To put this into context, Vanguard was born about 5 years ago when I found myself diagnosed with advanced arthritis in both hips. According to medical professionals, the only solution was a full hip replacement. At the height of my CrossFit journey as an affiliate owner, coach and athlete at the peak of my fitness, I found myself crippled. I was limping around and in constant pain. I couldn’t get up or down the stairs without grabbing the railing. Walking or just standing around had me in extreme pain. The pain was so severe at some point that I couldn’t sleep.

Combine this with shift work at one of the busiest firehall in Canada (over 11,500 emergency calls at the time of this writing), you can imagine what it did to my mind and body. This condition and the environment I was stuck in created some serious PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Add being a father of 3 to the mix and my life became completely overwhelming. Then COVID happened just to add fuel to the fire. At its worst, over a period of a few weeks, I lost 20lbs, had constant brain fog, my mental health was declining, my fitness level went down dramatically, to a point where I wasn’t healthy anymore. Long story short, I had to do something and fast.

I needed to heal. I found myself against the wall and trapped. Not to over-dramatize but I truly felt like I was dying. Over the last 5 years, I’ve been reading, studying, learning and developing myself constantly on just about everything to become healthy again. As hard as it was, I’ll forever be grateful for the journey this hard time has given me. I had to rebuild myself from the ground up and become someone else.

Before I get too deep into what this challenge is, let me tell you that this journey was only possible with the help of my incredible life partner, my wife Emilie. I’ll forever be thankful for all your support. During these 5 years of constant trial and error, I’ve developed an extensive series of daily habits that healed me and got me out of surgery for now. At first, I tried to heal to go back to who I was but true healing only happened when I learned to let go and become a new person. Keep in mind that I also refused to use any pharmaceutical medications during all this time. Trust me, this slice of life is much harder to share than it seems. If any of you out there are having a hard time right now, I feel for you and don’t hesitate to reach out. The Vanguard Initiative is a powerful healer, for the body and the mind. Do the challenge and see for yourself. 

So what is Vanguard then? Vanguard is a way of life, a sustainable set of daily habits to make you better.

To help heal any kind of chronic pain, chronic diseases, or chronic inflammation, help with anxiety, help with depression, guide you into becoming more, develop and find yourself, give you a purpose, to help you find your way. 

There are probably many of you who are already feeling good, happy, healthy and doing well but there is no denying that all these habits will help you improve and give you more clarity in life. Vanguard is a lifestyle but just doing it as a 30 day challenge will greatly benefit you in a positive way. We all share a common goal, to live a long healthy and happy life.

To love and to be loved. What you definitely don’t want is to grow old, be unhealthy and be a burden for your loved ones. All these healthy habits are a combination of many proven techniques and activities taken and adapted from some of the most influential individuals in history and modern times. Just these techniques and activities all on their own are great but what makes the Vanguard way unique is how it combines everything together.

Vanguard is a combination of a daily Practice, Meditation or stillness, Breathing, Cold exposure, Reading, Journaling, Active lifestyle (workout), being Outdoor, Nutrition and lastly being part of a Community. If this looks like a lot, don’t worry, below is a description of what everything is in brief detail and what you need to do to make it effective. I’ll provide a full document outlining everything before we start. The biggest factor to be successful in becoming a Vanguard practitioner is time commitment.