Rochelle Hanson

By Rochelle Hanson

About to go grocery shopping? Wait. Before you leave the house, write a list.

“Oh, I don’t need a list, I know exactly what I need.”

Every time I say that to myself I most definitely regret it. Below you will find the top three reasons why you should take the time to write a list.

Save money. You enter the grocery store with it’s beautiful colours and enticing displays. Everything looks yummy. You’re tempted to buy more than you actually need. Thankfully you read this column, and you remembered to write a list. You’re a planner. You know exactly what you need for the next few meals, and you stick to buying those particular ingredients. You even took the extra step to write down the approximate costs of the items and a basic budget. You get to the checkout and there are no surprises. The impulse chocolate strategically calls out your name. You are stronger. You look away. Bravo, my fellow list writer. You just saved yourself some money. Pat yourself on the back and smile.

Save time. Lemons. Kale. Celery. Apples. You’re in. You’re out. Let’s go! That’s what it looks like when you write a list. You’re focused. It’s like having tunnel vision. There’s no song and dance at the cookie aisle. You don’t even see the cookie aisle. Taking five minutes to plan ahead can save you 30min in the store. You can use that extra time to do something fun or relaxing, like catching up on the latest blog at Simply Natural Ideas. I’m smiling as I write this. Let’s move on.

Stay healthy. You have goals for yourself. You’re on a journey to health and wellness. This is the true motivation for writing a list. If you keep the junk off the list, you keep the junk out of your house. If the junk is not is not in your house, you will have less opportunity to eat it. You are in control of your body. The junk food companies and the marketing corporations are not. Write a list. Stay healthy. I believe in you.

When you avoid making decisions on the fly, you save yourself a lot of hassle. You can apply this principle to every area of your life, not just grocery shopping. In the age of cell phones and fancy mobile devices, there is no reason why you shouldn’t take a few minutes to organize your thoughts. And if you don’t have a smart phone, use your own smarts. There’s nothing wrong with a pen and some paper. They still sell cute little note books at the dollar store. So the next time you have something to get done, whether it be grocery shopping or planning a party, stay ahead of the game and take the time to write a list.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For healthy recipes, motivational tips, and ideas on natural health, subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas, or connect with Rochelle on Facebook.

Rochelle Hanson

By Rochelle Hanson

There comes a point in everyone’s life where death smacks you right in the face. Last week in this column, I teased you all a bit by saying you should lighten up. But when you’re dealing with a serious issue like death, letting go of the pain is much easier said than done. Whether it’s a parent, a child, extended family or a friend, death is something that deeply affects us all.

I’m not a psychologist, but I know what it feels like to loose a loved one.  Coping with a loss is never easy, and every single loss is different. In my own personal life, I’ve experienced the loss of four individual family members. All of whom I loved dearly. During those times I developed some strategies to cope with it all.

Why am I bringing this up right now? Because there isn’t a moment that somebody somewhere around the world isn’t struggling with loss. Chances are that person may need encouragement. Chances are that person could be you. I don’t believe you are reading this column by mistake. Below you will find the two basic strategies on how to cope with loss.

Allow yourself to feel. When my grandfather on my father’s side passed away, nobody saw it coming. We knew he had some health issues, but he was fine, or so we thought. I remember getting a phone call from my dad at work, telling me that my grandfather was in the hospital. A few hours later, before the work day was even finished, my grandfather passed away.

At his funeral, I took tons of pictures. Pictures of everything from the plane ride to the flowers to the family members and even the burial. I remember my oldest brother asking me why I was doing this. For me, the pictures were an expression of my pain. Almost like I was forcing myself to accept the reality that was before my eyes.

When pain enters our lives, especially when it’s sudden, we have the tendency to shut down. The pain of loosing a loved one can be so intense that blocking it out can seem like the easiest way to function. If you notice that this is happening in your life, make a conscious effort to process and digest what is happening. You need to allow yourself time and space to feel if you want to heal.

Allow yourself to move on. Out of all the losses I’ve experience to date, losing my Auntie Cheryl was the hardest. To be honest, I haven’t completely gotten over her death, but I have reached the point where I don’t have to focus on it regularly. Loosing Auntie Cheryl was long and painful and very difficult to watch. When she was alive, we would spend hours talking together on the phone; we were very close. The moments surrounding her death were some of the hardest in my life. Even now, I’m in tears as I write this because the memories are coming up fresh in my mind. I used to keep a big picture of Auntie Cheryl up in my room. About six months ago, I took the picture down. That was my way of saying to myself, ok Rochelle, that’s enough now, it’s time to move on.

Even after we allow ourselves to feel, we have to accept that there is a time when the constant grieving needs to stop. Grief is like a cycle that revisits us over and over for as long as we allow it to. If you let yourself get depressed, how will you live?

There are people in your life right now who need you and love you. Don’t forget about them. Yes, give yourself the time to feel, and when the memories come back to your mind, it’s ok to shed a tear. But know and believe that the person you are crying for would never want you to be sad. Use your pain as fuel for positivity. What do you think motivates me to keep going on my healthy journey? In this life, we are given only so much time. Make the choice to use it wisely.  Now is the time to live.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For healthy recipes, motivational tips, and ideas on natural health, subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas, or connect with Rochelle on Facebook.

Rochelle Hanson

By Rochelle Hanson

Stressed. Tired. Overwhelmed. Confused. If any of these words describe your current situation, maybe it’s time to lighten up. So many people walk around with years and years of baggage on their shoulders. Why carry the extra weight if you don’t have to? Below you will find three practical tips on how to lighten up.

Laugh a little. Did you know that laughter lowers the levels of cortisol in your body? Cortisol is a stress hormone that suppresses the immune system. When you laugh, not only are you lowering these levels, you are also enabling your immune system to do the job it needs to do.  Dr. Lee Burk of Loma Linda University in California has been studying laughter for over 20 years. His studies show that laughter releases endorphins similar to the ‘high’ joggers experience while they run. Laughter also improves your circulation and your cardiovascular health.  Since most people who have their sanity don’t laugh in a room all by themselves, you now have the perfect excuse to go hang out with some friends and socialize. Try laughter; it does the body good.

Stop worrying. It’s only going to give you grey hairs. If there is nothing in your power that will enable you to fix a problem, simply accept the situation and leave it alone. Just let it go. You’ll be surprised what can happen if you do. One of my friends from church needed a car. She’s a single mother and a hair dresser by trade. Last year she was standing at the bus stop holding her daughter in the middle of a snow storm. She prayed, she believed, and she left it alone. After doing hair for one of her clients one day, the client says, “I was impressed to buy you a car.” And she did. Just like that. No strings attached. I can’t help but smile when I see my friend at church pulling up in the parking lot every week with her daughter in the back seat. Ask anyone who believes and they’ll tell you, faith is good for your health.

Take life one step at a time. For many people, the journey to health and wellness is not easy. I consider myself privileged to have started at such a young age. I’m still single and i actually have time to devote to my health and to research. If you have a family or an extremely heavy workload, or both for that matter, sometimes this healthy journey stuff can be challenging. My words of encouragement to you are these. Remember that you don’t have to change over night. Take this journey one step at a time. Start drinking more water. Read my article called What’s in your cup? Make your bedtime a priority, and actually Sleep at Night. Just choose one area in your life that needs improvement and master that area. Don’t be confused by all the conflicting studies and research that is available online concerning what ever problem you are trying to resolve. Place yourself in an environment of peace and positivity, and learn from people who are living examples of what they teach.

So lighten up a bit. Don’t be afraid to laugh in the face of adversity. Stop worrying about the problems you don’t have answers to, and take life one step at a time. There is no sweeter moment than the moment of truth, when you finally realize that life is totally what you make it. Join my group on Facebook, Rochelle Hanson Wellness. We talk about stuff like this all the time.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For healthy recipes, motivational tips, and ideas on natural health, subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas, or connect with Rochelle on Facebook.

Rochelle Hanson/ARDEAN PETERS

By Rochelle Hanson

Sleep at night. A basic concept, yet so many people don’t do it.

Almost 58 per cent of Canadians say they often feel tired, according to an exclusive poll conducted for CBC News by Leger Marketing in January. They found that six out of 10 Canadians get about one hour less than the six to eight hours of sleep that experts say most adults need in order to wake up feeling refreshed and to perform optimally through the day.  Canadians simply aren’t getting enough sleep.

If sleep is so important, why don’t we make it a priority? The pressures to perform at work and at school all to often override the body’s cry for rest. We stimulate ourselves with food, caffeine and other drugs in an attempt to be more productive and accomplish more in life. We also stay up late for social reasons, or simply to medicate our stressful lives with entertainment.

Perhaps the invention of the light bulb had something to do with all of this. A great stride for modern technology – a step backward for our sleeping habits. There once was a time when it was natural to wake up with the sun and go to bed when it was dark outside. Now when it gets dark, we just turn on the lights and keep going. Artificial light has become so natural to us that we consider it a huge inconvenience to be without it. In fact, if our bodies were not programmed to need sleep, most of us simply wouldn’t do it.

According to medterms.com, sleep is triggered by a complex group of hormones that respond to cues from the body itself and the environment. The need to sleep is natural. We should learn to listen to our bodies. I learned a lot about sleep and hormones by listening to Sean Croxton’s podcast on Underground Wellness. Here, watch this short video to get an idea of what it’s all about.

Sleep is not a waste of time my friends. Not only will sleeping help you to feel better overall, but a lack of sleep actually alters basic bodily functions, like metabolising carbohydrates and glucose. Not getting enough sleep at night can actually cause you to become insulin resistant. Would you rather stay up late and become diabetic, or go to bed with the sun and wake up early to be productive? If you’d like see some studies about sleep deprivation read this article at sciencedaily.com.

So the next time you are tempted to stay up and stare at the screen all night, remember that your body needs rest to keep you healthy. Diet and exercise are important, and we will continue to talk more about this on my blog at Simply Natural Ideas, but please don’t sacrifice your sleep for the sake of productivity or entertainment. If your goal is to be healthy, a lack of sleep is counter productive. Choose to make sleep a priority.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For recipes, motivation, and ideas on natural health, connect with Rochelle on Facebook, and subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas.

Rochelle Hanson/ARDEAN PETERS

By Rochelle Hanson

Take a break. You deserve it.

Overworked. Underpaid. The story of our lives. Career advice is not my expertise, but allow me to mention this.  The fact that you spend long hours on the job, rush home to the handle your family life, and have little or no time to do the things you actually enjoy definitely affects your health. With bills to pay and children to take care of, parents and grandparents who need us, our own physical and emotional well being often gets pushed to the back of the barrel. Don’t have time for a real vacation? Let me show you how to take a break.

First things first. Take a break as soon as you wake up. That’s right, start your day by taking a break. When you open up your eyes, sit up straight, stand up, stretch, then go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. Now drink it. Slowly. Put the glass down and breathe. Good job! You just took a break. Excellent way to start the day. Make sure you have breakfast too.

You’re about to leave the house. Wait! Don’t touch the door. You need to take another break. The kids are rushing around you and you need to get them off and going. Make them take a break with you. Just stop for 10 seconds. Count it out until you get used to it. Think about how grateful you are just to be alive. Tell yourself that life is beautiful, even if you can’t really see it. Now take a deep breath. And smile. Excellent! You just took another break. Feel free to get on with your day.

Someone irritates you at work. Awesome. Time to take another break. You may be very busy. Multi-tasking is key here. If you can’t speak positivity, just start smiling. You may not be happy, but thats ok. Just keep working and smiling. This will send positive energy to your brain and help you to relax. Later on, when you’re not irritated, address the irritant. But only when necessary. Choose your battles wisely.

Lunch time. Don’t work through it. Someone else is actually giving you a break here. Do yourself a favour and take advantage of it. Eat something healthy. Your digestive system needs a break too. Have a salad, soup, or a wrap. There are easy recipes for healthy food on my blog. Get some fresh air and be sure to move around. Whatever you do, don’t stay at your desk. Make the best of the time you’ve been given. It’s your lunch, be sure to enjoy it.

Before you go home. Take one more break. If that irritant is still around, you may have the opportunity to take a few more. You might have to work late, which I don’t advise. You may also get stuck in traffic. These are things that happen. While you’re in the midst of the stress, allow yourself to take another break. Just shift your thoughts into positivity. You are blessed. You have life. You have fingers. You have toes. You can see. You can feel. You can smell. These are just a few of the positive things in life we all too often take for granted.

As you pull into the driveway, and you open the door to walk into your home, just pause. Breathe. And smile. Remember that life will repeat itself tomorrow. If you don’t take a break now, will you ever? So do yourself a favour. Don’t wait till you get overwhelmed, just take a little break. Both you and your health deserve it.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For recipes, motivation, and ideas on natural health, connect with Rochelle on Facebook, and subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas.

Rochelle Hanson/ARDEAN PETERS

By Rochelle Hanson

Hot! Hot! Hot! When it comes to summer heat, don’t be scared. Be smart. Incorporate these practical tips into your life and beat the summer heat.

Eat cooling foods. You’ll be cool as a cucumber if you eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables this summer. Take a trip to the farmers market and stock upon all your favourites. Who wants to be slaving over a hot stove in the summer? Salads and smoothies are delicious, nutritious, and easy to prepare. Save time and money while you stay cool by eating more fresh fruits and veggies. Want some simple raw recipes ideas? Get them from my blog, Simply Natural Ideas.

Cut the caffeine. Cut back or eliminate sugary and caffeinated drinks. Those will actually dehydrate the body. Water is what we really need. There is no replacement for a tall glass of water on a hot summer day. Water is your friend, so drink more of it. Beat the heat from the inside out.

Dress for success. Don’t be afraid to walk around the house in your swimsuit if you don’t have AC. It will keep you cooler and you’ll become more comfortable with your own body. Freeze a bottle of water and place it front of your fan. This will keep the air around the fan cool and it will circulate cooler air instead of the heat. When you go outside, wear natural fabrics that breathe, like cotton. I’m sure you have experience with this; man made fabrics will turn you into a walking oven. Roast for dinner anyone?

Slip and slide. If there were ever a time to be childlike and free, the summer is it! Haul out the hose, make use of the sprinkler, or take a trip to the community rec center and go for a swim. Whatever you do, enjoy yourself! It’s summer and there is no reason to stay inside. If you don’t have any kids and you’re worried about the neighbours raising their eyebrows as you frolic and play in the water, try taking a cold shower. I know it sounds crazy but it’s actually good for you. Taking a 2 minute cold shower will not only keep you cool, but it will strengthen your immune system, improve your circulation, and help to flush out toxins if you do it on a regular basis.

Protect yourself. When you plan to spend extended periods outside in the summer sun, it’s important to protect your skin. Slap on some coconut oil for sunscreen. It’s natural and it works. Remember that we only have summer for a few months out the year. Take advantage of the sunshine, just be smart about it. For more info on coconut oil and the dangers of commercial sunscreen,  search for articles at mercola.com.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For recipes, motivation, and ideas on natural health, connect with Rochelle on Facebook, and subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas.

duchesssa

By Erica Phillips

I just jumped right in.

Recently, I completed swimming lessons- Adult Splash 1. The seeds were planted a few years ago after started running: taking Aquafit for cross training, then at a friend’s pool party: I started to learn to love the water and not fear it. It’s unclear how the fear started: other sport-related fears have to do with falling and getting hurt (bloodied and bruised after a recent running accident, I kept going), or not being good enough (coming in last) I have yet to do a race.

It wasn’t only fear of the water that kept me out of the pool: undiagnosed, low grade lymphoma, CTLC-MF- made the thought of wearing a bathing suit in public uncomfortable- with ultraviolet treatment my skin is better now. CTCL-MF (Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma-Mycosis fungoides) left my skin with light and dark patches all over my body. Visit www.clfoundation.org.

Committing my Sunday afternoons for 12 weeks was a challenge, but this was something I needed to do; taking swimming lessons as a child was not a great experience and I “excused myself” from taking swimming in high school so there I was over 30 in the pool with several other adults, and two, very young two instructors- one was a volunteer.

Anxiety and fear are like emotional handcuffs: I wanted to unlock them with swimming; just let go. And so I did. Starting with that first lesson, I didn’t ease my way into the pool, jumped right in, embraced the moment, cold water and all. That first lesson was about getting comfortable in the pool and learning basic moves: floating on the front, floating and back and kicking. Despite the swim cap my hair got wet: after another 60 minutes at the gym, I washed the chlorine out of my relaxed hair and deep conditioned it with olive oil – my hair survived.

Report Card

In lesson two, we reviewed material from lesson one: I still had to work on arching my back for the back float, (I’ve done Pilates and yoga and I do P90X, so it’s counter intuitive: I’m used to engaging my core and keeping my joints soft). The volunteer instructor helped me with gliding on my back and front, “keep your joints locked.” I figured it out and did fine: the instructors gave me the thumbs up.

In some lessons, I worked with the senior instructor and the men: The other women were having trouble so they worked with the volunteer instructor on earlier lessons. It was nice to be one of the strongest ones in a class. Even when I was tired I just jumped in, sometimes a little breathless for a few minutes: swimming is hard work.

We did the flutter kick with the flutter board, moving to other end of pool for part of the lesson: I tried to kick with the board as opposed to walking over like the others, no problem so the instructor said on the way back to try a light grip: nailed it, no more use for flutter board, just remember to keep my head inline with my shoulder.

In subsequent lessons we worked on the front crawl; I picked it up quickly, then we learned the front crawl incorporating proper breathing. I kept moving while others took their turn- another technique from other workouts. Learning the eggbeater kick on the edge of the pool was much trickier. We practiced it in the deep end first with a noodle with the volunteer instructor: senior instructor said I didn’t need the noodle.

We also learned to grab objects from the bottom of the pool, hand stands, front and back glides and underwater swimming- l love that. We learned treading water in the deep end: The course requirements are treading water with a personal floatation device for 30 seconds, but my instructor had me do it without the PFD- and I’m glad.

Not all lessons went smoothly, during one class I was quite sluggish initially and the instructor said one arm was dragging, but I improved throughout the session. Our instructor had us do a lot of drills, which I appreciated as it’s the key to improvement. For two lessons I was the only student, so I worked on my weak areas: the backstroke and treading water, especially that eggbeater kick. For the last class- the second unintended private lesson- I learned the whip kick, we did wild wave games with another class, practiced earlier strokes and treading water.

A letter from the instructor

Just before Lesson 12, I learned how to get water out of my ears: hop on one foot while tugging on the ear lobe- Thanks for the “You Docs” tip, Dr. Oz. My classes ended with a great note from my instructor and encouragement to take Adult Splash 2, which looks intimidating: standing dive into deep water, treading water one to two minutes, and crawls for 25 to 50 metres.

The following Sunday, I went for a fitness swim practicing what I learned in Splash 1, preparing for Splash 2. My endurance needs work, and I’m still a little apprehensive in the deep end: both will take time, but that’s what Sunday afternoons are for. Hopefully by learning to swim- I’ll learn to fly.

Rochelle Hanson/ARDEAN PETERS

By Rochelle Hanson

Balance. Seems like we’re always trying to find it, aren’t we? Life is an unpredictable animal, and sometimes it’s difficult to tame. All too often there are situations that come up in our lives over which we have absolutely no control. The fridge breaks down, the AC gives out, someone you love winds up in the hospital. When the stresses of life start to show their ugly heads, the healthy lifestyle changes you’ve been working so hard to achieve are often the first to go out the window. Don’t let stress push you over the edge, my friends. Being healthy is not about being perfect. Seek balance.

My grandmother is in the hospital right now. It’s not an easy thing to deal with. Although she’s been sick for years, she’s one of those people who always appear to be well and carry on with life regardless of what’s happening inside their body. I’m sure you know people like that; you may even be like that yourself. The sad thing is, the body can only take so much of that, and the older we get, the less able the body is to defend itself against the years of damage we’ve done to it.

This is why it is imperative to start your healthy lifestyle journey now. And if you’ve already started, don’t stop, keep on going! People use every single excuse they can think of as a reason to comfort themselves and throw away their goals. If it isn’t time, it’s money; if it isn’t money, it’s your social life. If it isn’t your social life, it’s because you just didn’t feel like it. There will always be one excuse or another for not achieving your healthy lifestyle goals. But tell me, what will be your excuse when you wind up at the end of your life and you are so sick that you can’t even take care of yourself? What will you say to yourself then?

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and lung disease are the leading causes of preventable death and disability in this country. You can dramatically reduce the risk of these chronic diseases by changing the way you live. Take a look at their website for more information.

Friends, the reason I am dedicated to writing to you in this column every week is because I see that this world is becoming totally out of balance when it comes to health and wellness. More and more people are getting fatter and sicker. Very few people even care to find out why. I am here to let you know that you do have an alternative. You do have a choice, and you are still in control.

If you know that you need help with your diet and exercise, or lack thereof, why don’t you start by adding some green foods into your life? If you need recipe ideas, you can get them on my blog. I just wrote a new post called, All Things Green. Feel free to connect with me if you have any questions related to what you see there.

I know how stressful life can be at times. Just remember that you don’t have to give up. You can choose to be healthy if you want to. In fact, keeping up with your healthy lifestyle could actually help to reduce your overall stress load. When you eat better and you exercise, you will feel better, and you will be more able to handle the other areas of your life that demand attention. The next time stress tries to take control of your life, turn things around and take control of your stress. Have a green smoothie instead.

Rochelle Hanson is a Freelance Writer and Natural Health Enthusiast, offering practical tips on natural health and wellness. For recipes, motivation, and ideas on natural health, connect with Rochelle on Facebook, and subscribe to her blog, Simply Natural Ideas.

Dr. Anthony Sterling

By Jon Sarpong

Brampton’s health care community is hoping residents will show their best smile for a good cause. Sterling Dental, in partnership with William Osler Health Centre Foundation (WOHCF), is celebrating its 4th annual Brampton’s Best Smile Search, a fundraising campaign in support of Brampton Civic Hospital.

“We’ve had great success with the Best Smile Search over that last few years,” says Sterling. “We are simply looking for Brampton’s Best Smile. People can submit a smiling picture of themselves, their children, friends or a family member by visiting www.BramptonsBestSmile.com.  For each smile that is submitted, we are donating $1 to Brampton Civic Hospital.”

The winner of the Brampton’s Best Smile Search will be awarded at 12pm noon on Thursday, July 21, during a free celebration BBQ held at Sterling Dental, 10095 Bramalea Rd. The winner of the Brampton’s Best Smile Search will become the new face of Sterling Dental.

“Our winner will be featured in our upcoming advertising and claim the title of Brampton’s Best Smile. I encourage everyone to submit a picture and support strong health care services in our community.”

Visit www.BramptonsBestSmile.com for more information.

By Duane Watson

When Claude Patrick discovered martial arts, he was instantly hooked. His godfather bought him a three-month gym membership because, he says, his “old school Jamaican parents weren’t paying for no martial arts.” Patrick, in turn, made the most of it.

“I thought, ‘I have to get on this ’cause in three months, I’m done. No paper route is going to pay this membership.’ I’m this 14-year-old kid trying to make it happen, every class — three times a day, three hours a day. The guy saw how dedicated I was and ended up letting me train for free.” It’s the same type of dedication that led Patrick to earn a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) last June. Patrick has won all three of his matches thus far and is riding a 13-fight winning streak.

Nicknamed The Prince, Patrick has been fighting professionally since 2002, with a 14-1 record. Last August, the province finally allowed mixed martial arts (MMA) to fall under Ontario’s Athletics Control Act, legalizing the sport. MMA fans rejoiced and UFC 129 was promptly booked at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. This afforded the Mississauga, Ont. native a chance to fight at home on the undercard of the biggest event in UFC history. While he defeated Daniel Roberts in a unanimous decision, Patrick didn’t fare as well dealing with the local distractions.

“I thought it would be great to fight at home but, my God,” he says. “The amount of pressure, not just am I going to win or lose, but people trying to blackmail me to be on my banner [was a lot]. I had more friends than I had ever seen before coming at me for tickets, more media stuff than ever, and it’s nice, but…” Although Patrick trails off, he is far from unappreciative. He’d just rather focus more on the sport than the affairs surrounding it.

“If I wasn’t fighting, I would definitely be teaching martial arts,” Patrick says unequivocally. Which is why, in 2007, he started Elite Training Centre in a squash court, below a doctor’s office. Now, Elite Training has six instructors, more than 100 students and is based in a large industrial facility in Mississauga. Patrick is particularly proud of the journey. “I had just left working at a big gym, I was broke and I had just torn my knee. But I continued to work hard, surrounded myself with the right people and put it together,” he says.
Elite Training’s clientele is a mix of experienced pro fighters and novices looking to learn or just develop their strength and conditioning. “Most people aren’t going to be fighting and less than one per cent are going to the UFC, yet there are so many benefits from martial arts,” he says. “We get so many shy kids who come to the gym, but as they get in better shape, their self- esteem and confidence improves and you can see the growth.” Sharing his excitement, you feel that Patrick sees some of his 14-year-old self in these kids, hoping to make an impression on them, as someone once did for him.