Coach Dylan & Coach Sam do a deep dive on the role of boundaries within our health and fitness journeys. They get into the research on the impact of neglecting our boundaries during the holidays, and discuss the importance of figuring out where your personal boundaries lie so you can better uphold them.  Roses & Thorns: Dylan’s love for punch buggy, disdain for change and the challenge of self-worth Sam’s big rosy-thorn reframe: life expectations, hardship, and being repeatedly “thrown from the nest” The importance of gratitude The Big Boundary Chat Holidays are a loaded gun, full of food + family Why weight gain over the holidays is so common  How dieting during this season might be more detrimental than maintaining "The Effect of the Holiday Season on Weight Gain: a Narrative Review" The impact of utilizing some measure of cognitive restraint How the role of support might be the difference between success & setback The surprising role environment plays in our behaviour: the difference between friction & ease Sometimes support is the people in your life: the importance of community & feeling understood Why navigating the holidays used to be Sam's nightmare: the family commentary surrounding body image, weight, & food choices Changing the dynamic of relationship as we experience personal change  Why those closest to us feel resistant to seeing us change The difference between personal boundaries + relational boundaries, internal boundaries + external boundaries Why setting a boundary isn't nearly as challenging as upholding the boundary The harm in commenting on someone's body or weight  Why the holidays are exceptionally hard for those suffering with disorders eating  The harm in commenting on what or how much someone's eating What to do when people can't seem to understand your lifestyle choices The necessity of being willing to disappoint others when you say no and stand up for you It's not our job to control the way people receive our boundaries  Honouring the hunger & fullness scale (the RPE of your stomach) to be more mindful + intuitive The problem with teaching children they can't leave the table until they've finished all the food on their plate Setting boundaries inside your home, in relationship with your equal partner Why Dylan's pseudonym is "The Boundary Pusher" or "The Cupboard Hunter" When it's time to take away the scale Being a product of your environment Alcohol as a personal boundary When there's room to compromise on a boundary: the difference between rigidity & flexibility  Intentionally scaling back on fitness goals during the holidays Upholding boundaries to make sure you're getting enough: it's not just about weight loss The importance of taking stock in order to set boundaries: finding out what means most to you, what your goals are, who you want to be "We don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems" - James Clear Why having boundaries can lead to less guilt & less resentment  Happy Holidays from us to you. Enjoy them, guilt free! Looking for coaching? Hit the link & apply: https://www.five-elements.ca/contactus Follow Us on Instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin @gonathanjavin

Coach Dylan & Coach Sam dive into another listener Q&A this week. Thank you to our wonderful audience for the questions! On This Episode, We Cover Roses & Thorns: - Dylan's failed attempt at maintenance & finding a reprieve in therapy - Sam's navigating the heartache of an aging family & finding joy in small moments with the fur babies The Q&A: 1. What's an exercise you used to hate, but now love & why? - the impact of movement dogma & chasing perfection - the importance of biomechanics - individuality/structural anatomy 2. What are you guys most proud of since starting your fitness journey? - learning how to delay gratification & the benefits of slow progress - self reinvention, the power of identity, finding a lifestyle you love & changing your habits - the cost of weight maintenance - the power of education & support 3. What was your career before fitness? - how working in a career Dylan didn't love propelled him to find his passion - how Sam's passion for helping people overtook her passion for interior design - finding a greater sense of purpose + fulfillment - the limitations of helping someone change 4. What is your favourite thing about one another outside of work? - why Sam loves & hates Dylan's enormous heart - the problem with having a heart as big as Dylan's - the quiet power of intuition - Sam's dark, unfiltered, dry & sarcastic sense of humour - harnessing the snarky nihilist within  5. Tips for managing binge eating - the benefit of eating on a regular schedule/circadian rhythm - why under-eating always leads to the over-eating cycle - why journalling might be a helpful strategy, especially in combination with therapy - how community & support can be one of the best tools in your toolbox - the impact of habit, routine & environment - how chronically dieting can dysregulate your hormones and lead to bingeing 6. What's the difference between the varieties of protein power? - whey protein isolate, whey protein, casein protein, plant protein - why collagen protein falls short in comparison to standardized protein powder - how collagen protein doesn't trigger muscle protein synthesis - protein powder for people with lactose intolerance - why it's worth taking the time to find a product you love Looking for coaching? Hit the link & apply: https://www.five-elements.ca/contactus Follow Us on Instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin @gonathanjavin

Coach Dylan & Coach Sam dive deep into the world of fitness and restrictive eating. They explore whether or not you can get to a placed of being fully "healed" - a question posed by their lovely friend, @helenejafine.  *WARNING* For the love of all things good and holy, please do not misconstrue this as medical advice. We are in no way shape or form experts in this field - we are merely speaking from our own perspectives. We are also *not* talking about clinically diagnosable eating disorders, and if this is a category you fall into, we highly encourage you to work with a professional (read: not a health or fitness coach - rather a therapist and/or medical practitioner) Should you be triggered by this topic, PLEASE tune out for this episode.   We covered:  1. Roses and Thorns: Sam's grief, Dylan's dissociation, navigating relationship conflict and celebrating progress. 2. Restrictive eating impacts people across a broad spectrum, and you can't tell who based off of appearance. 3. Dylan's story: the binge restrict cycle, emotionally regulating with food, patterns in behaviour & coping mechanisms 4. *Brain fart: ignore the use of the word calamity :) 5. The broadened spectrum of disordered eating being acknowledged as problematic vs. the binary boxes of clinical eating disorders 6. Sam's story: orthorexia, body dysmorphia, under-eating & over-training. 7. Acknowledging & identifying body image triggers: comments, scales, 8. Being honest with yourself: is my behaviour serving me? 9. The impact of stress: stress eating & stress restricting 10. The practice of acknowledging a thought, and not reacting to it 11. How education can help teach you the consequences of your behaviour 12. Making better promises to yourself & keeping them 13. The danger of "I'll be happy, when..." 14. The power of vulnerability, sharing & community 15. Relapses, food fear, exposure and building self-trust 16. The things you miss out on while nurturing restrictive eating habits 17. The difference in behaviour in isolation vs. in habit 18. Your mind decides, your body follows 19. THERAPY, psychology & the impact of childhood 20. Where Sam's at today: acknowledging the voice in your head as a red flag & something to pay attention to, but not to act on 21. Where Dylan's at today: compounding complex emotions into the simple box of "feeling fat" 22. From fitness experts, clients and friends: being recovered doesn't necessarily mean being healed  If you're interested in being coached by us, please head over to www.five-elements.ca  Follow us on instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching  Recommendation for disordered eating/athletes: @reneemcgregor  Post-production, music, & overall wizardry by @gonathanjavin in deep gratitude 

Coach Dylan & Coach Sam dive into a listener Q&A this week. Thank you to our wonderful audience for the questions! We Cover: 1. Tips for Beginners at Tracking Macros - why it's a helpful educational tool - the importance of pre-planning meals - why eye balling portion size can be detrimental 2. How We Met - we cannot agree on this. Good luck listening - the benefits of "right place, right time" & being an opportunist 3. Can You Live at Maintenance Calories? - why Sam thinks maintenance is "beautiful" - how the traditional of model of bulking + cutting might be more detrimental than beneficial depending on the individual - why slow progress is the best kind of progress - the research behind body recomposition - the impact of bulking + cutting on mental health/mindset 4. Signs of Overtraining - how to identify the point of diminishing returns & negative returns - the significance of RED-S & low energy availability in female and male athletes - the impact of stress accumulation  Follow Us on Instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin @gonathanjavin

In the third episode of the podcast, Coach Dylan & Coach Sam take a deep dive on the importance of goal setting.  Some of the topics we cover:  1. The vulnerability that setting goals requires 2. How aimless we can be in our process if we don't know what our goals are 3. The difference between the on / off switch vs. turning the dial up / down 4. SMART goals & why we love them 5. The difference in driving forces behind our goals 6. Micro goals vs. macro goals & the importance of chunking it down 7. The problem with using numbers as feedback of either success or failure 8. Why having competing goals never goes the way you think it will 9. How your environment can determine your success or failure + setting boundaries 10. Anti-goals: what you don't want can help you determine what you do 11. The importance of peeling back the curtain and developing self-awareness 12. The impact of societal pressure or validation on body image & self-worth 13. Self-loathing vs. self-love: how the path to achieving your goals can be a punishment 14. You're chasing a feeling, not a result 15. Why you should have goals outside of fat-loss For coaching inquiries, head over to www.five-elements.ca Follow us on Instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin @gonathanjavin

In the second episode of the podcast, Coach Dylan & Coach Sam share the top mistakes they made in their ‘fitness journeys’ that taught them valuable lessons. Mistake #1: not eating enough Mistake #2: overly focusing on the scale  Mistake #3: being a weekend warrior  Mistake #4: soft boundaries & the impact of environment on behaviour Mistake #5: not following a structured program Mistake #6: overtraining Mistake #7: getting fancy & chasing complexity  Mistake #8: not having specific goals Mistake #9: lacking & misunderstanding intensity Mistake #10: all or nothing mindset, impatience, self sabotage & f*ck it mode For coaching inquiries, head over to www.five-elements.ca Follow us on Instagram: Coach Dylan @coach_dylandacosta Coach Sam @fiveelementscoaching Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin

A little introductory conversational episode about us + what to expect from the podcast.  Topics Covered: How Dylan got into fitness How Sam got into fitness What the Five Elements are & why they're important Why discipline isn't the backbone of long-term change "You're not chasing a body, you're chasing a feeling" Why eat less + move more is over simplified advice & can be dangerous to Type A personalities What to expect: Q&A's, myth busts, interviews with other professionals & researchers, solo episodes breaking down research (Dylan) and focusing on women's health/physiology (Sam)