I'm just going to get right to the point in this week's blog as I've got lots to say. If you didn't get a chance to read last week's blog then I suggest you go back to review and you'll find out as to why I'm a little irritated and annoyed with the so-called "training rules" and "normalities" of how we as everyday people should or have been told how to workout. What I'm hoping to accomplish here is to give you the reader a different insight and perspective when it comes to training and dieting for your very own health and fitness goals. Remember, the opinions below are just that - opinions. I'm not suggesting that you must do as I say or do as I do. In fact, I would suggest that you form your own opinions and thoughts when it comes to how you should approach your workouts and diets and find a formula that works for you and only you. So without further ado, let's get started!

Family, friends and clients ask me all the time why I choose to work 7 days a week. I constantly get asked questions such as "Don't you need a day off?","Don't you get burnt out?" and my favourite - "Don't you have a life?". Well to be perfectly honest I enjoy what I do for a living and I don't really view personal training and running a fitness company as a job per say. Yes, it's hard work and true I put in very long hours each day but I've never regretted my decision to go into business for myself and do something that I'm passionate about which is helping people become more healthy and fit so that they can live long and productive lives.

In my very own humble opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong if a person's sole purpose for exercising and eating healthy is to look good. In fact, I think a little bit of vanity can be a good thing as it forces us to take care of ourselves both physically and mentally. And at the end of the day as long as we are getting in our workouts and performing consistent cardiovascular activities on a weekly basis then who really cares what our reasons for exercising are.

Where I do however take issue is when obsessive exercising and extreme dieting starts to take over and and controls a person's lifestyle and everyday behaviour. I've seen and heard of this all too often. People tell me that they can't eat certain foods because they are dieting or that they have no time to socialize because they are too busy training. To me this sounds absolutely preposterous and completely unnecessary. I mean why would anyone in their right mind train so hard and eat so clean if they can't get out there and enjoy their lives?

Being a recovered gym junkie myself I understand how easy it is to get caught up in a world full of hot bodies that can represent power, confidence and success. However there is more to life to a sexy body and a great selfie. And yet I feel that for as many people in this upcoming generation that are obese, unfit and unhealthy there are just as many people who although may be fit, are also perhaps a little too vain, too shallow, too selfish and just overall too much! And I for one have had enough!

I've lived in Vancouver now for over 18 years. Believe it or not, despite my old and rugged exterior looks that's over half of my lifetime. During this time just like most of you I've gone through many ups and downs. I've made many friends and I've lost many more friends. As we all know, no loss of a companion or loved one is ever easy to overcome and I don't think we ever truly recover from the loss entirely. We lost my Stepfather last year to cancer at the young age of 65. As difficult as it was for me to deal with the passing away of my father I could not even imagine how difficult it was for my mother. To lose someone that you wake up next to everyday for year after year and share birthdays, holidays and other significant moments with, who takes care of you when you're sick and not feeling well and who can cheer you up when you're feeling down just by their smile alone, is a loss that can never be replaced.

I myself have been to over a dozen funerals during the last ten years. Unfortunately most of the people who's funerals I've attended were much too young to die. This is the reality of life though as death does not discriminate against age sometimes. None of the friends and family that I have lost over the years will ever be forgotten. However there is one particular person who I think about every single day. One person who had more of an impact on my life then I believe he will ever know. One person who has the ability to continue to motivate me each day to push forward and become a better person even though he is no longer with us today. And this person is my best friend who was actually more like a brother to me, Ewan Mackay.