Kayleen Choptain Personal Training

Fat loss and weight loss are not the same thing. Fat is an energy storage system your body uses to store the surplus of calories that were not used throughout the day. The only way to truly lose fat is to be in a caloric deficit, meaning that because you are eating less calories than what your body needs, it is forced to draw energy back out of the fat cell. These fat cells replace the fat molecules being drawn out with water, resulting in what can seem like an increase in body weight, but this is only temporary and the held water will go away in time as the cell shrinks. Think of fat loss like a roll of paper towel- every time you remove a sheet, the whole roll will begin to shrink, and like fat you can not pick where you want it to come from specifically.
> Overall caloric deficit, resistance training to prevent muscle loss in a deficit, adding more steps and physical throughout the day are great ways to lose body fat.
> To find a baseline calorie deficit take your current body weight and multiply it by 10 or 11 (10 will be more aggressive than 11). So for a 150lb person who is new to physical activity, 1500-1650 would be a good starting point. (This does not apply to more advanced lifters or athletes)
> Full body weight training 3x per week and walking daily for a minimum of 30 minutes is a good starting point for physical activity. 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions for the basic exercises shown here are sufficient.
> Avoiding liquid calories and alcohol, while increasing protein and fiber are also very important.
> A nutrition coach and personal trainer can help guide you to an exercise and eating program to reach your goals faster, ensure you are performing exercises properly to avoid injury, and look over what you feel is and isn't working for you and make changes to your plan to support you in reaching your goals.

May will mark one year since I started running and it's definitely been the most rewarding chapter in my fitness journey. I threw myself into it on a whim and have had to work through a few injuries along the way, but nothing that couldn't be corrected through focused strength training and rehab exercises. I never thought I would reach the point where 2 miles was considered my warm up when 11 months ago I thought I might literally die. I can't wait for all of this snow to be gone so I can be back out on the trails, training for the Wasagaming half marathon this September. Running is not a stand alone activity though, and a strength training routine aimed at strengthening muscles around joints and tendons goes a long way to prevent injuries that can stop you in your tracks. Prevention is the best medicine.

The holidays are over and we are now in the week between Christmas and New Years where we want to set healthy goals for 2026 but also want to eat all the leftovers and candy from Christmas. Instead of starting off the new year with a fad diet or juice cleanse, or some extreme workout program you found on Instagram promising you results in 4 weeks (that will most likely lead to falling off the wagon and regaining the weight you lost- if not more), try setting small weekly goals that will help you create a lifestyle of health and fitness, so that when motivation fades, you will have a solid platform of healthy habits to fall back on. The benefits of hiring a health coach include having somebody to help you set these goals and work with you to achieve them while holding you accountable to show up and do the work. Small goals can include adding full body resistance training 2x per week, getting 6000 steps per day most days, learning how to measure proper portion sizes, eating slowly and mindfully without distractions or replacing most of the higher calorie beverages you may be consuming with water. If you started the year off with just these small changes, did them consistently, and built upon them every month or so, you would see much bigger changes than if you went all in on January 1st and fell of the plan by February.

Exercise isn't just about the visible results of fat loss or building muscle size, it's also about how it impacts everyday activities of life. My favorite success stories from clients are the ones about how they have noticed that they can get up from the floor or a chair without needing to use their hands for support, how they can climb stairs without getting winded, the reduction of neck and back pain, or even having an easier time carrying groceries in from the car. We tend to think that movement gets harder as we age, but in reality motion is the lotion that keeps us moving. Living a sedentary lifestyle leads to muscle atrophy (the loss of muscle mass) and loss of mobility. In many cases of back pain, the culprit is actually a weak upper back, core and hamstrings combined with tight chest muscles and hip flexors. Working with a personal trainer who is well versed in postural imbalances can help correct these problem areas and reduce some of the pain that may lead the becoming inactive.

Now certified in nutrition and health coaching through Precision Nutrition

When people think about reducing calories in their diet they often forget the biggest culprits that can cause weight gain- liquid calories and calories in sauces and condiments. These calories are mostly from sugar, fat, and alcohol, and serve no purpose other then to add flavor to your foods or a quick drink that does nothing to reduce your appetite (high sugar and highly palatable drinks and condiments can cause blood sugar to rise and fall quickly leading to feeling hungrier than before). Just by replacing these foods with lower sugar, lower calorie options like water instead of soda, or Greek yogurt instead of full fat sour cream can reduce your daily caloric intake by hundreds of calories. Give these simple swaps a try and see if it isn't just what you needed to help shed those stubborn pounds.

Once you've learned how to measure proper serving sizes for foods, you may still be at a loss for how to combine these different foods to create balanced, nutritious meals to support your goals. Here are some great ideas that combine healthy carbohydrates, proteins and fats to create meals to keep you full throughout the day, while supporting muscle growth and repair to complement your hard work in the gym or just support your daily activities.