Lisa Allen
Our Fall 2010 Lean & Mean Winner is Lisa Allen! Lisatakes home a $1,000 shopping spree! Over 12weeks, Lisa decreased her initial body fat levels by 37.6 per cent.
“As a person who has played team sports all her life, I really enjoy and need to be pushed by others to reach fitness goals. I have worked with trainers in group settings before and thought that a One On One training experience that is tailored to my specific goals and fitness levels would be very beneficial. I am much more motivated when working out with others, so this seemed like a perfect fit!” said Lisa. “Also, One On One was recommended to me by Ryan Scott who has been working out with trainer Codrut Curteanu for many years. He has nothing but amazing things to say and has seen some very positive results over the years.”
Why did you enter the Lean & Mean?
“I thought it would be a great incentive to change our eating routine to one that is much more of a ‘clean eating’ approach. It was also a good incentive to increase the amount of running I was already doing. Overall, Ryan and I thought it would be a great thing to do together and it was an opportunity to improve our fitness and overall health. “I work out at One On One twice a week and enjoy doing intensive circuit-training-type activities with One On One trainer Jay Bakir. Outside of the gym I run five to 10 kilometres two to three times a week. I also play competitive volleyball at Rally Pointe once a week (twice a week starting in January). I also do a lot of walking with our two dogs.”
How do you fit exercise into your life?
“Fitness and exercise have always been a big part of my life. But, my life has recently become extremely busy as I continue working and completing a Ph.D. in Public Health. Finding the time and energy for exercise has become more challenging. Having a trainer at One On One makes me accountable to my workouts twice a week. No matter how busy I am, I know that I have to put the computer away and head to the gym. This is a huge stress reliever for me and I feel energized when I leave the gym at the end of a good hour’s workout! Playing team sports is also a great way to fit in exercise with a social aspect. It is the perfect opportunity to relieve stress and have a lot of fun at the same time. “When I am working out consistently and eating healthy I feel powerful and strong. It is amazing what your body can do if you really push it!”
What has been your biggest challenge?
“After breaking my arm (twice) in the last five years, I have had to stop playing soccer and have reduced the amount of volleyball that I play. It has been a challenge to adapt my fitness routine away from team sports and still get the benefits that these types of activities provide.”
What did your friends, family, or spouse think of what you were doing?
“They all thought it was great! Ryan Scott and I were doing it together, so we were really supportive of each other. If one of us was going for a run, we would get the other up and moving!”
What did you learn?
“My biggest aha moment was how much sugar I was consuming. We changed our eating routine and I decided that I was going to cut out refined sugars. This has made the biggest difference. I always thought that fruit juice was healthy, but never really thought about how much sugar was dissolved in with the natural juices. Water, water, water is the best thing for me to drink!”
What do you eat?
“We made a two-week meal plan schedule that included breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. We ate a lot of clean foods (raw vegetables, chicken, fish, steak, and whole grains). We made a lot of new recipes from the best health website
(http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/cooking/2-weeks-of-healthy-dinner-ideas?slide=2)
as well as from the magazine Clean Eating. I ate about five to six small meals throughout the day and it really boosted my energy levels.”
When you fall off track with healthy eating/exercise, how do you get back on?
“It is good to sometimes take a little break and indulge, but if you listen to your body, it will tell you when it is ready to get back on track. As a competitive person, I find challenges like the Lean and Mean really spark me to make changes and increase my motivation for fitness.”
What are your goals now?
“I will continue our health eating plan. We are going to adapt our current two-week schedule after Christmas to add in some new recipes! I would like to focus my fitness goals now on building more muscle and maintaining my cardiovascular fitness levels. We are planning on running a half-marathon in the fall of 2011 in Las Vegas as well.”
If you could give advice to another person who was struggling with their fitness, what would that be?
“Work out with friend or spouse, join a team sport or group activity. This is the best way to stay motivated and have fun while getting fit. Also, what you eat is really important! You can work out consistently but not see results if you do not have a clean and balanced food routine. Make a food schedule and stick to it!”
Any other comments that you would like to add?
“The Lean and Mean is a great opportunity to make life-changing adaptations to your fitness routine. Take the opportunity to survey your current activities and eating habits and make those hard changes. For me, it was sugar! It took about two weeks for my body to recover from my ‘sugar addiction,’ but now I don't miss it at all!”
“As a person who has played team sports all her life, I really enjoy and need to be pushed by others to reach fitness goals. I have worked with trainers in group settings before and thought that a One On One training experience that is tailored to my specific goals and fitness levels would be very beneficial. I am much more motivated when working out with others, so this seemed like a perfect fit!” said Lisa. “Also, One On One was recommended to me by Ryan Scott who has been working out with trainer Codrut Curteanu for many years. He has nothing but amazing things to say and has seen some very positive results over the years.”
Why did you enter the Lean & Mean?
“I thought it would be a great incentive to change our eating routine to one that is much more of a ‘clean eating’ approach. It was also a good incentive to increase the amount of running I was already doing. Overall, Ryan and I thought it would be a great thing to do together and it was an opportunity to improve our fitness and overall health. “I work out at One On One twice a week and enjoy doing intensive circuit-training-type activities with One On One trainer Jay Bakir. Outside of the gym I run five to 10 kilometres two to three times a week. I also play competitive volleyball at Rally Pointe once a week (twice a week starting in January). I also do a lot of walking with our two dogs.”
How do you fit exercise into your life?
“Fitness and exercise have always been a big part of my life. But, my life has recently become extremely busy as I continue working and completing a Ph.D. in Public Health. Finding the time and energy for exercise has become more challenging. Having a trainer at One On One makes me accountable to my workouts twice a week. No matter how busy I am, I know that I have to put the computer away and head to the gym. This is a huge stress reliever for me and I feel energized when I leave the gym at the end of a good hour’s workout! Playing team sports is also a great way to fit in exercise with a social aspect. It is the perfect opportunity to relieve stress and have a lot of fun at the same time. “When I am working out consistently and eating healthy I feel powerful and strong. It is amazing what your body can do if you really push it!”
What has been your biggest challenge?
“After breaking my arm (twice) in the last five years, I have had to stop playing soccer and have reduced the amount of volleyball that I play. It has been a challenge to adapt my fitness routine away from team sports and still get the benefits that these types of activities provide.”
What did your friends, family, or spouse think of what you were doing?
“They all thought it was great! Ryan Scott and I were doing it together, so we were really supportive of each other. If one of us was going for a run, we would get the other up and moving!”
What did you learn?
“My biggest aha moment was how much sugar I was consuming. We changed our eating routine and I decided that I was going to cut out refined sugars. This has made the biggest difference. I always thought that fruit juice was healthy, but never really thought about how much sugar was dissolved in with the natural juices. Water, water, water is the best thing for me to drink!”
What do you eat?
“We made a two-week meal plan schedule that included breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. We ate a lot of clean foods (raw vegetables, chicken, fish, steak, and whole grains). We made a lot of new recipes from the best health website
(http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/cooking/2-weeks-of-healthy-dinner-ideas?slide=2)
as well as from the magazine Clean Eating. I ate about five to six small meals throughout the day and it really boosted my energy levels.”
When you fall off track with healthy eating/exercise, how do you get back on?
“It is good to sometimes take a little break and indulge, but if you listen to your body, it will tell you when it is ready to get back on track. As a competitive person, I find challenges like the Lean and Mean really spark me to make changes and increase my motivation for fitness.”
What are your goals now?
“I will continue our health eating plan. We are going to adapt our current two-week schedule after Christmas to add in some new recipes! I would like to focus my fitness goals now on building more muscle and maintaining my cardiovascular fitness levels. We are planning on running a half-marathon in the fall of 2011 in Las Vegas as well.”
If you could give advice to another person who was struggling with their fitness, what would that be?
“Work out with friend or spouse, join a team sport or group activity. This is the best way to stay motivated and have fun while getting fit. Also, what you eat is really important! You can work out consistently but not see results if you do not have a clean and balanced food routine. Make a food schedule and stick to it!”
Any other comments that you would like to add?
“The Lean and Mean is a great opportunity to make life-changing adaptations to your fitness routine. Take the opportunity to survey your current activities and eating habits and make those hard changes. For me, it was sugar! It took about two weeks for my body to recover from my ‘sugar addiction,’ but now I don't miss it at all!”