy, and positivity. My eating habits are great not just from routine, but from knowledge of what I’ve been shown/guided through over the past 6 months.

This summer I’m competing in my first Spartan Race as well as Ottawa Race Weekend 10K. My goals are not to ‘just’ complete this time, but to excel!

I might have taken the first step through the door, but the staff at Greco Kanata have really paved the way for me to succeed.

Its been 7 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

I was working in the bar seen, I basically drank nightly, came home to sleep all day then ate whatever I wanted and began drinking again.  My life was becoming a blur and my family were becoming worried.  I honestly did not see what they saw, you know what they say ” a few drinks make you see things differently” well with me I never saw myself as big, I didn’t really care about anything.  I went to school, just functioning for the couple of hours but my head wasn’t in it.

When I joined Greco, I couldn’t do one lap, I did the plank from my knees and that was hard.  The trainers (Matt and Cody) pushed me but supported me everyday making returning to the gym not a challenge anymore but a commitment!  Sometimes they even gave my “life coach” advice lol.

NOW, I eat right, I think about the foods I eat that will give my body the nutrients and energy to do the things I love to do.  I love to workout now, challenging myself daily and setting goals that I never thought I would reach.  I care about when and how much I drink, knowing that my body will not be able to function the same the next day if I drink too much.

My relationships with my family and friends have changed too… I guess I had a bad attitude towards them for a long time.  My mom says Greco saved my life and theirs.

I honestly feel 100% different, happy and alive and …most of the time sore!  (from the workouts)

I am a mother of 2 boys, (5 years old and 8 months old baby) and I teach in an elementary school.

I am 38 years old. I got pregnant in December 2010 of my second child and gave birth September 6^th. As soon as I got the ok from my doctor I decided I wanted to take care of my body. As I had planned, I officially became a Greco member October 17^{th 2011}. I signed up for the 10 weeks Lean and fit program at Greco-Sparks. As soon as I entered the building and touched ground, it already felt so positive! The staff at the counter as well as the trainers made me feel so comfortable and I quickly felt as part of their family!

I started training 3 to 4 times per week, changed my whole eating habits. It became a lifestyle instead of a diet. For me, it was just being able to be more conscious of what I was eating.

When I first started the classes, I was nervous but the trainers are so empathetic to your needs that you feel you can go at your own pace and at the same time give it your all. After 10 weeks I had lost 20 pounds and 6% of body fat. I was at 37% when I first started. I was so proud. Went from a size 12 to 8.  It motivated me even more. I kept going on and now after 27 weeks I lost 35 pounds and 12% of body fat. I am now a size 5. Never felt this great in my life. After 7 months I am now back at work and I feel so energized and less tired. Training at Greco has given me so much strength, energy and extra confidence that I also registered for the half-marathon in Ottawa.

Becoming a Greco’s member has been the best decision for a healthy mind and body!

I am a 29 year old mom of 3, (ages 3,5,7), and daycare provider.

I was always a competitive athlete growing up (figure skating, gymnastics) right up until I had my first child at 22. With the hustle and bustle of pregnancies and young kids, I completely let go of myself, going from my usual fit 125lbs to 167lbs! (180s during pregnancy!!) My body fat was up in the 30% range and I was completely miserable.

After having my 3rd child, I decided it was time to take charge of my life and focus on my own health and happiness again. I made the decision and did everything I could to ensure I never go back. Proper diet, regular workouts and running have changed me in many ways… Returning to my pre-pregnancy weight and down to 16% bodyfat. I’m stronger and more fit than I’ve ever been, and happier as well.

Grand Prize to the winner is an all expense paid trip for 2 to Jamaica! (Approx. Value $2500)

Stay on top of the latest in Health and Fitness with Grecosize…

• Success Story Adam Fata who is not only a Greco Franchise Owner but he’s also a client
• We’ll do a sugar smackdown, are your kids actually having dessert for breakfast?
• Forget the TV gimmicks, Tony’s got the true basics to getting in shape

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.

• OPEN to all New and Existing members
• Share your success and motivate others
• Entry is made via an application in the form of a Greco Success Story
• Application must include a picture and the details as to how Greco has helped them or is helping them reach their goals
• Members can submit their Transformation story in a one paragraph email submission to transformation@grecoleanandfit.com
• All Transformations will be posted on our site allowing individuals to vote on their favourite success story
• VOTING will open on June 25th to July 1st – with the winner being selected on July 3rd
• CONTEST will start April 16th and will run to June 24th at midnight
  • This will give current members as well as new members a significant amount of time to begin focusing/refocusing on their goals

Grand Prize to the winner is an all expense paid trip for 2 to Jamaica! (Approx. Value $2500)

Contestants are thus far, click here!

• If you’re famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts or drink water. Sometimes when you feel hungry what you are actually feeling is dehydrated.
• If you haven’t eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.
• Food suppliers typically freeze vegetables just a few hours after harvest, locking in their nutrients. Fresh vegetables, on the other hand, often spend days in the back of a truck before they reach your supermarket.
• Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won’t stimulate you to overeat. It’s just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following your workout.
• When you’re exercising, you shouldn’t wait to feel thirsty before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
• If you think you’re too busy to exercise, try this experiment: For one day, schedule a time to work out, and then stick to it—even if you can exercise for only 10 minutes. “At the end of the day, ask yourself if you were any less productive than usual,” says an exercise psychologist. The answer will probably be no—and your favorite excuse will be gone.
• To build forearm strength for tennis and racquetball, crumple newspaper: Lay a newspaper sheet on a flat surface. Start at one corner and crumple it into a ball with your dominant hand for 30 seconds. Repeat with your other hand.
• When doing lat pulldowns, don’t wrap your thumb around the bar. Instead, place it on top, alongside your index finger. This decreases the involvement of your arm muscles, so you’ll work your back harder. Works for pullups, too.
• If you’re a beginner, train to failure—the point at which you absolutely can’t do another repetition—then throw back a pint. In a new study, beginners who trained to failure with three sets of six exercises per day then drank a supplement immediately afterward gained over 5 pounds of muscle in just 8 weeks. A pint of 1 percent chocolate milk will provide all the nutrients you need to achieve the same result.
• If you don’t like an exercise, start doing it. “You’re probably avoiding it because you’re weak at it”.
• I still love scrambled eggs in a nonstick pan (I use only egg whites). Pop some asparagus in the microwave and add whole-wheat toast and presto your eating in no time!
• If you hurt your right arm, don’t stop exercising your left arm. Researchers found that people who trained only one arm for 2 weeks managed to increase arm strength in their nonexercising arm up to 10 percent. The reason: Exercising one arm stimulates the muscle nerve fibers in the opposite arm.
• Count your repetitions backward. When you near the end of the set, you’ll think about how many you have left instead of how many you’ve done.
• Do standing and seated calf raises. You’ll get better results. “Your calves are made up of two different muscles, so you have to do the straight-leg and the bent-leg versions of the exercise to hit them both”.
• Test yourself often. Every 4 weeks, measure a variable—waist size, body fat, bench press—that equates to your end goal. “It’ll show you the tangible results of your training,” says a trainer in Canada. And that translates into motivation.

• Don’t forget the sweet potato.
• Use baby spinach as lettuce in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.
• If time is an issue, spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.
• If you really hate vegetables and love fruit, eat plenty of them. They are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).
• Enjoy Vegetable soup because it does count as a vegetable.
• To come open for a pass in football, run near enough to your defender that you can shake his hand. The closer you get, the easier it’ll be to blow past him. As you close in on him, shorten your strides without slowing down—it’ll help you cut faster.
• When you cycle, keep your pace between 80 and 110 rpm. You’ll ride farther and faster with less fatigue and knee strain. To gauge your pace, count how many times your right leg comes to the top of the pedal stroke in 10 seconds, then multiply that number by 6. The result is your pedal rpms.
• Work opposing muscle groups—your biceps and triceps, for instance—back-to-back for a faster workout. “While one muscle is working, the other is forced to rest”. You won’t need as much time between sets.
• To improve your ball-handling skills in basketball, practice dribbling while wearing leather or canvas work gloves. The thickness of the gloves helps improve the sensitivity of your fingertips, so you’ll have better ball control when you take them off. A guard, credits his ball-handling mastery to this training method.
• Play football to become a better softball hitter. It improves hand-eye coordination.
• Do dips with your elbows in and your body straight to work your triceps. But lean forward and flare them out to focus on your chest.
• Look at your dominant hand—without turning your head—while you’re bench-pressing. “You’ll be able to lift more weight”.
• Don’t think about pulling yourself up when you do chinups. Instead, imagine pulling your elbows down. The exercise will seem easier.
• For rock or wall climbing, buy shoes that fit your bare feet so tightly you can stand but not walk comfortably. They’ll give you optimal control, and you’ll be better able to use your legs—the key to successful climbing.
• One week out of every six, cut your weekly training mileage and frequency in half. You’ll give your body a better chance to recover, and you’ll avoid permanent, nagging injuries.

• When dining out and you want desert, order only one and share it.
• Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate, a desert bowl instead of soup bowl and a juice glass instead of water tumbler.
• See what you eat. Put your food on a plate or in a bowl instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
• Eat the low-cal items on your plate first. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you’ll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.
• Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.
• Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.
• The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one.
• A new work out gear is the perfect reward when you’ve been working hard.
• Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: “Closed after Dinner”.
• Eating late at night won’t cause weight gain. It’s how many calories, not when you eat them that counts.
• Make workout plans with a co-worker or a friend, you´re less likely to back out if you make plans with someone ahead of time.
• Drink fresh water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.
• Better posture allows you to relax your muscles, sit comfortably and reduce stress, movement therapists say.
• Many dieting programs are very successful simply because they are very good at helping clients learn to plan food portion sizes appropriately.
• Plan a meeting/workout mashup, the endorphin rush makes for great brainstorming and bonding.