What’s the key to living a happy and healthy life? Getting to know yourself. The more you know about your body, the more joyful you’ll feel. Especially when you know exactly what you need to meet your long-term fitness and nutrition goals.
We caught up with Know Yourself Ambassador Ilan Cumberbirch, Strength and Conditioning Specialist and owner of Yard Athletics in Vancouver, BC, to ask him why he thinks knowing yourself is important when it comes to your health.
What gets you up in the morning?
The excitement, unpredictability and potential each day brings! Building a small business presents a unique array of scenarios on a daily basis. Learning to navigate those situations keeps me on my toes from the moment my alarm goes off, until I go back to bed.
I’m also extremely fortunate to work alongside an eclectic group of individuals and coaches, while simultaneously coaching members of The Yard community. The opportunity to interact with different personalities from various walks of life results in many educational, insightful and thought provoking conversations. No two days are alike!
What excited you to be a part of Cronometer’s Know Yourself campaign?
I love that Cronometer allows for the collection of tangible metrics—the numbers don’t lie. I was excited to align with a brand that makes sense for myself and Yard Athletics. Data collection is extremely useful for coaching and programming.
What would you tell your community is the greatest benefit of knowing yourself and your nutrition?
You will find it extremely challenging, arguably impossible, to outwork a poor diet. Therefore, knowing what you’re putting into your body is imperative to finding success in the weight room, in the arena or out in your respective field.
You don’t put low octane fuel in a jet engine. And knowing when you can use some more fuel, or less fuel, will lead to better energy levels and physical performance. Additionally, knowing what sort of nutrition is required to optimize your physical and mental performance is invaluable.
Do you have any health tips or tricks to share that you’ve adopted along the way?
Play the long game, nothing happens overnight. A consistent routine establishes order and habits, which results in less resistance and simpler compliance. Wake up at the same time every day, eat similar foods, move daily, exercise your mind and get to bed early. It’s a holistic approach.
Commit to one plan, and stick to it wholeheartedly. Less processed foods, more whole foods. Eat to fuel your ambitions. Don’t throw the towel in if you fall off the rails for one meal, or over the course of the weekend. In the grand scheme of things it’s just a blip on the radar.
Is there anything else that you’d like to share?
Anyone that is looking to accompany their efforts on Cronometer with a comprehensive Training Program should check out our Online Training Programs.
The Yard Athletics Online Training Series are guaranteed to torch fat, build lean muscle mass and scorch inches off your waistline in just four weeks. With over 15 different programs to choose from depending on your goals and objectives, The Yard is sure to have one to fit your needs.
Are you ready to Know Yourself like Ilan? The first step is to download the Cronometer app. It’s free to all users with an option to upgrade to Cronometer Gold, unlocking 13 personalized features like custom Diary Groups, Nutrition Reports, Nutrition Scores, Fasting Timer and more.
Upgrade to Cronometer Gold in your account settings.
