Happy Holidays!

For most families, life turns even topsy-turvier than usual during December. We squeeze extra entertaining, baking, shopping, errands, concerts, and parties into our already busy schedules, and that means holiday fitness takes a back seat. Combine that with all the tempting treats ….need I say more! It's essential to find ways to fit in some family holiday fitness, and we promise there are ways to do it that won't turn you into a Grinch. 

Find creative ways to be active, whether it be while shopping (park a little further away from the Mall entrance); fitting in your workout first thing in the morning before the day gets away on you; or plan a family outing to get the Christmas tree, or go sledding, skating or skiing together.  As the old saying goes “when there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Whatever you chose to do this holiday season, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a happy, healthy and active 2013! 

Gotta luv the attitude of the guy in the picture below....

Will you miss exercising?

Anyone new to exercise can attest how hard it is. It's hard for a body not used to physical movement and it's hard for a mind that hasn't quite grasped all the changes necessary to do those workouts day after day.

You move forward in fits and starts, hoping to turn that corner from something that feels completely foreign to something that's, if not comfortable, at least familiar.

What you may not realize is that, if you can find a way to be consistent something strange will happen: One day? You'll actually miss exercise.

I always enjoy the moment others realize this. Take one friend who went on vacation and because of the weather and a scattered schedule, got off track with his workouts. When he came back, he hopped on the treadmill without complaint (a miracle all by itself) and said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually missed this."

While falling in love with exercise is a bit of a stretch, there can be a don't-know-what-you've-got-until-it's-gone aspect to it. You may not even realize you've become emotionally and physically attached to your workouts until you're forced into an unplanned break. After a few missed workouts, you may start to feel a little twitchy. You may find yourself snapping at others for no apparent reason. You may even find that, when reunited with your workouts, you feel something that could almost be called happiness.

Yes, it seems impossible that this could occur, but it will...if you stick with it long enough. How long is long enough? That changes from person to person, but I would give it a few months.

Planning for your Winter Success

I hate to bring up the 'w' word so early in November, but it was very cold this past week-end and that got me thinking ….how am I going to stay motivated to exercise when it gets even colder/snowier/more miserable?  Will I be able to pull myself out of my warm bed every morning to work-out? It's a good idea to start thinking about these things before they creep up on you. That doesn't mean eating 'extra bacon' in order to add a thicker, warmer layer of fat to one's body!

The key to staying fit in the winter is to live somewhere warm. That means one of two things - moving to a warmer, more exercise-friendly climate or creating your own personal exercise-friendly environment with what you have available.

If you can manage the first option, you have nothing to worry about. But if you are like most of us and fall into the second category, you have a little work ahead of you.

Creating an exercise-friendly winter means planning ahead and dealing with the biggest winter exercise obstacles:

·        Cold weather - How will you make it easier to exercise when it gets cold?  Some ideas -putting your workout clothes in the dryer before outdoor workouts, a winter wardrobe to keep you warm and dry so you can get outside sometimes or setting up a home gym for days when it's just too cold to go out.

·        Lack of motivation - It's easy to lose sight of your long-term goals as you're snuggling into your warm bed on a frigid, dark morning. How could you stay motivated through the winter? Some ideas: Sign up for a spring 5K, enlist a workout buddy to meet you for regular workouts or set up a plan for monitoring yourself throughout the season to keep yourself on track.

·        The crazy holidays - Look at your calendar and mark all the parties, holidays, travel days, etc. Now, think of how you can stay fit through all the craziness. For example, could you put together a series of body weight workouts to do on the road? Could you research some healthy holiday recipes to avoid too many calories?

Are you already planning ahead for winter or do you prefer the head-in-sand approach ….or is that heading for the sand??

Herman puts it so well....

Hallowe'en Candy....

What's scarier than all those little ghouls and monsters that appear on Halloween? The calories and carbs in all those little fun-sized packs candies -- and who has the willpower to enjoy just one? Therein lies trouble. Not to deny anyone the fun of treat or treatin’ ….but for those of us who hand out the loot at the door and help ourselves regularly to one or two, five or six, nine or ten little snack bars ….the calories do add up quickly!

How much sugar is in those fun-sized chocolate bars and mini packs of candies? With full-sized packages of candy, the nutritional information is printed on the package – not the case with the individual fun-size packs of candies.   Here’s a few….   ·        One Hershey Kiss has 26 calories and 8 gm carbs ·        One snack size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has 88 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Snickers Bar has 80 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Skittles pkg has 80 calories and 18 gm carbs ·        One lollipop has 60 calories and 16 gm carbs   There’s no need to include any more examples ….we all know the numbers are scarey!   So have a wonderful Hallowe’en and surely enjoy a few treats, but when you see the pile of empty wrappers getting bigger than the candy bowl itself …..oh, am I speaking from experience here?  Well, maybe that’s why I won’t be buying my treats until the 31st!!   Have fun!

Morning Exercise

Morning people can be very annoying. And morning people who exercise can be the most "annoying people on the planet." That is a direct quote from someone who, obviously, is not a morning person.  The fact is, many exercisers end up having to become morning exercisers due to work schedules, whether they like it or not.  Mornings comes early -  it's dark and cold and the bed is so very warm.  However, knowing you’ve completed your daily workout before others are out of bed, can be very satisfying and leave your evenings open for other activities or family time.

Even if morning exercise doesn't come naturally to you, you can train your body to do it . The trick is to use every weapon in your arsenal - discipline, willpower, rewards, punishments, bribes and, most of all, baby steps.

Some tips to make it easier:

·        Adjust your schedule - One mistake some exercisers make is keeping their bedtime the same, even though they're getting up earlier. You still need that sleep, so start adjusting your schedule before adding in morning workouts. Start by going to bed 10 or 15 minutes earlier than usual and gradually add to that over time.

·        Start easy and slow - Your body is used to sleeping in the morning, so asking it to jump out bed for a 10 mile run is asking a lot. Start with simple activities - Walking, cycling, an easy exercise video or a simple yoga workout. As your body gets used to moving around at such an early hour, you can add more intensity.

·        Give yourself an extra long warm up - Your body needs extra time to get moving in the morning, so spend at least 10 minutes warming up and gradually increasing intensity. If it's cold outside, try tossing your workout clothes in the dryer before putting them on. The warmer you are when you start the more comfortable your workouts will be.

·        Keep it simple: Start with 2 or 3 days a week of basic exercise - Say, walking and basic strength training, for example. You may find you're hit or miss at first but, the more you practice, the easier it gets.

A Time for Change....

As the last of our beautiful summer days are about to leave us, we often see this time of year as a time to re-look at our lives and that includes re-evaluating our exercise program ...or lack of one!  Maybe it's because another school year has started or the change in seasons ....but many of us are motivated to make changes in September.

I love the message in this picture below " ....you have to start to be great."  So if you are sitting on the fence right now, contemplating whether to try something new this fall, or just go out for a walk - remember "you have to start to be great."

I'm also sharing a YouTube link about a 71 year old who is a play master and has found a path to health, longevity and joy that many of you may identify with.  This man, though relatively unknown in the world of health, fitness and play, is incredibly inspiring to say the least.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh0PlR27qJ0

Are Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Necessary?

For the most part, healthy adults can satisfy their vitamin and mineral needs by eating well with Canada’s Food Guide. However, there are some important exceptions. For instance, Canada’s Food Guide now recommends certain supplements for women who may become pregnant, are pregnant or breastfeeding and adults over the age of fifty. Other people who may need supplements are people who smoke and those with restricted diets e.g. vegans, who may need more of certain nutrients than what they are getting from healthy food choices. If you fall into one of these groups or want to see the nutritional requirements for your age and sex, check out Canada’s Food Guide at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.

Here are some useful tips about vitamin and mineral supplements: You don’t get energy from eating vitamin pills. You do get energy as calories from carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the food you eat. Vitamins help convert this energy into the type of energy the body can use. If you are “stressed out”, pay close attention to what you eat. Eating well can help you cope with stress but over eating or under eating are not solutions. A supplement only provides some missing nutrients if you are not eating well. You may require vitamin or mineral supplements for medical conditions such as anemia or osteoporosis or during times of physical stress, such as after an operation or during a severe infection. Follow the advice of your physician and registered dietitian. Taking large amounts of vitamins or minerals can be dangerous. Vitamin A, vitamin D, niacin, calcium, iron, and selenium are particularly toxic in high doses. Large amounts of vitamin B6 and fluoride also have harmful side effects. Taking more than 2000 mg of vitamin C, for example, may cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems, and is not recommended. Talk to your physician or registered dietitian. Before taking any supplements talk with your physician or dietician about your nutritional needs. If you are unsure about any vitamin or mineral supplement you are interested in buying speak to the pharmacist. Keep supplements, especially those containing iron, away from children.   Source: “Do I Need A Vitamin Or Mineral Supplement?” http://www.dietitians.ca/

Train Like an Olympian

If you are like us, we have been glued to the TV watching the Olympics.  The coverage is incredible and every sport is featured in one way or another.  What amazes me is the various body types and the sports they excel at.  We have the “larger-than-life” Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt with their long, strong limbs and 6’7” wing spans (is that even possible?).  We also see the small, powerful gymnasts hurling through the air with incredible strength and flexibility.  The African distance runners that look like a strong wind would blow them away, yet they can run and run and run forever.  Every body type has its sport .....and there is something we can learn from this.  We often hear people say that they don’t have an athletic body – yet we know every body type can be athletic. 

We watch in awe as elite athletes perform seemingly impossible feats and wonder, how the heck do they do that?  And, more important, how do they make it look so easy?  Maybe it's too late for us to become Olympic athletes (ahhhh, yes!), but we can still get inspired by their incredible skill and commitment to reach our own goals.

Train Like an Olympian

Fortunately, training like an Olympian doesn't mean running 20 miles before breakfast or spending half your Saturday doing anaerobic sprints. However, even if you're not training for the Olympics, you can emulate the best athletes in the world to get the most out of your workouts:

·         Train every day. Many people fall victim to the weekend warrior syndrome:  after sitting on a couch all week, you try to make up for it by killing yourself with hours of exercise on the weekend. Instead of setting yourself up for injury, think like Olympic athletes who train every day in order to compete with the best. Exercising regularly not only helps you lose weight, you also maintain a level of conditioning that will keep you strong and fit. Exercising sporadically can cause injury, soreness and the urge to never exercise again.

·         Keep your eyes on the prize. Olympic athletes have a specific goal; to compete with the best athletes in the world and win. Our goals may be smaller, but they're just as important in motivating to get us out of bed each day to exercise. When setting a goal,  keep it simple, specific and, most importantly, reachable. Remind yourself every single day what your goal is and how you're going to achieve it.

·         Be specific in your training. An Olympic marathon runner has to have incredible endurance and strength in order to complete a marathon. To compete, he will have to incorporate specific training such as long runs, speed work and strength training. Whatever your goal, make sure your training fits. If you're trying to build muscle, focus on heavy strength training and getting quality calories. If you're goal is to lose weight, break that goal down into the necessary steps you need to take to get there. What kind of workouts do you need to do? What about your diet?

·         Fuel your body for peak performance. We all worry about food and whether we're eating too much fat, or too many calories. An Olympian, however, worries about getting the right nutrients and calories to fuel the most important competition in her life. Instead of looking at food like its the enemy, turn your thinking around and ask yourself, what is the best thing I could eat right now for my workout? What kind of food will put my body at it's very best?

·         Know when to rest. Olympians walk a fine line between peak performance and burnout and they know when to throw in a few extra recovery days. Overtraining for an Olympian can mean the difference between winning and losing; for the rest of us it means the difference between a great day and a crappy one. Know the signs of overtraining and when to take a break.

·         Have perfect form. Did you see Usain Bolt run the 100 m final? He ran like a thoroughbred with long, loose strides and a tall body. In whatever activity you do, make sure your form is perfect. If you're running, stand tall and relax your upper body. If you're lifting weights, do each exercise slowly to reduce momentum and don't swing your weights. Having perfect form requires you to focus on what your body is doing, rather than trying to distract yourself from the pain.

Whatever you're training for, thinking like an Olympian can help you get the most out of each and every workout. When you find yourself losing momentum or motivation, just remind yourself how much discipline it takes for an athlete to make it to the Olympics. Just a fraction of that discipline can help keep you going every day.

Stretching for Heart Health

Stretching has often been seen as a means to increase flexibility, improve muscle strength and tone as well as improve breathing and reduce stress. However, some of the latest  research suggests that having greater flexibility may also increase arterial flexibility which may put you at lower risk for a heart attack and/or a stroke. The study suggests that those with poorer flexibility may have more rigid arterial walls which make the heart work harder to pump blood.

However, the study also points out that stiff arteries don’t necessarily indicate or inevitably lead to arterial disease. That being said, this just might be reason enough to check out that yoga class at the gym in the mornings before/after work, pick up a yoga DVD for home or start an office stretching regime at your desk.

How to Get to Your Healthy Weight

Our daughter Lindsay, sent the following link as a suggested post for our blog.  Lindsay is a Registered Dietitian and is our "go-to" person when we are looking to get reliable and up-to-date information about food, eating, metabolism .....just about everything related to nutrition.  Lindsay is also a fitness instructor and is often asked these types of questions by her clients.  Rather than dissect anything from this article, you're getting the whole thing.  It addresses the following:

• Obesity and Health Risks
• What's a Healthy Weight? Body Mass Index (BMI) Defined
• Waist Size Matters Too:  Abdominal Fat and Health Risks
• Keeping Things Level
• What Causes Weight Gain?
• What Leads to Weight Loss?
• Lessons From Losers
• General Strategies for Achieving or Maintaining a Health Weight
• The Bottom Line:  Recommendations for Health Weight
• References

Many of the points above maybe questions you have too.

Here's the link:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-full-story/

Standing Ab Exercises

It can be a defining moment in an adult's life, that moment when they realize they don't have to do a zillion crunches in their workout. In fact, it is entirely possible to work the Abs and back without a single crunch...without even getting on the floor.

Not only is it possible but, in some respects, it's preferable. Floor exercises have their place, of course, but working the Abs from a standing position, either with exercises that are integrated into your workout, or with targeted core exercises, focuses on the Abs the way they function in real life - as a support for all the movements you do each day ….walking, bending over to pick something up, lifting something overhead or twisting around to grab something behind you.

The study behind these exercises suggest these moves are the best for recruiting all those muscle fibers in your Abs but, with the shift towards functional training, we now understand that we need strong Abs, not just while lying on the floor, but for all the movements we perform each day.

We also know that working the body as a whole is a lot more effective than trying to isolate different muscle groups (like crunches do). What that means for your Abs is that, while crunches and other floor exercises still have a place in our training routines, standing Ab work can add a new depth and dimension to your workouts, giving you more than just strong Abs, but a strong core.

What do you think? Are you over crunches and looking for something new? How do you work your Abs and do you focus on both floor and standing exercises?

Here’s what I think are the 10 most effective Ab exercises:

Reverse Wood Chops

Reverse wood chops are great for the Abs because they involve rotating the body and bringing the arms from the hips and across the body to the opposite shoulder.  This dynamic exercise requires the Abs and back to stabilize the body throughout the movement.

Horizontal Wood Chops

Like the reverse wood shops shown above, horizontal wood chops take your body through a rotation, moving the arms from one side to the other and targeting every muscle in the Abs and back with some core stabilization thrown in.

Side Bends With a Medicine Ball

While side bends won't necessarily whittle your waist (that comes from losing body fat), this overhead side bend is a great way to strengthen the muscles of the waist (the obliques) while also targeting the Abs and lower back.

Windmills

The windmill is an excellent exercise for the entire body with a strong focus on the obliques and the lower back.  With this move, formis everything.  You can add intensity by holding weights in both hands.

Overhead Squats

The overhead squat is an advanced Ab exercise that looks easier than it is.  Your Abs and back work hard to keep the body in position as you squat and rotate to bring the arm overhead, making this a dynamic, whole body exercise.  Start with no weight.

Medicine Ball Circles

Medicine ball circles are one of my favourite exercises for warming up the entire body, especially the Abs and back.  The idea is to circle the weight, making the biggest circle you can while using your whole body in the process.

Medicine Ball Rotations with Static Lunges

The static lunge with a med ball rotation is another great exercise for working the Abs and back while building endurance in the lower body.  The idea is to engage the stabilizer muscles in your legs and hips to hold a lunger while rotating the medicine ball slowly to one side and then the other.  As a modification, keep the medicine ball close to the body as you rotate, focusing on keeping the entire movement centered on the torso. 

Figure 8s with a Medicine Ball

Figure 8 lunges are a total body exercise emphasizing core strength and stability along with lower body endurance and overall balance and coordination.

The key to making this move effective is to start by performing each move separately.  Step forward into a lunge with the right leg and hold that position, getting your balance.  Then, take the ball to the opposite hip, rotating through the torse, and sweep the ball down and up in the first half of your figure 8.  Then step the right foot back to start before taking the same leg back into a reverse lunge.  Hold that position as you complete your figure 8 motion to the other side.  Do all reps on one side before switching legs.

Standing Side Crunch

The standing side crunch is all about the obliques, with an added challenge to your balance and stability.  To really engage the obliques, go through a full range of motion and keep the movement slow and controlled.  As you bring the knee toward the elbow, keep the chest open rather than rounding forward - imagine that your back is against a wall and you're sliding along the wall as you do this exercise.

Standing Crossover Crunch

The standing crossover crunch looks a lot like the bicycle move done on the floor, with an emphasis on the obliques.  To really get the most out of this exercise, go slow and focus on bringing the shoulder towards the hip, rather than the elbow to the knee.  This will put the focus through the torso and engaging the core rather than swinging the arm towards the knee.

Ways to Stay Motivated...

Play video Marina Kanno and Giacomo Bevilaqua from Staatsballett Berlin perform several jumps captured in slow motion at 1000 frames per second. Directed by Simon Iannelli & Johannes Berger Camera by Dr. Frank… 00:03:17 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4X5z8AQc3s&feature=player_embedded   I hope you enjoyed that 3+ minutes of elegance.  Maybe the best way to stay motivated to exercise is to become a ballet dancer. There's something about having every inch of your body captured on film (like the above), then having that image reproduced for all the world to see, that makes working out more of a necessity rather than a luxury. Getting a paycheck based on maintaining a certain shape or size helps too. Since most of us don't have the kind of job that motivates us in quite the same way (thank God!), we have to work a little harder to keep the momentum flowing. The hard truth is, motivation isn't something you wait for and it isn't something that just happens when the time is right. It's something you have to work to find, not just today, but every day. Sound depressing?  .... What about you? What keeps you going day after day? Do you find that what motivates you one day doesn't always work the next? Leave a comment and tell us your ideas for how to stay motivated to exercise. Here’s some ideas to help make the process easier: Re-Visit Your Past Think back to previous attempts at losing weight or exercising. What made you quit before and are you on the same path now? If so, you may be stuck in a pattern you haven't noticed before. Break it by figuring out what went wrong before. Make your own list and then figure out how to get around these issues. If the diet is too strict, make smaller changes you can live with every day. If you're busy, try shorter workouts. Change what you're doing until it works. Get Real Most people fail at their fitness goals because they're waiting for something spectacular to happen. Losing weight isn't always a spectacular process...in fact, it isn't even a linear process sometimes. What you may find is that you lose a little, gain a little and repeat the process again and again. There are no shortcuts to weight loss so even if you're frustrated that your body hasn't changed, don't give up. If you're burning more calories than you eat, your body is changing, even if it's slower than you'd like. Make sure your goals are realistic and, most importantly, that you give your body the time it needs to respond to what you're doing. It can be weeks, often months before changes start to show. Get Pumped We all get a spurt of motivation when deciding to lose weight and that energy carries us through the first few weeks of a workout and diet plan. However, it's normal to lose some of that energy after a month or two and wonder if you should just give up. Before you do, try these tips: ·         Revisit your goals - Do they still mean something to you? ·         Think about how far you've come - Don't just look at how much weight you've lost, but other ways your life has improved. Are you stronger or faster? Do you feel better about yourself? Could you use those feelings to keep going now? ·         Change things up - Variety can infuse more energy into your workouts. Try changing your workout schedule or trying something new to stay interested in exercise. Reward Yourself It's surprisingly easy to get excited about exercise and it's called massage. There's nothing that feels better than finishing up a week's worth of workouts followed by a relaxing massage. Schedule one once a month if you can or, if massages aren't your thing, try some other ideas: ·         Buying new workout gear ·         A weekend getaway ·         A night chilling out with your favorite TV show ·         A new book or song you've been wanting ·         An MP3 player for your workouts ·         A new computer game you can only play after exercise Exhaust Every Avenue Before you quit, try everything you can to stay on track. Instead of drifting away from exercise without acknowledging it, give yourself a minimum amount of exercise to get in each week. When you dip below that (or stop altogether), promise yourself you'll try other things before you quit altogether: ·         Hire a personal trainer or work with one online ·         Find a workout buddy ·         Join a fitness group or gym ·         Try a new way of exercising - a video, a class, a sport, etc. Sometimes you just need something new and fun to keep you going. Stop Waiting for a Miracle Some people think if they exercise long enough, they'll wake up one day and suddenly love exercising and eating healthy. While it does get easier, you'll always have to find ways to motivate yourself for your workouts. If you're waiting for a shining moment of excitement, you might be waiting for a long time. Instead, you can make it happen! Lose the Excuses Every day is different. What motivated you yesterday may not work today, so sift through what inspires you to find that one thing that will get you out the door. It may be pants you want to fit into or competing with your friend (he's working out--you don't want to fall behind, do you?).  Before you skip your workout, try these ideas to get moving: ·         I'll feel good about myself if I finish my workout ·         I'll just warm up and, if I want to stop, I can ·         I'm going to dinner tonight, so I know I need this workout to balance my calories ·         This workout will give me more energy for the rest of my day ·         If I finish this workout, I can spend some time reading, watching TV or playing around on the computer Open Your Mind Being bored is the perfect time to try something new. You'll be more willing to try things you may have dismissed because they didn't fit within your definition of exercise. It could be belly-dancing, a latin dance class or that spinning class at the gym. Or try something more mind/body like Pilates or Yoga. If what you're doing isn't working, it's time to find something that will. Sometimes even just a new piece of equipment or a workout is enough to get you moving again ....or maybe you will become a ballet dancer!

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