Eat Train Live is a healthy food delivery service, personal training and nutritional planning shop that found its legs after decades of life changes that co-owner Lonie Murdock personally experienced. Every step she took shaped her health and point of view into the well-balanced perspective she has today. What’s most extraordinary is that her journey began as a young single mom to her daughter, Kiosha. For the past 27 years since becoming a parent, she found the focus and energy to get fit while also learning from her mistakes and eventually launching her own start-up. Here’s the play-by-play that brought together everything she knows into the full-time love child she launched 2 years ago.
Make fitness a lifelong habit.
“I’ve been working out for over 20 years. I don’t think there has been a time since my daughter was born that I haven’t worked out. I would stick her on the back of my bike and we’d ride to the YMCA together. While she was in gymnastics camp, I went to the gym. My mom was always into health and fitness; she was a personal trainer back in the day when people used to refer to the gym as ‘the spa’. I have pictures of her working out in a leotard during the 80s while I was in the background doing cart wheels. She set an example that there’s always time and energy to work out and I wanted to do the same for Kiosha.”
However, don’t obsess over your body either.
“I entered a fitness competition when I was 30; I wanted to see if I could do it and be on stage next to a 20-year old. I didn’t care if I won. I just want to strut out there and put in the hard work; that’s when my food habits started to change and not for the better. It was so extreme. I worked out every day for a couple of hours and I had to watch everything that went into my body to the point that even healthy food made me feel bad because every calorie would affect my body’s appearance and how I would be judged on stage. It became hard to socialize because I felt like my friends weren’t supportive enough. They would say, ‘You need to eat cookies right now.’ After one competition, I realized competing was so unbalanced and doing less for my well-being. The biggest lesson I learned is that it’s not about winning for one day but living my best and healthiest life for as long as possible. And if that was going to happen I had to find a way to enjoy both food and training again.”
Cleaning up your diet is a process for the whole family.
“When Kiosha was younger, I did not have the same understanding about food that I do now. I was young and I didn’t have a lot of money, so we ate a lot of processed food. Then I started reading nutritional labels around the time I started competing and I started learning about what I don’t want—added sugar or artificial sweeteners, unnecessary ingredients like emulsifiers and anything I need to google—and more of what I do want—I love to see things like turmeric, ginger and other superfoods in ingredient lists. Looking back, I would never feed kids what I fed Kiosha when she was younger. Today she makes better food choices and takes all of my Eat Train Live dishes home. I’ve tried to be conscious of the fact that I’m in the fitness and health industry and she is not. I try to give her info without preaching to her and be supportive of her personal choices. Now that being healthy is my career, it’s easier for both of us to live better every day.”
Lonie serves up healthy and gourmet meals with serious flavours.
Don't mistake Eat Train Live for a crunchy sorta menu plan.
These are full servings that will keep you sustained and energized.
It’s okay to launch a business by accident.
“I had an office job working as an executive assistant at Telus for 7 years while I was a personal trainer on the side. I’ve also always loved cooking so I had the idea of doing a healthy menu tasting with a few of my clients and it went really well. Eventually I took a 2-week vacation from my day job to devote myself to this idea full-time (I think my boss and I both knew I wouldn’t be coming back). While I was off, I cooked for some of the cast and crew of The Suicide Squad while they were in town shooting (my mom is an on-set makeup artist who introduced me to everyone) and they were so supportive. It went so well, I quit my job a couple of months later.
I know I couldn’t have launched this when Kiosha was younger. Of course, I wish I did this earlier in my life but I don’t know that I would’ve had the courage or energy to commit to it the way I can today. There are moments when the business is really tough and as a young single mom, I only had enough focus to do what I needed to do: Pay my rent and feed my kid. Any business needs a lot of nurturing and time; the time that I’m happy I spent with my young daughter instead.”
It’s also okay to give up control.
“In the beginning, I was doing everything—prepping chopping, cooking, and delivering the meals. After only 3 months in I was physically exhausted. My business partner Candice, who is an amazing naturopathic doctor, turned out not to be so comfortable in the kitchen; she couldn’t chop the kale fast enough for me. Cooking is a big part of Eat Train and Live but eventually I realized chopping for 12 hours a day isn’t the best way to spend our time as owners. Finally, I came around to bringing a chef on board with a nudge from my boyfriend who’s also an entrepreneur and restaurant owner. The extra talent has helped us grow faster than we expected.
Now, I’m more willing to put in the work—I’m still on the road doing deliveries—because we’re responsible for someone’s else’s salary and lifestyle. I also understand the importance of me being outside of the kitchen to help the business grow. If I spent every day in the kitchen, Eat Train and Live wasn’t going to go anywhere.”
- “An adaptogen popular in Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha helps to lower cortisol (the hormone that can cause belly fat), balance adrenalin, strengthen your immune system and relive stress.”
- “The curcumin found in turmeric has been shown to relive inflammation throughout the body, with benefits ranging from controlling skin blemishes to easing joint pain.”
- “Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory that can help stave off muscle soreness and symptoms of osteoporosis and arthritis as well as reduce oxidative stress which could lead to better brain heath. It also aids with indigestion.”
- “Hemp is a great source of omegas and protein. They are a complete protein which means they contain essential amino acids that we cannot naturally produce and must get from our diet.”
- “Chia seeds are an excellent source of fibre and calcium.”
Her Super Food Green Smoothie Recipe
She has heels on rotation for nights out…
…but her daily footwear is made up of her go-to cross-trainers. “I’m not a runner but these Nike cross-trainers are super functional for any kind of movement and the Under Armour shoes can’t be used for anything high-impact. They’re so light that they’re easy to pack and carry around all day.”
“I’ve tried Fraxel [a resurfacing laser that freshens up aging skin] but if I can find something with similar results that I can do at home, I’ll try it, especially since launching the business. I just don’t have time to go to a dermatologist.” Right now she’s hooked on a Derma Roller she massages onto her skin with her Pure + Simple Algae Serum every night before bed. “I’m an anti-aging junkie. If you told me that I have to walk backwards and it will take 10 years off my skin, then you will see me walking backwards.” Pure + Simple Sensitive Skin Face Wash, Skin Lotion, Algae Serum and Cosmetic Roll-CIT.
“Both these Beats headphones are life-changers for me. I use the bigger pair when I’m weight-training and they’re so visible, people get the message to leave me in peace. However, they’re too big for cardio so I got the other set too. I have little ears and these are the only ones that actually stay in my ears without falling off.”
From eating Goop-y to taking on a Flay-inspired grill: “I like to find ways to make food that’s not traditionally clean, like a burger, into something healthier. For example, we use super lean grass-fed ground beef and grill it without oil and then we bake our fries. Personally, I’m always finding ways to eat more plant-based options but I am also a meat eater. Whether you are vegan or not, it’s about knowing where your food comes from.” (From top to bottom): Whole 30 Cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day, It’s All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great, Honey & Co.: The Cookbook, Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! and Weeknight Gluten Free.
After trying professional teeth-whitening, she’s now into Lush Boom Toothy Tabs with powdered charcoal and gunpowder tea to keep her smile bright. Her gym-ready beauty routine also includes: Be Gone Makeup Remover Wipes, Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, Davines Dede Shampoo (a light formula for daily use) and Davines Oi All In One Milk.
She packs the pieces in her portable gym (for herself and her clients) in luggage organizers so they’re easy to find in her gym bag. “I see what I need right away and only take that bag out instead of unloading everything.” Always in tow is a roller for squats, resistance beds and exercise discs. “If you don’t have discs at home, Swiffers are a great replacement. They give you the glide you need to get the movements done.”
One of Lonie’s bedroom’s doubles as a walk in closet. Her love of shoes (hello, a floor-to-ceiling’s worth and impressively organized…) are evident but, she admits that she mainly buys heels because they make her happy—but hardly wears them. You’re more likely to spot her in workout gear and sneakers.
