Over the past few weeks I've seen countless posts and photos through facebook, instagram and twitter of people working out, eating clean and just being fit and overall more healthy. As a fellow fitness enthusiast it makes me happy to see the majority of these posts. I especially like when people share new exercises or healthy recipes online as this can be useful information for me to share with all of our own clients.

However as usual with the good comes the bad. Many of these health & fitness posts can sometimes come off as disrespectful, hurtful and/or cruel rather then motivating and inspiring.

It's Monday!!!!!!! TGIM!!!!! Why am I so excited that it's Monday you might ask? Well today marks exactly one week since I started my "Diet". I lowered my carbohydrates slightly, I increased my cardio by a mere ten minutes each day and I gave up my weekly ice cream binges.

According to all the posts that I've seen and read on Facebook and Instagram from people who are dieting I should be suffering too right? My energy levels must be non existent, I'm expected to feel tired and perhaps a little irritable by now. And apparently "The Struggle is Real" when you are on a diet. This seems to be a common quote used by many of my fellow dieters.

Well I hate to disappoint, but I actually feel pretty good. I feel even better then I did the week prior to starting my "Diet". My strength has increased in the gym and my shorts feel a little bit more loose too. Oh and according to the scale I'm down 5lbs. I'm still waiting for that "struggle" it just hasn't arrived yet I guess.

So what's my secret?

As we approach the midway point of the summer season I've noticed a common theme start to develop across the gyms I visit throughout Vancouver's Lower Mainland - They're empty!

I spend about 75% of most of my days in gyms. Whether it be training clients, training myself or even catching up on a few emails and working on our online programs on my laptop computer, my daily life revolves around people working out and being fit. So when 75% of my day goes from being surrounded by hundreds of lifters grunting and groaning to practically dead silence at even the busiest hours of a typical gym day, I begin to notice.

It's no secret. Life is expensive. The cost of living has risen dramatically over the past few years. With inflation on the rise and the economy going through so much uncertainty how can the average person be expected to save for retirement while living a somewhat comfortable lifestyle at the same time?

Residing in Vancouver for over a decade now I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With the beach, the night life and the mountains literally all at my doorstep there is no other place I would rather be. However having all these luxuries comes at a price, and the bill is a fairly steep one. As expensive as Vancouver is, it can actually become even more costly if your a health freak or a gym junkie. Walk into any Whole Foods or Choices Grocery store and get ready to easily throw down $20.00 for a free range chicken breast and an organic sweet potato. So exactly how does a fitness fanatic working with a tight budget, survive in a big ticket city that can be extremely overpriced at times?