They’re beautiful, buff and make yoga pants seem almost acceptable attire outside of the gym. They’re fitness trainers whose goal is to make you look and feel your best. Here they dish on their best-kept secrets aimed at making a healthier you!

Cheryl Young, BPE, Can-Fit-Pro certified, Burlington Fitness and Athletic Club, www.burlingtonfitness.ca

“After many years of teaching fitness classes, my best piece of advice to the average participant is to approach exercise as a lifelong pursuit. It will never be easy, but in time it will be less of a chore and sometimes even enjoyable.

“Be realistic, get educated and work hard. A few sessions with a personal trainer will help you maximize your time and effort. Every cardio workout should make you sweat and every resistance-training session should fatigue your muscles. There is no magic pill but with consistent effort you will feel and look better. I have two favourite exercises that I would encourage all healthy participants to include in their exercise programs: pushups and outdoor running. Both will constantly challenge you regardless of your fitness level, your improvements are easily measurable and you can do them anywhere!”

Tina Ceroni, Oakville based certified personal trainer with a background in Kinesiology and rehab as well as formally trained in the essential and advanced mat intensive program from Stott Pilates; [email protected] www.burlingtonfitness.ca

“There’s no denying that exercise can help most people shed those extra pounds, tone and shape the body as well as improve overall health. However, it does require some effort and motivation to get the results you want. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending countless hours at the gym there are numerous ways to exercise. Adding variety can be the contributing factor to keeping you stick to an exercise regime! If you feel your motivation declining try changing it up, choose a new activity, set a personal goal, change up your strength training routine or call up a friend and throw those running shoes on. Adding variety will keep you from getting bored and burnt out. By combining cardiovascular endurance, strength, flexibility and balance you are sure to see results. The idea is to keep your exercise routine fresh and interesting.”

Connie Benedict is co-owner of Toronto-based Berkeley Gym, a certified personal trainer and a certified nutrition consultant. For more information, please check out www.berkeleygym.com.

“My advice is consistency! Stick to your health and fitness goals whether you’re trying to fit into that special outfit, make an impression at that reunion or dazzle someone new. The more conisistent you are with your exercise program and healthy eating habits, the more results you’ll see. Make fitness and health part of your overall lifestyle.”

Trina Lambe, certified personal trainer, Train by Trina, www.trainbytrina.com

“When it comes to exercise, the most struggle people face is getting out of the door to the gym or getting their running shoes on for a run. With so many distractions in daily life consuming us, many people make excuses to skip a workout. If I could give you one valuable piece of advice it would be to at least aim for 10 to 20 minutes of exercise a day if that’s all you can fit in! Accept no excuses from yourself — you know you can do 10 to 20 minutes of activity… Who knows, maybe once you start, you’ll go longer than you anticipated!”

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Page 1 of 2Joanne Fournier, ACE-PT, Stott Pilates certified, Master Instructor-Spinning
Can-Fit-Pro – FIS, [email protected]

“In training many different levels of clients, all with varied objectives and goals, one thing stands out — breathing. It is at the essence of our training but often overlooked. Clients often hold their breath while performing. Be mindful of your breath. Whether you are training for a marathon, body-building or just trying to get healthier, remember to breathe. Deep inhalation will facilitate more effective performance and lead to a healthier and fitter you.”

Janicke Ziemer, certified personal trainer, Milcroft Fitness and Lululemon Ambassador, [email protected]

“Buddy up … Make a commitment with a friend, or many friends if possible, to exercise together. You will experience a more fun and enjoyable workout that you will be less inclined to skip or cancel. You may even make a new best friend! Bored with your workout? Try adding in 30 seconds of skipping followed by 30 seconds of jumping jacks between your strength training sets. This will heat things up a little!”

Marianne Delija, Can-Fit-Pro certified fitness instructor specialist and personal trainer, Burlington Fitness and Athletic Club, www.burlingtonfitness.ca

“Never walk into a gym with an image of someone you want to look like. The key is to feel and look your best, not somebody else’s. Set your own personal goals and forget everyone else!”

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Bust the 7 common health myths here!

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