Ottawa Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach

“I began working with Alana and we began the process of reverse-dieting.  It is relatively self-explanatory, progressively eating more calories to rebuild your metabolism and support muscle gain.  Based on my height, weight, age, etc. Alana assigned me macros that we would use as a baseline to build off-of. Each week I would weigh-in and record my weight; if I gained weight, we would keep my macros as-is, if I lost weight, or stayed the same, Alana would slightly increase my macros. The beauty of reverse-dieting lies in its flexibility.  Macros are set in a way that allow you the flexibility to eat anything you want, as long as it fits your macros. It’s not an excuse to go out everyday and eat a pizza, a tub of ice cream and whatever else, however, if you are craving a burger and fries one day – you can have it! I’ll admit, having been so regimented about counting calories, I was initially anxious about eating 2,000+ calories a day but I can honestly say that my body adjusted relatively quickly and I have not gained much weight since tracking my macros (despite increasing my calories by 1,000-1,400 a day).

Reverse-dieting has also been great for my general mood and state of mind.  I used to be so anxious and stressed out about counting calories, and now I find myself more at ease counting macros (as it is simpler and more enjoyable – cause more food!). As a quick side note, in addition to her fitness expertise, Alana is educated and trained in counselling. I tell you this because I find it makes her more understanding and easier to work with. From the beginning of our training Alana has been my rock (with regards to food and exercise). She is always encouraging me to push harder (albeit, safely) and is sympathetic to me when I need a break or am feeling worn down. She is also great to talk to when I’ve had a bad day or am feeling upset about a weigh-in, my latest measurements or progress pictures. She does not judge people, is very open-minded and is always ready to help clients out however/whenever she can. I have seen great results with her so far and am training harder than ever before!”

— Mario

“Alana, Your education, knowledge, excellent teaching skills and fun personality has helped me tremendously through my journey at meeting my personal fitness goals. Without your feedback and input, making a lifestyle change would have been more challenging. I appreciate you being stern and letting me know what I am doing wrong along with giving me options to correct my mistakes. It is comforting to know that whenever I have a question you answer right away, which you know is all the time. I love that you refer to your personal work-related situations as examples when explaining time management for fitting in working out and cardio sessions.I have learned so much from you and I look forward to learning more. Thank you for being a remarkable teacher and I am very grateful to have you as a coach. “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”-William A. Ward. You inspire me to be a better me in every way. Sincerely”

— Laura

“I started a program with Alana in January and I’ve come a long way with what I have accomplished. She talked me through what meal plan was good for me based on my lifestyle and boom!! l was on fire. l started losing weight like never before and gained so much confidence. So many of my friends and family couldn’t believe it! I am so proud of myself and big thank you goes to Alana always believing in me and never giving up and even if l slipped up. She always talked me through getting back on track and helped me incorporate my Sunday “lunch” with my family. I still enjoy my pasta and treats once and a while, I’ve learnt balance with her!”

— Toni

“Alana I want to thank you for getting me through a very rough time in my life. The stress in my life had added a lot weight and my health and eating habits were terrible. I appreciated your slow and easy steps to get me started. You kept me grounded with your kind words of encouragement. You taught me to eat properly and the exercises you provided made it easy to do at home on my time. I’m happily down 45 lbs since last year when I started with you and all because I stayed with your program. Thank you from the bottom my heart for helping me. It seems like I’ve been dieting my whole life and getting nowhere. Now I don’t diet I just eat properly. Xoxo”

— Louise

“So we’re going on week 6 of our 10 week transformation challenge! So far I’m loving it. I love the package that you get at the beginning as it provides a lot of resources on what are considered “carbs” “proteins” and “fats” (I thought I was pretty good before at guessing but this helped sooo much and made me realize that I was making a lot of mistakes!) The Facebook Group is awesome as well – I find it so helpful when people post and I get excited when I get notifications from the group. Alana keeps me motivated and on point. She’s taught me that is okay to fall behind, but to just make sure to take it one day at a time and make slight improvements as each day passes. She’s taught me its ok to miss a day at the gym, and it’s ok to eat white potatoes. If you’re thinking of doing one of her challenges, I definitely recommend it!”

— Kristina

“My journey with my body has been a long and unpredictable one with highs and incredibly painful lows. It took some time, but thankfully I was able to see the connection between the mind and body and how much of a mental process my body and fitness journey was.  Thankfully, Alana was the perfect person to have in my corner when I was ready to start this journey. I feel supported with not only nutritional and fitness programs, but my mental state as well. She is there whenever I need her, always helps put things in perspective, and refocuses me on what’s important- my relationship with my body and my health. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and I know Alana is in it for the long haul with me. I can’t wait to see how far we can go! Thank you Alana!”

— Terra