The Secret

It’s a new decade, and you’ve made some resolutions to get 2020 started right. Exercise more. Get yourself back into shape “like you were in your 20’s”. And to kickstart your renewed commitment to a healthy lifestyle you’ve picked yourself up a new Bowflex treadmill from Flaman Fitness. Making time for exercise is easier said than done but you’ve already taken a Neil Armstrong-like giant leap toward your fitness goals by picking up said treadmill. You’re now set up for success for years to come.

This is going to be great!

Wait a minute

There’s a nefarious force lurking in your home. Something you’re probably totally unaware of but make no mistake, it’s trying to hinder your productivity. It shows itself when you drag your feet across the carpet and then try to flip a light switch or touch your child’s hand – ZAP! -- suddenly you notice it (and you feel it, too). That’s right, we’re talking about static electricity. And it can wreak havoc on your treadmill’s electronics. Houston, we have a problem!

So, what can be done about it?

Glad you asked. There’s a simple solution to this evil static. It’s not a silver bullet or a sword forged from the gods. No, it’s a much easier, far less expensive solution: a rubber equipment mat. Yep, it’s that easy. Mats ground your treadmill (or elliptical or stationary bike) and protect it against static build up. Other benefits include:

• protecting your floor
• reducing noise
• providing slip resistance
• protecting against dust and carpet fibre build up (which can get into small mechanical parts)
• vastly extending the life of your cardio equipment

Alright, so you’ve made the wise (and correct) decision to pick up an equipment mat to complement your beautiful new treadmill. Let’s talk options. The sleek Flaman Fitness treadmill mat is a great starting point, while the Bowflex Equipment Mat would look great paired with your Bowflex treadmill. For more comprehensive flooring options, we also have rubber interlocking mats, commercial grade rolled flooring and Sportfloor Speckled Rubber Mats. We have a mat for every style and budget.

Best of luck on your fitness journey. We know you can do it. And we’re here to assist you along the way should you need it. Our team at your local Flaman Fitness store would be happy to help you find the perfect mat for your needs. We want you to get the exercise, not the static.

When the mercury drops like it has in Edmonton and across the prairies, it’s a nuisance for most people. Maybe your car won’t start, or you have to turn the thermostat up a little to offset the cold. But for some members of our community, the cold presents a serious, potentially life-threatening challenge just to stay warm. And they urgently need our help.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Stingray Radio & Rayacom to collect warm clothing for those who need it. We’re packing Flaman trailers full of clothing! People can donate any new or lightly used blankets, winter coats, gloves, scarves, toques, thermal underwear, long sleeve shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, sweatshirts and footwear at the following locations:

Flaman Nisku
today thru Saturday 8 am to 6 pm
2310 Sparrow Dr. in Nisku, AB (just off the QE2)
Get Directions

Flaman Yellowhead
today thru Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm
8910 Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton
Get Directions

Flaman Fitness West Edmonton Mall
today thru Saturday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Suite 1928, 8882 170 St
Get Directions

Stingray Radio CFCW, K-97 & 96.3 The Breeze Studios
today thru Saturday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Phase 4 Upper Level, West Edmonton Mall
Get Directions

Please donate and spread the word! Together we can make a difference in our community. And a huge thank you to Stingray Radio and Rayacom for their support of this initiative.

Our digital marketer, Paul Boechler, sat down for an interview with Flaman’s Executive Vice President, Steve Whittington, who is an accomplished mountaineer and avid outdoorsmen. They chatted about goal setting, taking steps to achieve them and what it means to finally accomplish them. This is something Steve knows a lot about and came to the forefront when he achieved a lifelong goal by summitting Mount Everest in 2013.

Paul Boechler: First and foremost, what was it like to climb Mount Everest?

Steve Whittington: Mount Everest is, as a climb, almost more of a symbol. Everybody will talk about, “what’s your Everest?” but actually climbing Mount Everest, not as a client climber, but as the lead climber of a group, it was the most mentally and physically grueling thing I have ever done in my life. I have climbed a lot of mountains and been in very, very remote areas of the world. Everest is in a class by itself because of its height and what you have to do to climb that mountain.

o, the climb itself was an experience, that for the sake of this interview, we don’t have enough time to deep dive into.More-so the question would be, “How did climbing Mount Everest transform you?” and the answer I have to that is: it opened my mind to what’s possible.

(To read about Steve’s experience climbing Mt Everest, please visit his personal blog http://www.thequestforeverest.com/)

PB: And how do you apply that to everyday life?

SW: Well, one of my personal values is: “Reach higher, make big moves” and I can remind myself that I was able to do certain things when I climbed Mount Everest that I didn’t think was possible before. So I can reflect on that and say “If I can accomplish that, then I can certainly do this” and that can be applied in a business sense, in one’s personal life, when you’re doing a half marathon… whatever it may be, you can dig in and get it accomplished.You can apply that to your everyday life, understanding more fully what you’re capable of.

PB: What did it take from a training perspective to prepare for Everest?

SW: Everest wasn’t just a six-month or a year program for me.Everest was a 10-year project for me. I wanted to climb it somewhat independently, so I prepared for that.We had a great team and some porter support and my friend and mentor, Wally Berg, was the leader of the expedition.He is an amazing man who was able to support me throughout the entire process being at base camp.There was a combination of meeting the right people, building the right ream and being physically ready for it.I trained for the better part of a decade by climbing mountains in preparation.Specifically, in the year leading up to the expedition, I put on more muscle mass to anticipate the weight loss.My workout regimen included a lot of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and a lot of strength training to manage the heavy load that I’d be carrying up the mountain.I regularly went out to the mountains in Alberta, doing a lot of long, hard, cold climbs to get myself mentally and physically prepared.

(You can ready about Steve’s training journey in his Quest For Everest series here https://www.flamanfitness.com/blog/category/author-steve-whittington )

PB: How did you get back into a routine in the aftermath of your Everest climb?

SW: I had a really, really hard summit day.It was 16 hours up high in the Death Zone (above 8,000m in elevation).Prior to that, my body wasn’t able to process any food except for liquids.In total, I was in the Death Zone for 72+ hours and my oxygen mask had frozen solid so I had no oxygen coming down. I was quite weakened by that experience.I had lost in excess of 45 pounds in 71 days while away from Canada.So I came back quite weakened mentally and physically, so afterwards my focus was on rehabilitation.It was as basic as going on short hikes and light weights and light aerobic activity.I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to rock climb anymore.It was rehabilitation of the mind and body for about 6 months but really it took me 3 years to normalize completely.Now I’m training as hard as I ever did and I’m back at it. I’ve climbed many mountains since Everest and I look forward to the next climb.

PB: Do you have any ambition to take on a climb as difficult as Everest again?

SW: I don’t have any ambition to climb Mount Everest again. I was offered a spot on a team and I turned it down.Part of that would be I wouldn’t have a wife if I did *laughs* but I just don’t want to.I might do another 8,000m peak but I haven’t 100% decided.There are a lot of other, more technical alpine faces that are lower altitudes but more technical and have different challenges to them. And I will finish the Seven Summits (Everest in Nepal, Aconcagua in Argentina, Denali in Alaska, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Mt. Vinson in Antarctica and Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia).I’ve climbed 5, I have 2 left and that is on my radar in the next 3 years.

PB: What does your fitness routine look like now, in a more domestic life?

SW: Every exercise that I do serves a purpose and helps me prepare for whatever the next climb may be. And right now, I’m getting more interested in technical alpine faces so I’m increasing my technical climbing ability with a lot of yoga for healing and flexibility, and there are specific climbing workouts that I do twice a week. They’re very focused on increasing various technical skills.So, for the last 6 weeks for instance, I was doing what’s called “dry-tooling” in gyms, which helps to prepare me for ice climbing, and I’ll switch now to technical rock climbing.The climbing workouts are in excess of 2 hours, closer to 3 hours, and I supplement that with yoga and HIIT workouts.So that’s minimum 20 workout sessions a month, upwards of 30.

PB: Do you have any tips or advice for the average person on how to find a routine?

SW: The fitness industry is obsessed with image rather than health and function, so it shouldn’t be about wanting to look a certain way, it should be about focussing on your health and functional abilities.If you want to be healthier, it’s always more motivating when you have a goal and a reward in mind.I lose my way when it comes to training when I don’t have the next mountain figured out.I don’t have that next objective in mind and I don’t know what I’m training for. So now I always do have the next mountain in mind, that next objective to keep me focused.It may be that you want to run a half marathon in a certain time or a hike that you want to accomplish.Tie your exercise routine to a goal and you’ll be far more motivated and you’ll have a lot more success.

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To read more about Steve and his adventures, visit: www.stevewhittington.com

I wasn’t happy with myself and I vowed to make some serious changes, which included eating better and being more active. In early 2018 my brother and I trained for a half marathon, and besides getting down to 177 lbs, we both crossed the finish line with a time of 2:08, running the whole way without any walking breaks.

Not long after, my son was born. To be honest, I didn’t think it would affect my life much; hoooo boy I was wrong. Everything changes. Goodbye after-work downtime. Goodbye free time in general. Goodbye sleep.Oh man… I loved sleep.

The point I’m trying to get across is that I no longer have a ton of time to dedicate to working out. That’s why when I stepped on the scale at the end of December and it read 187 lbs, I decided to get back into shape.It had a little to do with the excessive treats and adult beverages over the holidays and a lot to do with getting complacent again.

So, I devised a doable plan. It started with getting up a little earlier every weekday to exercise before work, instead of trying to squeeze a workout in after the kids went to bed, which I had attempted in the past and failed at.Since driving to a gym in the morning was also out of the question, I decided to start at home by doing a 15-minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) kettlebell workout or a 25-minute yoga YouTube video.

One of the best parts of working out at home is that my home gym is about as simple and cost effective as it could be, consisting of 2 kettlebells (6 kg and 8 kg), a yoga mat, yoga block and a strap.If I had more space to work with, I’d have liked to have a few more pieces to my home gym like a weight bench, adjustable dumbbells, inversion table and a Max Trainer but for now I’m keeping it simple. Total cost was less than $100 and it provides all the sweat-inducing punishment I can handle before my day even really begins.

When my alarm goes off at 5:45 AM, I’m not exactly inclined to stroll out of my cozy bed. But when I think of my 15-25 minute time commitment, one simple two-word phrase has become my mantra: NO EXCUSES. It’s a simple little change I made in my life and it’s yielded big-time results so far.I’ve successfully exercised for at least 15 minutes a day every single day in 2019. I’ve also lost 7 lbs so far and I have so much more energy than I used to. It’s a huge turnaround from my lethargic existence to cap off 2018.

Here's the thing, though: it’s a long-lived joke that gyms get packed on January 1 and are ghost towns by the time the calendar changes over to February.That’s because people set unrealistic goals (or don’t set any at all) and aren’t willing to make small changes that result in slow, incremental benefits.Rather than deciding to go from 0 workouts in a week to working out 5 days a week for an hour like most people are inclined to do, start at 2 days a week and 20-minute workouts and grow from there.I am confident that I can keep this going because I’ve found a routine that works for me.

I can say from experience that the first few days were a grind, but a sadistic feeling has slowly started to creep in: I actually look forward to my alarm going off because it’s another opportunity to be better than I was the day before.It’s a mentality that has required a little bit of will and some hard work. It sounds so cliché but really and truly, if I can do it anyone can.So, what’s your excuse?

1. RESISTANCE BANDS:

We have the ultimate stocking stuffer for that person in your life who is tight on space – like a college dorm or tiny apartment -- but is health conscious and wants a sweat-inducing workout. Look no further than resistance bands. They’re a practical gift this year because they deliver a tough workout, they’re easily portable and they take up almost no space. Plus, they come in tons of awesome colours. Oh… and the best part? They start at $4.99! For even more workout potential, pair the bands with a mounted chin up bar.

Do yourself a favour and give your friends and family the gift of resistance training this Christmas.

Check out our blog to read more on how to properly use resistance bands.

2. YOGA:

If you’ve ever tried yoga, you’ll know why it has exploded in popularity over the past decade. It’s physically demanding to the point that you’re exhausted by the end of the practice but it’s also relaxing and mind-clearing.

So, for that “what do I get?” person you’re shopping for this holiday season (who maybe needs to relax a little), build them a yoga starter kit for under $60 with a mat, a block and a strap. Add in the Great Yoga Handbook and they’ll be hooked!

For the more advanced yogi in your life, the yoga wheel is great for helping with complex poses like chakrasana (wheel pose).For the outdoor yogi, the Aqua Marina yoga paddleboard will take their practice aquatic!

3. HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING:

A recent fitness trend has been a shift away from long, muscle-isolating workouts and towards High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT alternates between short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with short recovery periods.

The kettlebell is an ol’ timey piece of equipment that has experienced a renaissance thanks to the HIIT trend.They are versatile, inexpensive and don’t take up much space, making them an awesome fit for a home gym.They are also the perfect gift for anyone who wants to achieve quick results with short workouts.

Create a top-notch starter home gym this holiday season with a kettlebell, exercise mat and foam roller for under $60.For the more advanced fitness enthusiast, pick up a slick weighted vest and ultra-durable slam ball to take their HIIT workout to the next level!


Want to learn more about kettlebells? We have a blog for that.

4. BOXING:

Speaking of old school workouts that pack a punch, boxing has had a resurgence in popularity over the past couple years.Getting in a good boxing workout isn’t limited to a Rocky montage anymore though.No need to hit frozen cows or spar with Apollo Creed to get in a good workout.

Get your loved one the gift of boxing this Christmas for under $150 with a heavy bag, hand wraps and training gloves from Flaman Fitness. Add in a speed rope for cross training then strap on the padded target gloves to help ‘em out and they’ll be fit in no time!

5. BALANCE:

Let’s get back to the basics.Challenge your fitness focused family or friends this Christmas by giving the gift of a bosu ball. Part exercise ball, part balance board, bosu balls make dumbbell and kettlebell workouts more challenging by adding in a balance component, which helps build core strength and lean muscle in the process.

If you’re curious about how to shed some pounds and have some fun doing it, get motivated with our bosu ball blog here.

For more gift ideas, check out our stocking stuffer ideas for under $25!