Will at Ironman Canada, August 2009, Penticton

Garfield is proud to be joining Forward Fitness client Will McKechnie at the Dave Reed 5K Spring Classic on March 3, 2012. Will has been training with Forward Fitness for over 2 years, and competes regularly in local triathlons.

“As race Director for VFAC (Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club), I’m excited to have Garfield race our club 5k race on March 3rd in Stanley Park.”, says Will. “I know for myself, strength training has been a significant component to my overall training regime as a runner and triathlete. Strength, combined with run workouts, good nutrition and adequate recovery has help me improve as a runner. I’ve got a few short term performance goals for my running. A sub 36 min 10k, sub 1:20 half marathon and a sub 2:50 marathon are all near term goals I’m working towards. I’m currently working through a running injury and hope to run competitively again this summer. In the mean time, I’m finding cardio alternatives and doubling up on the strength workouts to maintain fitness and gain power.”

The Dave Reed 5k takes place on the Sea Wall in Vancouver, and is a perfect opportunity to walk, jog or run through scenic Stanley Park. It is also a part of the 2012 Sun Run Series, and fits perfectly into your Sun Run training program.

To  join us in March, sign up online.

National Endurance Test! >

Garfield’s Challenge: Diet >

Garfield’s Challenge: Core Exercices >

Garfield’s Challenge: Sleep Debt >

Garfield’s Challenge: Work Out With Friends >

Donate a minimum of $25 to get your very own Mo Bros 2012 calendar, plus our good friends from WAX Hair Removal Bar will throw in a FREE wax service (worth $60) with every donation! All proceeds go to Prostate Cancer Canada.

Donate… here: http://mobro.co/garfieldwilson

Once you’ve donated, email Garfield to arrange a time to pickup your calendar, or send us your address if you live out of town and we’ll happily mail it to you (within North America).

Photography for the calendar was generously donated byMadeline Ell, and the calendar design was donated by our very own designer, Michelle Wilson of Deli Design Studio.

Can my “hump” be fixed? A common question in my office, and my answer–absolutely!!   However it may take a long period of time to see permanent changes, as improper movement patterns and poor posture often take many years to develop. As well, it will take a certain amount of work on your part to create new and better patterns in your body.

Proper posture means that the least strain is placed on supporting muscles, joints and ligaments when you are holding your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. A big part of maintaining proper posture is simply an awareness of what you are doing with your body during your daily activities: Are you making repetitive movements at work, at home or in sporting activities? Are there times where your body is not in a neutral position?  Do you sleep on your stomach? Are you working on a laptop?  These are some of the many questions that I ask when beginning to work with someone.  If we can find and eliminate factors that create and reinforce poor postural patterns, then we can begin to make changes.  A course of regular and periodic Chiropractic adjustments can serve to maintain proper motion in the joints.  Your personal trainer can design an exercise program which includes appropriate flexibility work along with strengthening of the important postural muscles in your upper back. This is of huge benefit in reducing postural strain. With stretching, connective tissues that may have been damaged by improper posture can be realigned and relaxed. Improved strength will enable you to hold your body in the proper position longer and more easily.

A good team can help you to change your posture over a 6 month to 2 year period.  With diligence, it can be done!!

The Goals of 1 School 1 Day:

• To raise $100,000 – the cost of One School in Ethiopia
• 5,000 Participants moving at the same time all across Greater Vancouver
• To unify the Health and Fitness community towards a great good

To take part in this event, Forward Fitness will be running a group circuit class on September 24th at 1pm at their APT North Studio (2036 West 11th Avenue, Vancouver). The class will be run by Garfield Wilson with all proceeds going directly to 1s1d. Class size is a maximum 40 people, so sign up today to secure your spot.

Sign Up Today

To find out more about 1S1D, or to donate in lieu of attending our event, please visit 1school1day.org

The ever-fabulous Dr. Ali Zentner, our special cohort from CBC’s”Village on a Diet” is cycling across Canada as a part of Cycle4 National Relay Ride to raise funds for Diabetes and Cancer research. The National Relay Ride is a CYCLE4:Whatmatters Program, and is no ordinary ride.  It is an action packed, exillerating, relay style, ‘team ride’ from Vancouver to Halifax starting August 13 and wrapping up September 4.  Show her your support here> Go Dr. Ali go!!

Regardless, I kept plugging away with my workouts and nutrition, seeing results here and there. I had some new definition and tone, my clothes were fitting slightly differently and my body composition was changing, but there was always that one last layer of fat. The last 10lbs that I couldn’t take off for the life of me; until I introduced calorie counting and portion control into my life. I decided to download a calorie counting app on my phone so I could track the caloric intake of the food I was eating, and calculate how many calories I should consume each day based on how much weight I wanted to lose.

I soon realized that no matter how clean you’re eating, you can still over eat. Having the app on my phone held me accountable for everything I put into my mouth. It educated me on seemingly healthy foods that are actually very high in calories, and knowing that I have a very specific caloric amount allotted for my day helped me to say no to those high-calorie snacks that I really didn’t need to be eating before bed.

Now, two months later, I’ve reached my weight loss goal and lost 15lbs! It feels amazing to have achieved something I’ve struggled with for so many years. I’m more confident on every level and I feel great.  Making these small adjustments was totally worth the result at the end of it, and I plan on sticking with it.

This was a lifestyle change for me–not a crash diet. And with all I learned, I am confident I will keep the weight off and continue to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

We look forward to being a part of this fantastic fundraiser for many years to come. Thanks to Jen Black for inviting us to take part in the event, and to everyone involved behind the scenes. You are all incredible to work with!

For more photos, check out our Forward Fitness Facebook page.

Along with fundraising and taking part in the 5K run, Garfield and his team will be joined by The Purple Pirate on stage in leading all 5000+ participants with a warm up and stretch before the race. After the race our team of trainers will be running mini-bootcamps, giving away prizes and answering your fitness questions, so look for our tent.

We’ll also be rewarding a “Train the Trainer” hour with Garfield to the member of our team who collects th emost pledges! So get out there, and start collecting donations.

Join our team