If you’re like me, this time of year can be overwhelming. We have everyone else in mind, thinking of that perfect gift, then there are the social gatherings, the planning, the office parties.. It seems to go on and on… During these times, we often forget the most the person who should be at the forefront …Â YOU!!!
That’s why this year, I am reminding you that you are important! That your well being depends on how you take care of yourself. I know that time is limited, so are funds at this time of year. In my household, my family has learned that a happy mom depends on her well-being. I have designed a program that you can undertake! It begins in the new year when all the hubbub is done, when you have more time to think and take on what you know is needed to your own wellness… HEALTH
It applies to us and will something different in every way. In the fitness world, it means building core strength, or building from the inside out. Your spine is your fragile protector. It’s job is to link the body together by protecting the central nervous system that runs from the brain to the sacrum. All our nerves diverge and energized from a specific points between in vertebrae joint.. It also links the body in movement. It’s engineering system is designed to let bend, rotate (to a certain extent). It’s a fine line between flexibility of movement and strength. But the spine in essence are still linked bones that need muscle to move it. Like any other bones in our body, the vertabraes are essentially inanimate unless we make it move and happens thru a command to the muscle,via the central nervous it protects, governed by the brain… it’s a link system… Very cool when you stop and think about it…
So let’s take a look at how we keep it strong: it’s all about the core!!!
so, lots of crunches right? NO! Core strength is not about crunches!  It’s about overall strength! Overall strength does not imply sculpting the muscle, it’s about linking the body as a whole, pulling from the mid-line.. I tell my clients that we are working core, they are surprised to see that crunches don’t come into play. In order to build the muscles, to strengthen the spine, all body moves are what is going to get you there. I use moves that will demand balance and a mind-body connection. I use moves that will engage all of our muscles at the mid line (front back and sides) I use unilateral moves for off balance work that fires up the central nervous system, I use isometric moves that test the endurance of the core. And the calorie burn is HUGE!!!!
More and more fitness pros are turning to these tactics as the first phase of their client’s progression, and if they’re not, you might want to question it. In order for my client to progress to fun combination moves, to explore exciting modalities and rev up the workout to an exciting place, they have to learn how to withstand the load, withstand the task and be prepared for the unexpected. It can’t happen if she is not strong from the inside out.
Your posture also reflects your life attitude. If you take a moment and take a look at someone who is being challenged, the spine straightens and stiffens. Look at someone who is sad, the shoulders fall forward. Look at someone who is happy, the shoulders are relaxed and the spine is ready for movement… Keeping a strong posture also means working on life attitude…
I invite you to my youtube site, MyoTubeOttawa http://bit.ly/gZNeuT to view moves that you too can progress to with the proper preparation.. it’s what we are designed to do after all.
Leave me a comment, tell me what you do to build your backbone!!!
Have you ever been in that place where it seems that no matter how hard your workout, the results just are not there? I want to share a secret with you. It’s not always about how hard you work, most often, it’s in the way you workout… Let me introduce you to Interval Training.
Interval training is the new way of training.. or is it? The truth is that athletes have been accessing interval training for performance.. only to realize that not only are the benefits adding power to their sport performance, it also increases their metabolic rate of burning fat. So how do we do this stuff anyway?
Interval training is about doing fast bursts of exercise, high intensity aerobic work, followed by strong anabolic strength work. As the body tries to keep up with the pace and the demands, it will kick into high gear burning more calories per workout. And because we are also accessing strength work, the body will keep burning fat for up to 48 hours. Sound to good be true? Not in the least!
Bring on the Sun!! Spring has finally happened her in Ottawa. This week promises to be the best one yet this year! I took the opportunity to work a few of my clients outside, in the sun… what a difference! We’ve had so much gloomy rain this last month, I was beginning to feel the sluggish effects of NOT being outside!
It was cool, for sure, but a few layers and things were good. Layers are great, you can always peel some off as you go. I took the opportunity to teach my client how to walk softly for her joints, how to engage her core for better efficiency, how to take notice of her breathing patterns, what to look for, how to guage her output without those combersome little gadgets strapped to the body.
It’s amazing isn’t it? the way we, as women, are being told time and time again, thru media, that skinny is good! Really??
We all have a different morph.. some of us are tall and thin, some of us are tall and strong, some of us are short and roundish, some of us are pear shaped… we all come in different sizes, that’s the beauty of it!
If we polled men, and I would but I’m a little afraid of the kind of answers I would get… if they preferred the stick they see on runways or if they preferred the curvy girls in the bikini edition of THAT magazine… I guarantee I know what the answer would be… Men like curves, they are genetically inclined to like them!!!
A few years ago, i headed a satellite gym inside of a sports facility. The tone of this satellite gym is high energy, all body, bootcamp sort of format. Lots of fun! Every week, as new members came in, my classes became crowded yet i was not allowed to “limit” the amount of participants in the class. The result was that I sometimes “missed” seeing that one client really struggle. And yes, some did get injured, it was that type of class. (more…)
It’s funny the myths that are out there! I overhear people give their friends advice on how to loose body fat, on how to eat properly, on how to get fit.. most of it is WRONG!!!! Let’s take a look
Myth 1 – You only have to do cardio 20 mts before breakfast every day to loose body fat – FALSE
The truth is that cardio workout before breakfast is a strong tactic to burn body fat if and only if it’s done for a minimum of 45 minutes then is fueled with a protein rich meal. Your body uses it’s stored energy for the first 20 minutes then will go to the body fat as a secondary source of energy, go longer to see the benefits
“Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs – the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels – is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss.” http://www.glycemicindex.com
What does that mean exactly? Blood sugar (glucose) levels play a very role in our metabolic system. In other words, it’s what will give us energy, or drive a energy crash, and it’s what will directly affect our weight. Think of your body as a car, you can choose to give it high test fuel to run like a sports car, or you can give it low grade fuel and run like an eighteen wheeler. (more…)
I am one of the lucky ones. You know the type? great genetics, fast metabolism, fit… ok, some work goes into that for sure, I live the life.. however, I do have clients who are doing all the right things, eating all the right foods in the right quantities and the right times and yet… they are getting strong, fitter, more able… for sure… the scale is NOT moving. And I mean, not moving at all.
What is weight loss resistance? why does it happen? how do we break that barrier?
There are different schools of thought on this one.
If you’re like me, this time of year can be overwhelming. We have everyone else in mind, thinking of that perfect gift, then there are the social gatherings, the planning, the office parties.. It seems to go on and on… During these times, we often forget the most the person who should be at the forefront …Â YOU!!!
