Importance of Quality Fitness Training

something i always say about my business is that "this is NOT a random set of exercises!"

Quality programming is very important to me. My clients are TRUSTING me with their bodies and their goals. It is my job to ensure their safety and enjoyment, while working towards their dreams of better fitness.

The only way to do this well is with a fitness assessment. Many trainers will ask new clients about their goals and maybe some injuries. I go further. I test my client's ability to move, and evaluate the quality of their movement. That means I look for tell-tale signs of certain muscle imbalances and weaknesses. I don't only want to know how many pushups are squats my clients can complete, but i want to know WHAT the exercise looks like while my clients are doing them. Are shoulders and hips remaining square throughout the movement. Are they complaining of pain, are backs arching or sagging...these are only a few things that I look at.

For cardiovascular testing, this will vary from my client to client, as each one has different goals. Some are looking to run their first 5 km, some are looking to just be able to walk for 10 minutes or run up the stairs without losing their breath. I look at resting heart rate, and heart rate during certain exercise for baseline testing. Then we go from there.

I believe I offer my clients quality exercise programming, that incorporates movement as a lifestyle, not as a fad.

No limits!

The good Lord gave you a body that withstand almost anything, it is your mind you must convince - V. Lombardi

How true that is! I went to see an African Dance Performance put on by Baobab Tree

One of the groups performing was DanceAbility.

They are an amazing group that shows that there are NO limits. They use dance to socialize, have fun and move their bodies. They were an inspiration to watch.

Find your Inner Hestia

Maybe its the coffee talking, but sometimes I really enjoy my chores. I find my inner Hestia (Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Home) and discover an inner peace while I tend to the laundry and the dishes.

I grin to myself, as I know that I am using 200 calories per hour to do the lighter chores around the house. (http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspart...e/calculat.htm)I feel an inner satisfaction when I am finished my chores, and look around to see how tidy everything is. Hestia would be proud.

If everyone found their inner goddess, then chores would be more of a un-winding time, rather than added stress. Its about finding the joy in everything that we do. People don't realize how much stress affects their health and their training. Stress puts you in flight or fight. You are either chasing the dinosaur or running from it. Your body can only handle that feeling for so long, then things start to go wrong. (Headaches, skin problems, to name a few). Eventually, there might be a real breakdown (arthritis, ulcer rupturing....for example), because the body screams "NO MORE".

People also don't realize that stress affects weight loss. Or the LOSS of weight loss. When you are in high stress, the LAST thing your body thinks of is that you want to burn fat. In fact it might even keep on MORE so that you can deal with the dinosaur.

So next time you approach a task with a negative attitude, find your inner goddes and pay hommage to her with that task. Turn your feelings and attitudes to a positive. Whether it is Hestia for household chores, or Artemis who loved wild life, we all have elements of each goddess with in us.

Training your core

I recently wrote an article for the Ottawa Outdoors magazine on core training.

Here are some tips:

when training the core, change your mind set from abs and movement of the spine to bracing, and holding the torso in a stable position.
Think of keeping the spine neutral, ie all the natural curvature of the spine, constant throughout various exercises.
think of the spinal bracing as trying to be as solid as possible and not get knocked over. we used to think of "sucking in" the belly, but research has shown that, this is not a good strategy to strengthen the core.
and finally, stop thinking of "feeling the burn" when it comes to core. When training the core properly, there will be no burn, only the feeling of "this is tough to do properly".

it takes a lot of concentration and focus to do core exercises properly. With a little bit of patience, and a lot of practice, you too will have a strong stable core.

Why oh why can i not lose those 5 or 10 pounds?

Is it because of my age? My metabolism? My exercise? WHY?

There are many reasons why those last few pounds are so difficult to lose.

1) set point - your body is simply at its natural weight it "wants" to be it. This is set by genetics.

2) immune problems - Some foods or other allergies can affect your immune system. The observed immune response can be added fat or water gain.

3) Medications - as with the immune response, so meds cause excess weight gain.

4) Healthy eating- a balanced diet is very important in weight management. Calorie reduced diets can be low in some vitamines and minerals. As a result, the LAST thing your body thinks about its letting you lose weight. It is simply protecting your organs and systems so that everything functions properly.

5) Eating and exercise - eating enough to balance your exercise and activities is also important. The calorie difference between your basic functions, activities and food intake cannot be so huge that your body thinks something is wrong. Many people are simply not eating enough to breathe and blink let alone move their bodies.

So weight management is NOT a simple math, calorie in calorie out kind of thing. There are many things to consider when trying to attain healthy weight.

Growth and Improvement

I am often asked why I do what I do, and simply stated, I love my job and all aspects of my job as a fitness coach.

I like to talk! (lots!), but also I love to teach and share, and I have always been the helper. So this job allows me to combine many of my natural instincts so to speak, and help others achieve goals and be healthier.

I also love to learn. A fitness coach's education is never complete! The research is constantly changing, and new tehniques come a long, and it is part of my job to keep myself up to date!

I think of myself a student of life! I take time out during the day to read up on health research, but i also listen to self improvement CD's and read books on business and leadership. I think of it as working on being the best human being I can be.

These types of books are a source of inspiration for me, whether it is a beautiful quote, or a great story on success.

Motivated or Committed?

According to my dictionary, being motivated means being moved to act on something. I think most people are pretty motivated to exercise. There are the many benefits of exercise including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, as well s the mental health benefits.
In other words, there are many reasons that people actually ARE motivated to exercise.

What they aren't though, is committed.
Commitment is a pledge to do something. As in, making a promise to oneself to lead an active lifestyle and make healthier choices. Committing to exercise making the choice and effort to take the stairs more often or walking to work, or bringing your lunch rather than eating fast food.

But doesn't it sound better to just say you aren't motivated? Doesn't it sound horrible to say something like: "you know what, I'm not really all that committed to my health".

I'm not saying that its easy to get to the point of commitment, but it boils down to choice. We can make many excuses NOT to do something, or make the choice to go out and like Nike says Just Do It!