I'm just going to come out and say it - Dieting Sucks! Most of us have followed some type of diet plan in our lifetime or at least know of a friend or family member who went on one themselves. In all of my years of working in the health and fitness industry I've never once heard someone tell me that dieting is fun. How can they? I mean for the most part you walk around all day in calorie deficit, eating bland and boring foods and spend the majority of your waking hours fighting cravings and counting down the days until the diet is over or at least until your next scheduled "cheat meal". Your energy levels are low due to a lack of calories, your not thinking as clearly due to a decrease in healthy fats, and you feel irritable and cranky due to your fluctuating insulin levels caused by a reduction in carbohydrates. You follow a set meal plan, along with controlled portion sizes and the majority of the food you consume cannot be found in restaurants or cafes so your social life begins to suffer. It's almost as if you've become a prisoner within your own body and you can't or are not allowing yourself to do anything about it.

So why do we diet then? Is it really necessary to deprive ourselves from life's little joys and suffer through weeks and months of discomfort so that we can reach a specific dress size or target weight loss goal on the scale? If you had asked me this question 5 years ago, I would have said "Yes! Suck it Up". However now that I'm a little bit older and more informed on overall health and nutrition my answer has changed. In fact it's completely different. My answer to clients now when it comes to dieting is simple - "Don't Diet."

This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete at the Vancouver Pro/Am & Expo held at the convention centre in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. This particular competition was a qualified only show which essentially means that I had to qualify at a lower level show to be able to step on stage this weekend. Now most people usually pick one or two fitness shows a year to prepare for as the diet and training necessary to display a contest shaped physique can put alot of stress and fatigue on the body. Well, I'm not like most people and therefore I opted to train for 3 bodybuilding shows all within a span of 5 weeks just because I love the torturing and suffering that comes along with the intense dieting and training that is required for contest preparation. And I can proudly say that I cracked the top 3 in each one of these shows, I even took the overalls in one of them. But this past weekend was different. At the end of the day, once the dust had settled, I found myself out of the top 5 for the very first time in my competitive career. Was I upset? Sure. Was I disappointed? Definitely. Did I think the judges were blind and each had a personal vendetta towards me? Well maybe for a few minutes after I stepped off stage yes. However even though I suffered my worst contest placing to date I truly felt as if this was actually my best showing and I don't mean conditioning or aesthetically wise. I can honestly say that this particular show taught me more about my body both internally and externally and what it could accomplish then any of my other previous shows have taught me over the years. So in hindsight, my worst show has actually become my best show. Let me explain why.

I must admit I had difficulty writing this week's blog. To be honest it wasn't because I was too busy or that I could not decide on a topic to write about but more so because of my recent lack of energy and lower then normal functioning brain power. If you follow me on social media then you may already know that I am currently training for the Vancouver Pro AM and Expo Show to be held this weekend at the Convention Centre in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Alas this being the final week of my contest prep I am feeling quite depleted, a little bit irritable and utterly mentally exhausted at the moment so my apologies if this week's blog comes off as incomprehensible or illogical.

As a personal trainer I feel that it's my duty to be completely transparent with my clients and you the reader when it comes to what I know about the health and fitness industry. I always remind people that my thoughts and opinions that I share through my blogs are just that and by no means have I ever tried to challenge or put down a style of training or diet plan designed by another fitness professional. I simply share a few facts and provide a little bit of insight as to what I myself have learned over the years working in this industry when it comes to training and nutrition. Today, I would like to share with you as to why I compete in bodybuilding and why even after all these years I continue to get up on the stage displaying my half naked physique for the general public to see and to be critiqued upon by a judging panel whom I've never met or spoke to before in my entire life. But more importantly I also want to explain to you why even though I continue to compete in this sport, as to why I believe that the majority of people should not even consider stepping on stage to be judge solely on their physical appearance. So at the risk of losing a few potential contest-prep clients, let's get started.

Do you suffer from chronic knee pain? How about tennis elbow? Do your hips hurt when you squat? How often does your lower back flair up and bother you?

If you suffer from any of the aches and pains listed above, don't worry you're not alone. Joint injuries are extremely common and unfortunately no matter how fit and healthy you might be there is no guarantee that you'll go through life injury free. There is however a way that you can increase your chances of remaining injury free and decrease your odds of developing muscular, joint and tendon issues as you become older such as osteoarthritis, tendinitis and bursitis. Best of all, it won't cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars in physiotherapy and chiropractic care. And don't worry, if you have already been diagnosed with a chronic muscular or joint condition not all hope is lost. In fact, no hope is lost at all.

Over the years I have worked with hundreds of clients. From athletes to senior citizens. I've seen multiply injuries (none of which have been caused by me!) and have helped the majority of our clients either get rid of their injuries completely or at least learn how to live with them so it does not effect their quality of life. Every client is different and therefore I must vary the way I go about working around the injury while at the same time helping my clients become more healthy and fit. So are you ready? Want to hear my big secret as to what I believe can help cure or at least manage joint and muscle pain and soreness? Here it is........Weight Lifting!!!!!!