Action Potential Fitness

While this may be one of our "silliest" challenges to date, it is grounded in some "serious" behavioural science!

Did you know that 95% of what you do every day is unconscious? This includes all your automated systems like breathing and scratching your nose. But it ALSO includes your habits- the things that you do every day, mostly unconsciously.

The more you do specific things, the more they become automatic and fade into your brain's "back burner" (located in the pre-frontal cortex), the area where our unconscious or semi-conscious cognitive decisions are made. We can't change things we aren't aware of, so the first step in behaviour change is always AWARENESS: creating a bridge between the conscious and unconscious/semi-conscious mind.

We do this by actively pulling certain things off the backburner and bringing them into our conscious attention. We call this process "mindfulness," and it can apply to any area of our life.

This month's exercise is about practicing mindfulness in ways that are simple, specific, and easily achieved. We build in flexibility, adding in options (including skipping a day!) because mindfulness isn't about being forced to make a specific choice, but rather about engaging in the act of choice awareness and intentionality.

Mindfulness is contagious. The more the brain is exposed to mindfulness techniques in one area, the easier it becomes for it to engage in mindfulness techniques in other ways. So, being intentional about adding one type of activity into your day will ultimately help to make you more intentional about other types of activities, as your brain begins to draw connections and find patterns in your new behaviours.

So, despite the silliness of the challenge, it serves a very real purpose. And since our goal at APF is always to encourage you to eat MORE of the things that make you feel AWESOME, nutrient dense foods like soups, sandwiches, and salads is a pretty great place to start!

Want to play along? Let us know and we will hook you up with a PDF and challenge chat!

Alright y'all! We have an itch for trying another "micro" challenge:

Soup, Salad, Sandwich, & Sweat-ember!

We know it may sound silly, but we've heard a lot of our clients express that they want to make more intentional choices with their meals and movement. At APF, we believe that starting with small bites that are easy to chew is the best way to make change, and being playful and flexible with goals is the best way to keep them.

SO...for September, we are inviting you to join us as we aim to fill out bellies with goodness and move our bodies with joy!

But why soups, salads, and sandwiches specifically?

Well, aside from being fans of alliteration, soups, salads and sandwiches* (for the bread averse, any option here can do, including wraps, pitas, lettuce/Kale, etc.) are staples for a reason.

They are fast, easy, and are generally filled with things that help your body feel great.

They can often be made with items you already have in your house, or can be purchased readily and relatively inexpensively.

Coupled with a good sweat session, choosing to eat one of these three things a day is an excellent way to sneak some extra veggies or protein in, make sure you're getting enough calories in to fuel your day, and helps to add some much needed micronutrients into your life.

The challenge is simple:

Aim for at least one of these four things every day.

Wanna stretch it? Aim for two.

Feeling extra ambitious? Try going for 3.

Hit a home run by having all four.

Missed a day? So what. It's just a silly game anyway!

Don't like one (or two or three) of the items in the challenge? Swap them out for something you do like! It's your body, and you know best what you need to feel satisfied!

We'll post pictures in the group and share recipes, ideas, inspiration, etc. But the idea is just to be intentional about at least one meal and/or movement session a day for the month.

Easy peasy, right?
Exactly!

Let's KISS our goals, by "Keeping It Simple, Sweetheart!"

If you're in, let us know in the comments and we'll send you a tracking template!

Alright y'all! We have an itch for trying another "micro" challenge:

Soup, Salad, Sandwich, & Sweat-ember!

We know it may sound silly, but we've heard a lot of our clients express that they want to make more intentional choices with their meals and movement. At APF, we believe that starting with small bites that are easy to chew is the best way to make change, and being playful and flexible with goals is the best way to keep them.

SO...for September, we are inviting you to join us as we aim to fill out bellies with goodness and move our bodies with joy!

But why soups, salads, and sandwiches specifically?

Well, aside from being fans of alliteration, soups, salads and sandwiches* (for the bread averse, any option here can do, including wraps, pitas, lettuce/Kale, etc.) are staples for a reason.

They are fast, easy, and are generally filled with things that help your body feel great.

They can often be made with items you already have in your house, or can be purchased readily and relatively inexpensively.

Coupled with a good sweat session, choosing to eat one of these three things a day is an excellent way to sneak some extra veggies or protein in, make sure you're getting enough calories in to fuel your day, and helps to add some much needed micronutrients into your life.

The challenge is simple:

Aim for at least one of these four things every day.

Wanna stretch it? Aim for two.

Feeling extra ambitious? Try going for 3.

Hit a home round by having all four.

Missed a day? So what. It's just a silly game anyway!

Don't like one (or two or three) of the items in the challenge? Swap them out for something you do like! It's your body, and you know best what you need to feel satisfied!

We'll post pictures in the group and share recipes, ideas, inspiration, etc. But the idea is just to be intentional about at least one meal and/or movement session a day for the month.

Easy peasy, right?
Exactly!

Let's KISS our goals, by "Keeping It Simple, Sweetheart!"

If you're in, let us know in the comments and we'll send you a tracking template!

Another amazing day spent spreading and ***rJoy with our friends over at ! is such a vibrant community and it's so wonderful to be able to participate in activities geared for children and youth who are part of our rainbow! 🌈🏳️‍⚧️🥰

We would love to see some of our friends join us- in person or online- for this event!

The program starts at 3pm and Zita Dube-Lockhart teaches at 420pm.

If you want to join but are financially strapped, let us know and we will sponsor your spot!

***
Repost from IMPACT Magazine

Make an IMPACT - For JASPER, AB

On Saturday, August 24th, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM Mountain Time, we’ll be hosting a 3-Hour Fitness and Movement Impact Event, a fundraiser hosted by members of IMPACT Magazine’s Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers & Instructors. Our goal? To raise funds for the Jasper Community Team Society, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the people of Jasper who need it most.

We've secured the fantastic skills of Train with Tish; Fitness with PJ; Trauma Informed Movement with Zita Dube-Lockhart; Bring it on with Jodi Barrett KBStronger Training; and Cardio Dance and Stretch with Fyonna Vanderwerf.

Saturday's Schedule:

PJ- 3:10- 3:40 pm MT

TISH- 3:45- 4:15 pm MT

ZITA 4:20-4:50 pm MT

JODI 4:55-5:25 pm MT

FYONNA 5:30-5:55 pm MT

The road to recovery in Jasper will be long and costly—hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore what’s been lost. That’s why we’re asking you to pledge what you can. Every dollar counts, and your generosity can make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected.

Donations can be made to the GoFundMe page below, with ALL proceeds going to the Jasper Community Team Society.

GoFundMe Link

https://gofund.me/f0607ad2

ZOOM LINK

When: Aug 24, 2024 03:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdumsrjguHdPwnKJhTELewz3DuTPJE6wi

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We are excited to be heading back to Camp Dragonfly for our third year, this time leading Trauma-Informed Boxing with the tweens/teens!

Boxing is a wonderful way to work on agility, hand eye coordination, motor planning, and to make fitness fun! When working through a trauma informed lens, the aggression is downplayed, with participants meeting each other as dance-partners, moving in synchronicity, pad and glove meeting each other with equal strength- like a hive five!

When working with youth, only adults hold pads and air boxing techniques are integrated into the work, and the primary focus is on having fun, moving with intention, and actively engaging in mind-body-connection with their pad holder.

Nothing warms our hearts more than when our community members tell us that we are "so much more than a gym."

While exercise may be our primary tool, our mission- "Moving Bodies Beyond Barriers"- is about so much more than putting together programs and counting reps.

We are a resource hub where you can get meaningful answers, tangible support, and vetted referrals to safer resources to help you navigate complex questions regarding their health and wellbeing.

We are a gathering place and a community where you can foster deep connections, make friends, and feel like you belong.

We are a landing place where your physical and emotional pain will be met with empathy, sincerity, and dignity.

We are shoulders to cry on in rough times, palms outstretched to high five your happy times, and a refuge from the storm on those days where the world seems like too much to take.

We are a values-based organization where we walk our talk and are actively committed to listening, learning, and growing to better meet our commitment to equity and social justice.

We are Action Potential Fitness and, yes, we are so much more than "just a gym."

We the embodiment of a vision: Fitness for every body. Health for everyone.

APF owners and .fitnessanarchist had a wonderful afternoon of fun in the sun with some of our wonderful community leaders, volunteers and neighbors!

The annual McClung Riding Community BBQ with is one of our favourite events of the year and we are proud to be celebrating 7 years of supporting him today!

The kids were in great spirits, getting their play on and exploring all kinds of new ways to use the portable equipment stations.

We were also grateful to chat with several community members about the importance of and our work at the to create fitness opportunities for everyone and help move !

We're getting ready to our brand and take APF into a new and exciting phase of growth.

But, before we do, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who has stood by us, believed in us, supported us, laughed with us, cried with us, and seen us through the first almost 5 years of our existence.

There were many hard days, but even at our lowest, we knew that we would pull through because we were built on the soundest of foundations: love.

APF is, and has always been, a love story.

It is at the heart of everything we do:

Love for our families, friends, team members, and community.

Love for our industry and profession, and everything it is capable of becoming.

Love for the world and for the generations of the future.

Love for each other and (as we are learning more and more every day) love for our selves.

The APF story is a testament to what can happen when passionate people join forces to bring out the best in each other and build a dream together.

As we begin to conceptualize what the next five years will hold, we promise you this: no matter what changes may come, this foundation of "love" will never change. It is at the heart of who we are, and who will we always be. We will continue to lead with Iove first, and trust that Iove will always triumph.

So thank you, APF community, for loving us, and allowing us to love you in return. You are a dream come true- literally.

Toni and Zita

Exciting things are being captured here today! Stay tuned cause APF is undergoing a !

It's the best night of the year! The 6th Annual APF Pride Event has officially begun, with our official opening remarks from our celebri-friends and .irwin!

Now it's time to hoe down!

Posted • We can't wait for this event on Saturday! We will have dancing, games, crafting stations, a sensory room, and a whole lot of fun!

There are still a few spots left, so please help us spread the word about this free event.

Registration Link is in the bio!

traumainformedfitness.ca/youngandproud

We are ecstatic to introduce you to our first practicum student from the University of Alberta Kinesiology program.

Starting in September, (He/They). will be spending an entire semester in our facility taking on a variety of tasks including personal training and corrective exercise, group fitness leadership, behavioural and health coaching and changement management planning, and learning the ins and outs of studio ownership and operations.

With several years of experience in the industry already under his belt, Shawn is excited to engage with Action Potentia Fitness’ multidisciplinary, integrative approach to fitness and health, and will be taking a particularly active role in our trauma responsive programming and barrier reduction services.

To get himself orientated and on-boarded as soon as possible, Shawn has graciously volunteered to help support programs with the Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness, so you'll be sure to see him around the facility throughout the summer months as well. We know that he will be an invaluable asset to our team and we are sure to learn as much from him as he does from us!

Formal booking for Shawn, with reduced rates and sliding scale options, will begin in late August. We are so grateful that he has chosen us to help him navigate this next, transitional step in his fitness career!

Posted • Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day🪶, a day to celebrate, to recognize and to honor the many amazing achievements, the rich history and diversity of Indigenous Peoples all across Canada. From all of us here at APTN, we want to wish you a happy National Indigenous Peoples Day.

A lot of people get caught up in terminology and jargon and feel confused and overwhelmed. This micro workshop was put together to help define concepts like social constructs, s*x, gender and identity simply and explain how they all intersect with each other.

You can listen to it, read it, or both! It's not perfect, but then again neither are we! So perfect is a BIG ask 😂

If you know anyone who could use a little "101 style" primer on the concepts, please feel free to share!

The Gender Construct This "101" style primer takes the listener/viewer through the concepts of social constructs, s*x, gender, and identity to help them better understand the lan...

DiversiFIT is BACK!!! Read all about it here. Registrations are open now. Program starts July 13th!

The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness Moving Through Healing

Posted • It's BACK! And it's going to be better than ever!

Due to the incredible popularity of our two pilot programs, we are excited to announce that Fitness; Trans Formed has officially been given a permanent spot on our calendar

Here are the FAQs:

WHO: This program is open to all those who identify as Two Spirit, Transgender, Inters*x, Gender Expansive, Non Binary, or otherwise Gender Non-Conforming, and anyone who is experiencing gender curiosity or confusion. (Ages 16+)

WHAT: A weekly 90 minute fitness class and social workshop/community building led by TIGE+ fitness professionals.

WHERE: Classes are held at the studio, located at 17210 106A Avenue NW Edmonton.

WHEN: Thursdays from 7-830pm, starting on June 20th.

HOW to register: See our link in bio or visit:
traumainformedfitneas.ca/fitness-transformed

WHY: To build physical, mental, social, and community strength!

Learn more by visiting our website.
For questions or to get more information, contact:
[email protected] ATTN: Toni Harris ()

Every year, Pride offers us the opportunity to celebrate who we are and how far we have come as a 2SLGTBQIA+ community. But it is also a reminder of how many of us continue to live in oppressive and dangerous social conditions, here and all over the world, and of how we must never stop pushing for freedom, equality, and justice for the most vulnerable in our communities.

At APF, we take that mission seriously. For us, Pride is a time where we renew our commitment to promoting equity and inclusion for all. Through our social media, workshops, and events, we strive to help share knowledge, support, and hope with our Q***r peers, and promote acceptance and diversity to the greater community.

This month, we are stepping that game up significantly. Alberta's Q***r family is in crisis. Fear, hate, and misinformed propaganda campaigns abound, and our most vulnerable are under direct fire.

We invite you to follow along with us as we spend the next four weeks as we take you through a Pride-filled calendar of facts, stats, historical moments, personal stories, and hopeful wishes for the future.

We are Alberta citizens with human rights, including the right to government representation, freedom of expression, and protection from violence, oppression, and discrimination.

We will not rest until every single one of us is treated as an equal member of society.

Pride Love To All,

Toni, ,Zita, ans the APF team.

This Pride Month, like all our months, happens on treaty territory. For thousands of years, people have lived, worked, and celebrated on this land, all while taking care of the land and each other. Taking care of each other is a lesson we can learn from those who have come before us, and is certainly a lesson we can carry with us not just this weekend or this month, but all weekends, all months.

June is also National Indigenous History Month. Celebrate our Indigenous and 2spirit entertainers at the many events and showcases featuring them this weekend and every weekend.

Happy Pride, APF Community! We are proud to be a part of a wonderfully diverse community that celebrates love in all its forms. Our pride is all day, every day. It shows up in everything we do and every part of who we are and we are so happy to be able to celebrate it with you!

Event is free but donations to the Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness are greatly welcomed. Suggested donation of $20.00

Please note: Due to the nature of this event, we will be restricting it to 18+.

5pm: Pre-Event Stations and Opening Remarks with special guests!

530pm-6pm- Farmer Gay-mes
We're ain't horsin' around! Join us for some hay bailin' and farmin' carrying-on in this indoor/outdoor silly, sweaty circuit style class! (Suitable for all fitness levels and adaptable to all abilities)

615pm Cowboi Cardio
Saddle up and join the fun with Cowboi Cardio, a high-energy dance-fitness class for every body and everyone. We'll lasso up some cowboy swagger, sprinkle it with rainbow glitter, and throw ourselves a rodeo-riot- Pride style!

7pm Stretch Your Bod Like Smith Stretches the Truth:
Cool it down

730PM: We'll be wrapping up our event by inviting you to party like it's 1969 with a viewing of "Stonewall Forever," a 20-minute documentary reminding us of why Pride began and why it continues to matter.

Friends, we owe our community an apology.

We recently made a racist and culturally insensitive joke in our social media. We caused harm to our community. We apologize for our actions and recognize that in using racist and culturally insensitive language, we've failed in our commitment to promote dignity, Justice, and social belonging for all.

Impact Over Intent
Well, it was not our intention to cause harm the negative impacts of our actions should not be minimized nor should they be excused. We can no longer claim ignorance in a time where knowledge is available at our fingertips, nor can we pretend that our actions do not have far-reaching consequences and do not perpetuate and maintain structures of oppression and inequity.

Language and spiritual practices are not punch lines.

Misusing "Namaste" trivializes its profound spiritual significance erasing its cultural context and disrespecting the traditions it stems from.

Such appropriation, perpetuates, harmful stereotypes and reinforces power dynamics marginalizing the voices and experiences of those whose heritage is intertwined with the term.

An apology without action is Hollow. It is clear that we have real work to do in order to ensure that this does not happen again and we commit to taking tangible steps to better educate and remediate ourselves.

Our entire team will undergo anti-racism continuing education within the next 6 months. As a first step in this process, we are committed to taking the necessary steps to rebuild trust within our community.

Toni Harris and Zita Dube-Lockhart
Owners, Action Potential Fitness

Part 2 of our Policies and Procedures review: Invoicing and Accounting.

This means that the vast majority of our clients commit to training services for periods of one calendar month at a time and are invoiced for their services at the beginning of the month.

If you have a permanent or semi permanent training time or schedule, or are a group fitness participant you are part of this model.

Invoices are generated based on membership type:
If you were training weekly last month, we will assume you are continuing to train weekly this month.

Changes to training frequency/ schedule can be made with 30 Days Notice. Note: This is a standard across membership models.

In rare cases, we will invoice after services have been rendered. These include:

A La Carte sessions
Those with complex health needs that may have unpredictable ability to train
Retail, Custom Program Design, Forms/Letters with fees attached to them, MPS or other body treatments, and other additional services.

Paying Your Invoice:
We accept payments via E-transfer, PayPal, Cheque, Cash, or Money Order.

Credit card payments can be made through PayPal.

Any questions or concerns with invoicing, including over or under charging, should be directed to us via email at or . Please do not pay your invoice if you believe it is incorrect.

We request payment on invoices within 14 days of receipt.

After 14 days, an invoice reminder is automatically generated by our system.

Unpaid invoices that exceed 30 days may result in the suspension of services, unless alternate arrangements have been made.

Note: We are able to see when invoice has been opened to confirm receipt.

TRAINING SERVICES: We offer the following services:

Self Directed (1 Session + Home Program)
PersonalTraining (Individual, or up to 4 people)
Bi-Monthly
Once or Twice Weekly
A La Carte
Small Group Personal Training (5 or more people; this is a pre-registered program)

Group Fitness TraininG is Included with all clients holding at least a bi-monthly membership.

Continued in comments.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURE REMINDERS

PT 1- Business Admin

As we enter our annual “Form-Alities Drive,” we are reminding our community of some of our more pertinent policies and procedures.

These have not changed. While we reserve the right to waive them as needed, they are essential to our financially viable and to ensure our personal health and quality of life.

There are only two admin operating both the business & non profit and serving over 160+ community members. While we are working at expanding our admin team, at this time, Toni and Zita are single-handedly responsible for all aspects of the business, including handling all administration, marketing, & communications.

As specialists serving high needs populations, we each also carry 35+ appointments/ week, in addition to teaching multiple classes and serving the greater community as volunteers.

It's an amazing and BUSY life, and we are deeply grateful for it. But we have to work hard to protect our own work/life balance too.

ADMIN HOURS OF OPERATIONS

Our Admin hours are from 10-6pm, Monday-Saturday.

APF Admin is CLOSED on Sundays.

While trainer hours may vary, their personal time is valuable. Please contact them only between 8am-8pm, unless it is an urgent matter.

COMMUNICATIONS

We use email as our primary form of admin communication.
Texts between clients and trainers for issues specific to their sessions (ie: changing times, etc.) are at the trainer’s discretion.

Please DO NOT use APF social media to communicate with us on admin matters, or to contact Zita or Toni personally.

Non-Urgent Admin and Client related correspondences will be responded to within approx. 48 business hours of being received.

If no response has been received after 48 business hours, please reach out again as it may have gotten accidentally lost or drafted.

Note: We are human beings who will make mistakes and drop the occasional ball. Please be patient with us. We are always doing our best, but can’t always be at our best.

STAY TUNED FOR PT 2- INVOICING AND ACCOUNTING!

It's that time of year again: Form-alities season is upon us! Every June, we invite all clients to renew their paperwork and seize the opportunity to go over our policies and procedures and make any updates or changes that are being made for the new season.

We will be going over highlights on our feed all week, so keep your eyes posted for the low down!

Happy May long to everyone! Classes are cancelled on Monday. Personal training clients are training as per usual, unless you have been contacted directly by your trainer.

Y'all ready for the most colorful hoedown of the year? Are you in the mood for a little redneck-style cultural appropriation- oops, we mean "appreciation"...

Then save the date for "Pride-Berta" the 5th Annual Pridestravaganza.

This year, we'll be harvesting some laughs while reclaiming OUR right to celebrate Alberta pride, our way- like the Alberta citizens that we are.

We throwing ourselves little a little Rainbow Round Up to help make Alberta gay again! 🌈

Grab your flannel, dust off those cowboy boots, and let's "two-step" our way to equality, because nothing says 'Yeehaw!' like a little social dissent

Let's giddy up and show the world that love knows no bounds, especially when it's Alberta-bound! ."

It all goes down June 28th, starting at 530 PM! Be there be square!

Full Event Details TBA soon!

Today, on May 5th, we honor and remember the lives of the Canadian Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. On this Red Dress Day, let us stand together in solidarity, raising awareness and demanding justice for those whose voices have been silenced. May their spirits guide us as we strive for a future where every person is valued, protected, and free.

A reminder to all our clients and community members: Toni and Zita are AWAY from 10am on April 24th to 4pm on April 26th and will have limited access to emails and texts.

We WILL be back for boxing and back to normal schedule on April 27th (Saturday).

Thanks, friends!