Recovery

Recovery is one of the most overlooked aspects of training. If not done regularly, it will most likely lead to overtraining and injury. Of course, like all other aspects of training, recovery is not simply done. It depends on age, intensity of training being done, how often you are training, type of training, physical limitations and past injury history. Any educated, experienced trainer will give you good advice on how often and what to do.
In general, recovery should look something like this:
1. Get massages on a regular basis. How often? Depends on level of training, but at least once a month if you are training regularly at a moderate to high intensity.
2. Stretch! Ya, I know! But stretching AFTER exercise or on recovery days helps to keep the tissue ‘aligned’ and allows for full range of motion.
3. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is very important!
4. Rest/sleep. As I have written about before, you heal when you sleep. No sleepy, no healy!!

Some basics.
Remember, active living can be considered a recovery day. A walk, play with the kids in the park, gardening, cutting the grass, shoveling the snow and so on.
Remember to recover, it will benefit your training more than you think!!
Stay strong YYC!!

Patience, you must have patience!

This is about the time of year when the newcomers to exercise start to drop off. Most will be upset that they haven’t seen a huge change in weight, measurements or how they are feeling. The truth is, you won’t!! Have some patience! The question I always ask back to my clients is “how long did it take you to gain this weight or how long has it been since you have exercised?” The normal response is usually an eye opener. Remember that exercise isn’t something to fix a problem, it is a preventative tool used to help increase health, vitality and the by-products are weight loss, feeling and looking better, sense of accomplishment and increased self esteem!!
Please relax! These will all come in time!
Make sure…you are on a proper program designed with your needs in mind. Are you doing it on your own? Do you need some help?
Maybe your program is to hard for your level of fitness and you are overtraining!! There are many possibilities.
If you are frustrated, burned out, unsure, upset or on the brink of quitting…please don’t! Find an exercise professional to give you the guidance you need.
Better yet, suck it up and keep moving forward. The results will happen if you are on the right track.
Stay strong YYC!!

Fitness vs. Health

Fitness and health are not the same thing! Although they overlap in many aspects of life, they are not synonymous. Healthy people are not always fit and fit people are not always healthy. Fitness is an aspect of overall good health and can contribute to decreasing a number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. Visit a qualified fitness instructor, Kinesiologist, personal trainer (with proper certifications) or an exercise physiologist to give you an accurate cardiovascular test to be able to calculate YOUR heart rate zone and exercise protocol. Fitness is a key component to increasing overall health and quality of life.
Stay strong YYC!!

Top fitness trends for 2014

Where will you ‘fit’ in?
Stay strong YYC!!

SURVEY PREDICTS TOP 20 FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2014
ACSM experts examine what’s hot — and what’s not — in the health and fitness industry
INDIANAPOLIS – A new winner has been crowned in the 2014 top fitness trends. High Intensity Interval Training has topped the list of the 20 trends in its debut year. This spot was previously held since 2008 by Educated, Certified and Experienced Fitness Professionals. More than 3,800 fitness professionals completed an American College of Sports Medicine survey to determine the top fitness trends for 2014. The survey results were released today in the “Now Trending: Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2014” article published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®.
“High Intensity Interval Training made its first appearance on this list this year. Its appearance in the top spot on the list reflects how this form of exercise has taken the fitness community by storm in recent months,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey.
The survey, now in its eighth year, was completed by 3,815 health and fitness professionals worldwide (many certified by ACSM) and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Thirty-eight potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.
The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2014 are:

1. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT, which involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery, jumps to the top of this year’s list. These exercise programs are usually performed in less than 30 minutes.

2. Body Weight Training: This is the first appearance of this trend in the survey. Body weight training uses minimal equipment making it more affordable. Not limited to just push-ups and pull-ups, this trend allows people to get “back to the basics” with fitness.

3. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals. Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), such as those offered by ACSM.

4. Strength Training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders. (The other essential components are aerobic exercise and flexibility.)

5. Exercise and Weight Loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.

6. Personal Training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that they are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.

7. Fitness Programs for Older Adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.

8. Functional Fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

9. Group Personal Training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering more group training options. Training two or three people at a time makes economic sense for the trainer and the clients.

10. Yoga. Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. Includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and others.

The full list of top 20 trends is available in the article “Now Trending: Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2014.”
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The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.
ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® is an official publication of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is available from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at 1-800-638-6423.

Turkey sausage and spinach soup

This one is deeeee licious!!
Ingredients:
One small onion
3-6 cloves garlic
2 L low sodium chicken stock
4-5 turkey sausages
1-2 large bags of spinach
3-5 eggs
Green onion

In the pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté til soft. Add a splash of chicken stock and cover to really steam the garlic and onion flavour out. Add rest of stock and bring to boil.
Remove casings from turkey sausages and dice. Dry in separate pan til brown. Let rest. (If sausage is not seasoned you should add some Italian spice)
Scramble eggs and add to boiling stock while swirling it around to avoid clumping of eggs in soup. Add chopped green onion. Add turkey sausage. Add spinach.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Serve.
You can alter the amounts of garlic and onion to taste.
I hope you enjoy, I did!!
Stay strong YYC!!

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Happy New Year

Welcome back everyone, to reality that is! If you have taken some time off of a healthy routine, come on back in, the water is fine. Returning to a workout regime should be gradual. Even if you only took a couple of weeks off. Give your body time to readjust to exercise again. It is the safest and most effective way to avoid disappointing yourself with the decreases in endurance and strength that you will notice. Take your time and do it right, or you may need to book a massage with me to fix the injured parts!!
Good luck, welcome back and stay strong YYC!!

Small biz owners mag

If you are a small business owner you should check out this free online magazine. It has several great tools to use to help run a successful business. I am a contributor and my article is on page 46-47. Check it here!
This is a no spam, no junkmail site!!

http://bit.ly/12J6DIU