In Episode 8 of the Life of Tania Podcast, a solo episode, I discuss the most common myths and misconceptions about fitness, lifting weights, and exercise program design. Then I reveal the secrets of CrossFit that I’ve learned in over a decade as a CrossFit coach and affiliate.  I start off this episode by defining CrossFit, and dissecting all the things that are amazing about this fitness program. Then we review some of the. most common misconceptions our new members have about what workouts should feel like, how to implement strength and endurance work into a general fitness program and how training for life requires a different mindset than training for sport.I had a ton of fun recording this episode, it was all done in one take and so if you have any questions about these topics of if you would like me to elaborate, I’m more than happy to do so. You can email me at tania@northstar.fit or comment on @life_of_tania on social.

Life of Tania

Ep. 9 Fitness Myths Debunked and CrossFit Secrets Revealed

In Episode 8 of the Life of Tania Podcast, I sit down with Biologist and Health Coach, Melissa Mushanski to discuss women's health, and how bringing awareness to our menstrual cycle can improve health and wellbeing. We discuss CrossFit, nutrition, hormones, PMS, fertility, and stress management.This episode is a treat for the ladies. We walk you through exercise, nutrition and supplementation strategies for each phase of your menstrual cycle. We talk about the best and worst times to do high intensity workouts, to try new diets, and to take up social activities. I loved recording this episode!Melissa’s journey in the world of health and fitness has evolved over 25 years from tae kwon-do to CrossFit and olympic weightlifting to hand balancing and a joy of movement.  Through all the ups and down with mental and physical blocks encountered on her fitness journey, holistic nutrition and self-awareness has become a constant source of self-healing and empowerment.  Her experiences and knowledge acquired throughout this journey have focused on the importance of body awareness, food as medicine, women’s menstrual health and everyday stress management to help others to take their health into their own hands and live their best lives.Website: http://northstar.fit/lifeoftania

Ep.8 Women's Health: Bringing awareness to your cycle for improved fitness and wellbeing

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Life of Tania podcast. This is a solo episode with Tania Tetrault Vrga, founder and CEO of North Star Fitness, Home of CrossFit Winnipeg. In this episode, I walk you through through the process of choosing a new fitness program step-by-step, and I give you an insider’s look at the fitness business.  Whether you want to make a change to your current program, lose weight, improve your health, gain confidence, boost energy, choosing a fitness program can be daunting, and you’ll need some help. When it comes choosing a gym or a personal trainer, I give you a checklist of 10 essential things you should look for and the questions to ask when you are shopping around.As an added bonus, I’ll share with you my top tips for choosing a CrossFit gym, and some of the mistakes I’ve made when trying to grow my business, and some red flags to keep en eye out for.Website: http://northstar.fit/lifeoftania

Ep. 7: Your step-by-step guide to choosing a gym and hiring a trainer

In this episode of the Life of Tania podcast, powered by North Star Fitness, I sit down with my friend DJ Guzda, personal trainer and co-owner of White Lion Athletics to discuss self-talk and motivation, how the phrase "finding your why" has been bugging DJ for the past while, and how plagiarized self-talk builds the foundation for broken dreams.We also discussed DJ's favourite stream of consciousness journaling practice, along with his recovery from brain surgery and he used it to break the complaining habit. We also talked about the client-trainer relationship and how he sees his role as a trainer. We finish off with some rapid fire questions to get to know DJ a bit more.Show Notes https://northstar.fit/2020/02/04/episode-6-self-talk-the-cure-for-complaining-and-why-your-why-is-a-lie-with-dj-guzda/Check out the North Star Fitness Home of CrossFit Winnipeg Website https://northstar.fit/Shop White Lion https://northstar.fit/white-lion-affiliate/

Ep. 6 Self-talk, the cure for complaining, and why your why is a lie with DJ Guzda

In this episode, I sit down with one of the personal trainers at North Star Fitness Micheal Arrinze. Michael brings unrivalled strength, compassion and personal experience to the fitness world. Over the past decade he has transformed his own body, going from a muscle-less 265lbs to a lean, mean weightlifting machine. Michael is an accomplished circus performer, and utilizes a diverse range of training disciplines including bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting, calisthenics, gymnastic s, Pilates, MELT, circus arts and meditative practices.Michael has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Recreation Management from the University of Manitoba. While attending university he led strength and conditioning sessions for the U of M Bisons and also trained circus performers. Michael has worked closely with an industry-renowned ACL specialist where he learned to take a methodical approach to preventing and rehabbing injuries.Mike is not only an accomplished and versatile athlete, he is a great teacher. He offers hand balancing and areal classes at North Star Fitness, along with personal training. Mike is a philosopher and a generalist at heart, and fits in perfectly at CrossFit Winnipeg. In this episode, we get to know Mike, and discuss everything from his training philosophy to hand balancing, and mobility training, body awareness, mirror neutrons, and how you can use social media to become a better athlete. Apologies for the audio, we recorded this on a busy day at the gym!https://northstar.fit/lifeoftania/

Ep. 5 Circus arts, mirror neurons, and using social media to become a better athlete with Micheal Arinze

In this episode Rebecca Boskovic of The Fittest Me interviews Tania on her podcast, Strength for Life. They discuss Tania's bipolar diagnosis, entrepreneurship, and strategies for thriving with a mood disorder.This episode is a rebroadcast of an interview I did on the Strength for Life Podcast, with my friend Rebecca Boskovic, founder of the Fittest Me. Rebecca is an entrepreneur, personal trainer, mom, and life coach. Last year she interviewed me for her podcast, Strength for Life. We discussed my business, North Star Fitness originally CrossFit Winnipeg, Inc, as well as my bipolar diagnosis and how it was the impetus for life long journey of learning about health and fitness, and how it eventually lead to the creation of CrossFit Winnipeg, now North Star Fitness. We cover mood disorders in the context of entrepreneurialism, along with lifestyle strategies for overcoming mood issues, and some of the protocols we use to break the negative feedback loop and turn your mood disorder into a superpower. 

Ep. 4: Mood Disorder or Superpower? Tania's interview with Rebecca Boskovic on the Strength for Life Podcast

In this podcast, I sit down with North Star Fitness personal Trainer and CrossFit Winnipeg Youth Coach Daniel Billinkoff. We discuss how he went from overweight dad to badass CrossFitter and awesome CrossFit Kids coach. We talk about how to find a great youth fitness program for your kids, the biggest mistakes we make as parents when we think about fitness for our kids, and the best ways to teach your kids to learn about fitness, health and nutrition. Daniel has spent the past four years focused on functional fitness training, coaching hundreds of members towards their fitness goals. He works with people of all ages and abilities, from children and teens to seniors and CrossFit athletes. Daniel is one of only a handful of CrossFit Level 2 trainers in Winnipeg. He is also proud to be a part of the first graduating class of Brand X Method Professional Youth Coaches.Daniel brings great empathy and compassion to the role of trainer. He began his own fitness journey after his mother passed away from cancer - he wanted to transform his own health for the benefit of his growing family. He went on to lose 50 pounds and go from overweight dad to badass CrossFitter.

Ep. 3: Choosing a Fitness Program for Your Kids with Daniel Billinkoff

In this episode Tania is joined by Gary McLeod, one of the coaches and trainers at North Star Fitness. We discuss best practices for sleep and how improving your sleep hygiene can only help your mood and performance in the gym, but also lose weight. We include actionable tips and strategies and we issue a 7-day challenge for our listeners. Gary has been in the Health and Wellness industry for 14 years as an Advanced Remedial Massage Therapist. Gary’s never-ending thirst for knowledge has expanded his expertise of the musculoskeletal system to include all the inputs and corresponding system considerations that have helped in his thousands of hours of clinical experience. Gary’s clinical Massage Therapy practice entails recommending lifestyle changes such as sleep hygiene, dietary considerations and prescribing exercises that get his clientele the best results possible.Early in Gary’s life he watched his parents suffer from chronic lifestyle conditions, heart disease and diabetes. This is where Gary gets his passion to help others. One of Gary’s success stories, a man who weighed in at 412 lbs and lost 212 lbs following Gary’s lifestyle recommendations and exercise prescriptions, states, “Gary saved my life, I would be dead if it wasn’t for him showing me how to live.”   Gary is quoted as saying, “I’m only a facilitator of health. My clients are the ones putting in the work. My job is to find out what gets the best results and abandon practices that do not, even if it is against the grain.” 

Ep. 2: Better Sleep for Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss with Gary McLeod

In this shorter introductory episode, Tania Tetrault Vrga, founder and CEO of North Star Fitness, Home of CrossFit Winnipeg introduces the podcast and shares the lessons she has learned about health, fitness, and life in general during her 11 years as a gym owner and coach.Website: http://northstar.fit/lifeoftania

Ep. 1: 11 Lessons Learned in 11 Years as a Fit Pro

This podcast is offers a genuine and insightful look at health, fitness and performance. Hosted by Tania Tetrault Vrga, a fitness and wellness coach, entrepreneur, mental health advocate, and the founder of North Star Fitness, Home of CrossFit Winnipeg. We share actionable strategies for better health and fitness, increased confidence and energy, and insights into physical culture and mindfulness. We share stories of life changing fitness and interview experts who are passionate abut upgrading the human experience. We want to give you the tools you need to build a resilient body, cultivate your mind, and nurture your spirit, so you can find your magic and unleash it on the world.

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Life of Tania

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