We’re talking a lot about habits at On – what are a few of your good habits that got you to this point in your fitness?
One of my greatest strengths has been my ability to weather a storm, even when I felt like I couldn’t. One of best habits I have is that I persevere through the tough times - I really believe it’s one of the keys to my success in life as well as in athletics. I always opt for a healthy lifestyle and almost always live within the best and healthiest options I have available to me. For example, I love to eat well, so I always keep a well-stocked fridge filled with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to make different foods every day (a routine habit of mine). I love cooking, it brings me joy and I cook almost everything I eat. Another thing that brings me great joy and satisfaction is training, so no matter what, I always find a way to train at least 4-6 times a week.
What have you had to give up to make your habits happen?
I like to think I am well-disciplined, so have never had to make great sacrifices to get to where I am today. This has always been my lifestyle, train, work, and eat. The biggest changes I’ve made have been switching from being an omnivore to a vegetarian and balancing out my workout and work schedules. Being competitive, it was hard at first to sacrifice those extra hours I would put into my training, and channelling them into the long-term benefit of my company.
I used to train 15-20 hours a week in my competitive days and now I usually find time for 5-8 hours, which is one “sacrifice” in a way, yet an opportunity (for my business) in another.
How do you achieve so much with only 24 hours in a day?
I start with getting 8-10 hours of sleep per night - if I don’t, I feel irritable and inefficient. I determine what my greatest priorities are and execute my tasks in order of importance. It does happen from time to time that I don’t manage to get things done in one day and I need to finish some tasks the day after. I try to look at every situation in a positive way and keep a good mindset because stress is horrible for our health and has many unwanted side-effects that I do my best to avoid.
The other aspect is habits, like these I do day to day:
1. I always make sure to add chia seeds to my breakfast and my smoothies to ensure that I get some Omegas in my diet and they also provide a little dose of protein as well.
2. Multiple times a week I juice the following fruits & vegetables to make sure I ingest a fair potion of vegetables and vitamins: Carrots, celery, beets, kale and apples. Usually do this on the days that I find a little less time to cook and I know that my meals don’t contain enough vegetables.
3. I drink a glass of water with a table spoon of powder chlorella or spirulina in it every day. Personally I much prefer chlorella the taste is not as strong as spirulina, it’s a fair bit more tolerable to drink. Each table spoon provides 6-8g of plant based protein and provides me with anti-oxidants. Also very good for recuperation after workouts.
4. Like many people, I make myself a smoothie between meals. My smoothies are a blend of a glass of coconut milk, hemp protein, fruits and chia seeds. This allows for quick and easily digestible proteins.
What was the moment you knew your habits had paid off? Tell us about it.
I have to admit that is difficult more often than not for me to appreciate my own accomplishments. Until my business reaches the level I want it to get to, I have a hard time feeling satisfied. Reminds me of my athletic career, never satisfied because as good as you get, you always want to aim higher. In May of 2016 I was selected to present my company on the television show “Dans L’Oeil du Dragon” (Quebec’s version of “Dragon’s Den”) and it was during my presentation that I had practiced many times before that I really felt proud of myself. It was a really stressful moment to talk on camera in front of the investors but it was magical because I felt 100% in control. I nailed it and knew that my years of hard work and everything I had accomplished paid off. I was made offers by 3 of the 5 dragons and, after some negotiation, we came to an agreement and I accepted one.
Would you say fitness goals for you are better achieved solo or as part of a team?
Ever since I started participating in sports, I found that I always had a preference for individual sports as opposed to team sports. For example, running, I only have myself to rely on. I prefer not having to count on others to perform well. I also prefer having no one to blame but myself for bad performances as well I prefer my good performances to be personal feats. However, I must admit that even if you are practicing an individual sport, it’s much more motivating having training partners to practice with.
My business has been somewhat of an individual sport to me as well, I have long had to do most things on my own and the few business partners I’ve had ended up not being the right fit for my enterprise. So as of yet, I still have no real business partner. Its fine though, I get well on my own but I prefer to be honest with myself and I know that if I had the right business partners, I am certain that my business would expand quickly. I am currently working to try to find the right people that I could work full-time with and take Kronobar to the next level.
In business, it’s more important to be surrounded by people to work with, help and motivate me than it is in sports.
