#WellnessWednesday: Q&A with Spencer Barlow

I'm excited to launch a new Q&A series with a variety of trainers in Hamilton and Toronto discussing different ways to approach living a healthy lifestyle.

​Here is my first Q&A with trainer Spencer Barlow:

What is your unique approach to fitness/health?

My unique approach to working out is all about the basics. Everyone should be able to move with full range of motion and eat all food from the earth. Knowing why you are doing something such as getting active or eating healthy gives you a clear understanding of the benefits and importance of this lifestyle. I use fitness as a way to maintain my mental health, not just physical. Born with ADHD I am prone to procrastination and scattered brain mentality, so knowing that dedicating 45 minutes a day to maintain a clear focus mindset allows me grow to be a stronger individual in all aspects of my life. 

Is there anything that people should know or do before they embark on their fitness journey?

Before embarking on changing your lifestyle to meet the needs of physical activity, people need to emphasize why they are doing something: there needs to be an emotional connection to feel better in their own skin. Health and fitness is all about giving back to yourself, to show love to the machine that makes you think, breathe, and move. Creating a vision board, goals board, finding an accountability partner, hiring a trainer, nutritionist to learn to eat properly, and knowing their why are great ways to start to create the ideal lifestyle they are looking for. It takes time and patience but if you look at the bigger picture such as living life for longevity than it will simply become second nature. 

How can you maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Make living a healthy lifestyle FUN, it shouldn't feel like a chore or torture. If you do not find it fun to workout in a global gym, then continue to get outside of your comfort zone. Try out a bootcamp class, yoga, personal trainer, sports teams, outside activities, trail running with friends or joining a run group. There are so many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle you just need to find the right style that fits you.