Congratulations Nova Challenge Finishers!
Nicole Chatten • July 4, 2021
The Nova Challenge Recap & Participant Interviews
Three months ago the Nova team and community embarked on a journey towards a healthier life, in which everyday for 90 days participants completed various activities in order to create new sustainable habits. This free program for members worked on the premise that it takes 21 days to build a habit, and 90 days for that habit to become a lifestyle. Through the use of a digital app, called Obii, participants were able to log on each day and find 1-5 new habit activities that could be completed. Each new day and week built off of the previous weeks in order to gain strides in many aspects of a healthy lifestyle.
This program not only focused on physical fitness, but also incorporated nutrition, mental health, nature, community, rest and recovery. With this wide range of possible lifestyle changes, participants were able to choose to do certain activities that met their personal goals such as mental health, rest and recovery.
The activities provided in the program all came with tips and tricks from the Nova Team, in order for participants to learn the value of each new activity. Although some activities presented in the were possibly already habits for some participants, many activities were new allowing participants to learn, grow and improve.
This program was designed for habit building and lifestyle changes. It also was a competition for some people, with each activity completed gaining the participants points. Each month there was constant movement on the leaderboard. Congratulations to the winners and all who took part in The Nova Challenge! The top three participants of The Nova Challenge were:
- Pam & Rob Smith: 8,255 pts
- Darrell Chatten: 7,830 pts
- Philippe Lafreniere: 7,695pts
- Average Points: 3,313 pts
We interviewed some of our participants and this is what they had to say about The Nova Challenge:
1) You have been very active in The Nova Challenge since we began it in April. What tips, tricks or mindset did you employ to help you remain so consistent for the last three months?
- “I personally like a challenge and the timing was perfect after a long year of Covid restrictions. I tried to read the day's challenges early so that I could plan my day to complete as many of the challenges as possible. Sometimes I knew that I would not be getting them all in, but I worked to get them done in a reasonable time frame.” - Anita Boyce
- “During the pandemic and the lockdowns, it could have been very, very easy to slip into some bad habits. The challenge reminded me that I can’t let things slide. And it was also fun to compete with other members, if it was just a little bit.” - Alan Cross
- “Tips and Tricks: Just do it, take the time, procrastination is harder than getting it done. Enjoy it!!” - Julie Sleeman
2) How do you feel The Nova Challenge has helped you during lockdown?
- “The Challenge has helped me in several ways during lockdown. This has been an isolating time for everyone and the Challenge helped me feel part of a community and given structure to my days as well as something to look forward to. As well as helping me stay active and eat healthily, several of the challenges have also helped mentally by encouraging me to set time aside to appreciate the many things I am grateful for and to stop and refocus during the day.” - Pam Smith
- “The challenge has been a great distraction from reading depressing pandemic world-wide news. The posts from everyone participating was a community to be part of and gave some insights into how others were living and coping with the pandemic. Good to see the sense of humour.” - Rob Smith
- “I looked forward to seeing what each day held - it gave me something different to do which was great for combating the mundane nature of this pandemic, especially in a stay-at-home order. I don't think I've done too many squats, push ups and planks consistently and I'm noticing increased strength in those areas! It made fitness, nutrition and wellbeing a daily habit, verses a once or twice a week event.” - Leona Olney
- “The challenge was perfect during the lockdown because it helped me get out of the house for the outdoor activities such as nature walks, cardio walks, bird watching etc. Trying new ingredients and recipes made cooking a little more interesting. I found that at the beginning of the pandemic I was calling people to see how they were doing but after a while I was only relying on text messaging. The challenge would remind me how important it is to connect with people by calling them rather than by just texting.” - Roohi Bashir
3) How has your life changed from before the challenge to after? Are there particular lifestyle habits or skills you learned from The Nova Challenge that have improved your life?
- “Since taking part in the Challenge I realize that I can quite easily be more active and almost double my daily step count! Weekly food prep has been very helpful especially when trying to fit in veg with every meal and I will continue to do this. The 7hrs sleep a night is a bit challenging for me but I will continue to try not to waste time in the evening but go to bed earlier so I can get up as soon as I feel like it in the morning.” - Pam Smith
- “I sit at my computer a lot, so this has encouraged me to take more breaks, to get outside more and to slow down. I've appreciated the overall benefit of just looking at my health and wellbeing differently - shifting away from it being a series of events (that in my head always had to be 60 minutes), to more of a daily practice. The habit building focus has created longer lasting change.” - Leona Olney
- I was surprised how I was able to keep up with the challenge during Ramadan. I would use fasting as an excuse not to exercise or go out for walks. I realized that I am able to do both on the same day in a modified form.” - Roohi Bashir
- “Change and Improvement: Good habits are hard to learn but very valuable skills. Taking the time to breathe, meditate or reflect and gifting myself that time in the day has been a skill I hope to continue. Also doing something physical every day has been of great value to my well-being.” - Julie Sleeman
4) Is there any one habit that stands out above the rest that you will keep practicing now that The Nova Challenge is over?
- “While I will try to continue the habits above, the unexpected new habit I will try to continue is taking a brief time out in the day to meditate and to focus on breathing. This does seem to have both a calming and energizing effect for me.” - Pam Smith
- “Certainly the 'no screen time during meals' stands out as one habit we will continue as a family. I am indeed grateful to the Nova team for all of the ideas and encouragement.” - Anita Boyce
- “The idea of eating until I’m only 80% full. I came from a childhood where you had to clean your plate no matter what. That’s a hard habit to break.” - Alan Cross
5) We are thrilled you were able to benefit from this and we wish that more of our members took advantage of this free program. What would you say to encourage those who did not participate to join us next time?
- “Just enjoy the challenges and have fun with it.” - Rob Smith
- “It's FREE! So why not at least try it out? But if that isn't a motivator, then I'd say it's a great way to feel a bit of camaraderie, to challenge your comfort zone (for example, doing food meditation, cooking with ingredients for recipes you've never heard of, slowing down and being more deliberate and conscious with various activities), and to have some FUN!” - Leona Olney
- “First, it’s not hard once you get in the routine of checking the app. And the goal isn’t to win. It’s to do yourself a favour.” - Alan Cross
Simply put a health coach is someone with a broad knowledge of health who takes a holistic approach and connects the dots between all the different parts of your life (fitness, nutrition, recovery, stress and mindset).
Becoming the version of yourself that's intentional about health and shows up with commitment. So that fitness, health happens consistently.
What Consistency is NOT... Most people think consistency means showing up every session feeling great, performing at their best and never missing a beat. That idea sounds reasonable.
Andrew has been training at Nova for over a decade. During that time one of his longtime coaches, Zack Fernandez encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone and take on something he had never considered before - a triathlon. That nudge changed everything. What started as a single event became a lifestyle, and Andre
Default vs Future Thinking Here is a question we should all be asking ourselves more: "What would the future version of you be doing right now?" Not the current version who is tired, busy or overwhelmed. The future you who is leaner, stronger, more energized and showing up powerful in every area of life... The version of you that has the results you want. The Future Self Thinks Differently And they got there by making different choices than the easy ones our current self so often subscribes to. Your future self doesn't cancel a workout because sleep wasn't perfect. They don't skip exercise because they are tired or because something came up at work, a last minute social invitation appeared or there's a haircut to fit in And if something does get in the way, they reschedule to earlier, later or the next day. They don't put health at the bottom of the list and wait for the schedule to calm down. Because they figured out something most people never do - things never calm down. Life doesn't get less busy. It just finds new ways to fill every gap you leave open. Your future self made a decision at some point. They started prioritizing their health the same way they prioritize family and work. Not above everything else. Right next to the things that matter most. That one decision is what separates the people who get results from the people who stay stuck in the same cycle year after year. The Two Versions of You Here is the thing most people miss. There are always two versions of you competing in the decision making process. The current default version that is tired, reactive and looking for the easy way out. And the future version that is already living the life you want and making choices that reflect that. Every single day you are casting votes for one of those two versions. Every time you show up when it is hard you are not just getting a workout in. You are becoming your future self. Every time you cancel/skip/defer you are voting to stay exactly where you are. The identity shift doesn't happen when you reach your goal. It happens in the small decisions you make when nobody is watching and things are hard. The Question That Cuts Through Every Excuse Stop asking yourself how you feel about your workout today. Start asking yourself what the person you want to become would do today. That question cuts through every excuse because the answer is always the same. - they show up. Next time you are faced with a decision that interferes with your workout, take a moment and ask yourself two things. What does my default mode want me to do? And what would my future self do? The gap between those two answers is exactly where your results live. The Shift Starts With One Decision You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need the right time or the right conditions. You just need to start making decisions that your future self would be proud of. One session at a time. One choice at a time. That is how the identity shift happens. That is how the results follow. And if you want support making that shift - a coach and a team who hold you to the standard of your future self, not your current default - is exactly what we are here to do.
Why Your Brain Talks You Out Of The Gym Every Time There are days when my energy is low. I didn’t sleep well the night before and I'm deep in work, the timeline is tight and everything is pulling at me at once. In those moments the last thing I want to do is work out. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm scattered. Not feeling it at all. And my brain does what every human brain does in that moment - it looks for the easy way out. The easy way out is always the same - skip the workout. I tell myself I'll make up for it tomorrow or next week… Or when things calm down. But tomorrow and next week are never any different. I've been training consistently for 30 years and I still feel this at least once a week and I've learned to recognize what's actually happening in that moment so that I don’t self sabotage. The Two Voices We all have these moments and when it happens there are two voices in your head. The first voice is loud, justified and incredibly convincing. It tells you that you're too tired. That you deserve a break. That you've been working so hard and one missed workout won't matter. That you'll go tomorrow for sure. This is your default voice - the one wired for the path of least resistance. It has kept humans safe and comfortable for thousands of years but it is working against you big time! The second voice is quieter. Easier to ignore. It doesn't shout. It just says - go anyway. That voice is your future self. The version of you that is leaner, stronger, more energized and more capable. And the future version of you didn't get there by listening to the loud default voice. The future self got there by learning to hear the quiet one. Here's what most people don't realize. Every time you listen to the default voice you make it louder. Every time you listen to the quiet one you make it stronger. The workout you skip today isn't just a missed session. It's a vote for the version of you that stays stuck. Your Default Operating System We all have a default mode - a way of thinking and behaving that kicks in automatically when things get hard. If your health is not where you want it to be, your default operating system is a big part of the reason. It generates a thousand reasons why not to continue when things get challenging. Too tired. Too busy. Too stressed. Not the right time. After the holidays. When things calm down. Sound familiar? The default voice doesn't just keep you from working out. It keeps you exactly where you are - year after year - wondering why nothing ever changes. Most people don't fail because they are lazy. They fail because they never trained the most important muscle they have - their mind. Thoughts create feelings. Feelings create actions. Actions create results. Change the thought and you change everything. The Agreement I Made With Myself On the days I don't want to train I make a simple agreement with myself: if I go, I am permitted to put in less effort. That's it. I tell myself it is okay to go have a crappy workout. In doing that the pressure of having to perform at my best disappears completely. So I go with zero expectation and the mindset that anything is better than nothing. And almost every single time, after the warm-up, I'm in the groove. What felt like a terrible idea 20 minutes earlier ends up being exactly what I needed. The hardest part is always putting on my shoes and walking out the door. That's it. The shoes on is the whole battle. Hilarious isn't it? Newton had a law for this. A body at rest stays at rest. The inertia that keeps you on the couch, at your desk or stuck in your head is real. But a body in motion stays in motion too. The moment you take that first step the rest takes care of itself. The Days You Want To Skip Are The Most Important Here's a reframe that changed everything for me. The days and weeks that feel the most scattered and stressful are actually the most important times to show up. Not despite the stress - because of it. Exercise is one of the most powerful stress regulators your body has access to. The workout you want to cancel the most is almost always the one you need the most. So the next time your brain starts telling you to take a session off, recognize what's happening. That's the loud voice. The default voice. The one keeping you small. Your future self is the quiet voice on the other shoulder saying go anyway. Every time you listen to that quiet voice you are casting a vote for the person you are becoming. Show up tired. Show up stressed. Show up scattered. Just show up. A bad workout is always better than no workout. Always!!! You Don't Have To Figure This Out Alone One of the biggest reasons people keep listening to the loud default voice is because there is no one holding them accountable. When the only person expecting you to show up is yourself, the loud voice almost always wins. That's not a character flaw. That's just human nature. Having a coach and a team expecting you to walk through that door changes everything. It shifts the workout from a promise you made to yourself - which is easy to break - to a commitment you made to someone else. If you're ready to stop letting the loud voice win, let's talk. Book your free consultation by clicking the button below.
Injured? Here's Why You Should Keep Training Injuries happen to all of us at some point. Maybe it happens during a workout. Maybe it's moving a heavy piece of furniture at home. Maybe it's just waking up one morning and something doesn't feel right. Whatever the cause, the moment something hurts most people do the same thing - they stop. Rest. Recover. Wait until they feel better. I understand why it feels like the safe and logical thing to do. But after 25 years of coaching I can tell you that stopping completely is almost never the right answer. The Doctor's Advice - And Why It's Incomplete When something hurts, most doctors will tell you to rest and stop working out. I get why they say it - they don't want you making things worse and they are being cautious. But here is what most doctors don't factor in: there is a difference between resting an injured area and stopping all movement entirely. Your doctor is not trained in how to work around injuries during exercise. That is a completely different skill set - one that coaches who have studied kinesiology, anatomy and biomechanics spend years developing. Knowing how the body responds to training under stress or injury is exactly what we do. And the answer is almost never to stop moving completely. The Choice Most People Don't Realize They're Making When you get injured you actually have two options. Most people only see one. Option A is to protect the injured area and keep the rest of your body strong. Option B is to protect the injured area and let the rest of your body get weaker at the same time. When you look at it that way the answer is obvious. And yet most people still choose Option B without even realizing it. I learned this firsthand years ago when I dislocated my shoulder. For about six months I couldn't do any serious upper body training at all. So I kept showing up with the exact same consistency and focused entirely on legs. My legs became super strong during that period. Meanwhile someone who stops going completely doesn't just lose upper body strength - they lose strength everywhere. The injury heals either way. But only one person comes back stronger. Be Solution Oriented - Not Problem Oriented Two people with the exact same injury can have two completely different outcomes based on mindset alone. The solution oriented person works around the injury and keeps moving in a modified way. The person with a limiting mindset stops everything, fixates on the problem and waits. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen. That is not just a motivational line - it is the difference between people who get results and people who don't. Think Like an Athlete Have you ever heard of a professional athlete cancelling all of their training because of an injury? Never. When a professional athlete gets injured their training becomes modified - not cancelled. They focus on three things: rest, rehabilitation and maintenance. By continuing to train the right way they recover faster and come back stronger. You don't have to be a professional athlete to think this way. This is just how the body works - for everyone. 3 Parts to Fixing Injuries 1) Rest Strategic rest - not complete rest. Avoid the activities that aggravate the injury but keep everything else moving. If you tore a hamstring from sprinting, stop sprinting - but don't stop training entirely. 2) Rehabilitation Specific exercises that promote blood flow and healing to the injured area. A torn hamstring still needs gentle activation to heal faster - not complete shutdown. This is where having a qualified coach makes all the difference. 3) Maintenance While the injured area is healing, the rest of your body still needs attention. There is no reason to lose the strength and fitness you have worked hard to build just because one area is compromised. Common Injuries and What You Can Still Do Shoulder or arm injury? Focus on legs, core and rehabilitation work for the injured area. Back injury? Deep core work, supported upper body exercises and mobility - there is more available than most people think. Knee or leg injury? Upper body work, hip hinging movements and rehabilitation exercises that don't load the joint directly. Twisted ankle? Upper body, core and stretching. More options than you'd expect. The only time to completely stop training is if you are fully incapacitated. For almost every other injury there is a path forward. You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone Knowing how to modify training around an injury takes experience and knowledge. If you are injured right now and not sure what you can or can't do - that is exactly the kind of problem we solve every day. You don't have to wait until you feel 100% to reach out. In fact the sooner you do the better your outcome will be.
Since joining Nova, Nicole has put in real effort and brought a lot of positive energy to our community. At 55, stepping into weightlifting to keep up with her kids was a brand-new challenge, and she’s tackled it head-on.
Tanya’s journey is a wonderful reminder that fitness isn’t about chasing quick results, it's about building a life you genuinely enjoy.
