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I have some good friends doing a crazy fundraiser called “embrace the suck” where they are challenging their mental and physical toughness every day in February. 5-mile run, 100 deadlifts, 100 push-ups. Now that sucks!

It has been said many times and I am a believer ; growth, success and fulfillment come on the other side of fear, pain and being uncomfortable. Like Navy Seal and Author David Goggins says; callous your mind by doing something daily that gets you out of your comfort zone. Stress test yourself so you are ready for any challenge that life throws at you, mental or physical.

I decided to stop drinking coffee and alcohol for the whole month of February plus doing ice cold showers to start the day. This wasn’t because I had a beverage addiction problem (some close to me may disagree … haha) but I wanted to see if I had the resilience and mental toughness to do it. And it sucks as well by the way so far.

Now my version of embracing the suck is way less than the boys crushing deadlifts but none the less it is testing my ability to manage my mind and challenge my comfort zone.

What sucks that you can do every day to test yourself? Give up a bad habit? Do burpees or push-ups? Go for a run? Make cold calls for your business or do cold showers … what scares you a bit that you don’t want to do? Then go do it anyway!

Do something that sucks every day for the rest of February! It will change make you mentally tougher and change your personal and professional trajectory.

Embrace the suck!
Jason Zaran

Fit Kitchen Owner/Founder

As a Calgarian, Alberta and Canadian, President Bidens recent action to cancel Keystone XL is more than disappointing and yes it hurts. This province has been treated unfairly for years and it makes me angry. It also got me thinking about my recent posts focused on business pivoting, mindset and looking forward not on the past or obstacles. So after much thought my message today is that despite everything, I remain optimistic about Calgary.

Calgary is clearly not the same city I started my business in 2006. We have lost much of that swagger and can-do attitude that made this place magic. Our economy is certainly not the rocket ship it once was, and we have one third of our downtown office space sitting empty. I have had to close businesses and teetered on the edge of losing it all, but I still believe in this city. Despite the adversity we remain, in my opinion, the best city to live in and start a business. We enjoy a high standard of living compared to other large Canadian cities and enjoy lifestyle amenities on our doorstep that others can only envy. We have an amazing well educated young population that are willing to take risks and chase opportunities and a dynamic, collaborative business community that is passionate about our community. Our worst of times would be other cities best of times. Calgary is just a very cool place to be.

Our leaders should take a lesson from the mindset small businesses have incorporated to reimagine the future of their businesses in order to survive this pandemic! I am tired of hearing leaders complain while traditional and social media streams amplify doom and gloom about why we are where we are economically and rant about who is to blame and how we need help. How many hits to the oil and gas business do we have to lament and fret about? Our leaders have had the better part of a decade to see this time coming and we are still hanging onto history to define our success. Newsflash – it is not getting any better and we have little control over it.

Business leaders and entrepreneurs believe in our future and want to play a role shaping it however we need our leaders to lead. It is time to move on because Calgarians are waiting, and they will not wait forever! What is the compelling future of Calgary that we can all be energized to be part of? We need to start living our future selves and be absolutely ALL IN driving forward this new vision, then taking action on the new brand for this city. Leadership from the front is critical so our cities future tactical and strategic decisions are congruent with the new vision.

City leaders it is time to step up to the plate, move us forward and start controlling our own civic destiny. Let’s stop getting pummeled by the waves and start riding them!

Jason Zaran

Fit Kitchen Owner/Founder

Our team at Fit Kitchen have been leading Calgary’s healthy, convenient movement for 14 years, and we are more passionate than ever. Over that time, we have worked hard, innovated, improved our craft, and ultimately helped to pave the way for growth in Calgary’s health and wellness business community.
We realize that this past 3 months of staying at home has shaken up many of our lives, along with the routines that we may have relied on daily. This has, in turn, emphasized the importance of proactively taking care of ourselves mentally and physically as they are so intertwined anyway.

If you haven’t done so already, we think it’s the perfect time to reset your health and wellness goals to get yourself fitter and stronger than ever!  Whatever your circumstances, Fit Kitchen is here to support you on your journey.

1. SET GOALS WITH A DEADLINE – tell people your goals and/or sign up for something!
2. GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT – practice a gratitude and intention ritual along with journaling and meditation
3. BLOW UP BAD ROUTINES TO ESTABLISH NEW EMPOWERING ONES – Get up a bit earlier than you normally would, start your day with some light activity such as cardio, stretching or body weight movements!
4. CRUSH YOUR DAILY ACTIVITY – getting after it even when you are struggling builds that mental toughness
5. MAKE IT EASY TO EAT WELL – Fit Kitchen offers convenient meal plans to help you reach your goals; lean plans for weight-loss, performance plans for active lifestyles, and everyday plans for general wellness