The truth about fitness

Happiness Workout

2012-01-23T11:19:00.005-05:00

What a grey wet Monday it is in Toronto today. Blah! I've got my full spectrum light a blaze in the studio. Now all I need is some endorphins to shake the winter blahs.

My most recent iVillage Column is THE HAPPINESS WORKOUT.

I've picked some moves for the gym and also, some simple things to do right at your desk if you have golden handcuffs keeping you stuck in your chair.

Enjoy and take charge of your own happiness! Our bodies can bring us much joy and feelings of vitality when we move!

The truth behind Blue Monday- has it already happened or not?

2012-01-17T10:38:00.004-05:00

Blue Monday is a name given to what some experts postulate is the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall, at the time a tutor at the Centre for Lifelong Learning which is associated with Cardiff University, came up with a formula for calculating the bluest day of the year based on a number of variables including weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.

Apparently, Arnalls created a press release that was delivered to a number of academics by public relations agency, Porter Novelli, who offered them money to put their names to it.

Needless to say, there’s much controversy about the whole existence of Blue Monday. But who cares! January does suck and everyone needs to do things to pick up their mood this time of year. Why not pick a specific day to support each other in doing something to increase our level of happiness and by default, everyone’s around us.

So I missed the boat a bit on what I coin my happiness workout! I read different sources which said it was January 23rd this year but, alas, the masses seem to assert that Blue Monday is the 3rd Monday in January which seems to negate the need for the formula above. I like to call this, "Science through press release". Something is fact because it was in a press release and, let's face it, the press can be insanely lazy due to 'pressing' deadlines.

Even the Toronto Star is confused about what is actually Blue Monday. Check out today's article from the Star. Here's an excerpt.

It was supposed to be the Monday of all Mondays, when you’re more than justified for having a serious case of … the Mondays. And it was supposed to be long over.

Except that no one seems able to agree on the exact date of Blue Monday, the day considered the most depressing day of the year. Was it yesterday, the third Monday of January, which is the most often-sited date? Or is it Jan. 23, the Monday in the last full week of January? Or could it have happened as far back as Jan. 1, which is the shortest day of the month?

Stay posted for my simple happiness workout in my next iVillage Column! We can choose behaviours that will improve our level of happiness!!!!

Here's the New Order song Blue Monday to help us all celebrate, tongue in cheek ;)

23 1/2 hours and the SINGLE best thing you can do to combat depression

2012-01-16T10:27:00.002-05:00

My most recent iVillage Column is an interview with the extraordinary Dr. Katherine Rouleau. I don't want people to take my word for it...that exercise is an essential element in the treatment of depression so I got to medical professional to back me up.

What I love about Dr. Rouleau is that she stays on top of medical research. She is so deeply committed to helping people.

To read the full column, click here.

But before I go, Dr. Rouleau suggested you all check out this video, 23 1/2 hours, THE SINGLE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR HEALTH. If this won't convince you to get off your butt for 30 minutes a day, I don't know what will.

9 tips for working out as a couple (without wanting to kill each other in the process)

2012-01-04T10:57:00.003-05:00

My most recent iVillage Column should really be credited to the 7 wonderful contributors who shared their experience working out with a mate. They are Amanda Thebe, Sarah Robichaud, Sarah Currie, Cassandra Bach, Jackie Thompson, Rebecca Nixon and my bro James Clapp.

So go check out the full article.

But before you leave my blog, a few words of wisdom...

If your sex life sucks, it's often a function of how we are feeling about ourselves. I do believe one of the critical elements in keeping a relationship alive and healthy is in keeping our MOJO intact. If we feel like crap about our bodies and unhealthy and lethargic, what do we have to give to a partner. While working out with your mate might not be for you, if you really want your relationship to last and be nurturing, it's all about keeping yourself feeling good about you. Mark my words. I'm no spring chicken. And when I say feeling good about you, I mean more than having a nice ass. We need to feel proud of who we are holistically. Over and out.

Spirit Science: You can be anything you want to be and feel the way you want to feel

2011-12-29T19:04:00.005-05:00

Just take a few minutes and watch this video. I truly believe that health starts with improving our consciousness, that is, being aware of our thoughts, motivations, defenses and negative self talk. We can change our lives just by opening our eyes to the fact we are responsible for ourselves.

How our food is designed to be addictive

2011-12-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

Is our food refined the way cocaine is refined from the cocoa leaf, designed to make us addicted and spending more money on our food drug of choice?

This video provides an interesting way to look at food and addiction in today's society. Check it out!

Pre New Year's Resolution Exercise

2011-12-19T22:43:00.004-05:00

Today I did an interview with 680 News in Calgary and wanted to share one of the central pieces of advice I have for people wanting to improve their relationships with their bodies.

True lasting change doesn't start with choosing the perfect type of yogurt or finding the next miracle food or even committing to a new exercise regiment. It's not about finding the perfect trainer or the next hottest fitness studio that will be the answer to your health and fitness problems. It doesn't start with micro choices but instead trickles down from our larger life intentions.

Transformation and improved peace in life starts with knowing what really matters to us, that is, getting in alignment with what is truly most important. When were are out of alignment with our core values, we are driven to dissociate or numb out from our internal dissonance. This internal struggle and departure from what really matters to us can lead to lethargy and suck our energy dry.

Getting out of alignment could be letting our ego/ambition dominate our choices, working too much, taking us away from enough quality connected time with our kids or enough time to exercise and care for ourselves. It could be taking on too much outside work in terms of volunteerism so we look like supermoms to the outside world. It could be not setting aside enough time to connect with ourselves or our spouses or partners. I could go on and on. But we all know when we stray from the things that REALLY matter in our lives. When we are in alignment with our deepest selves, we don't feel the same drive to overeat or engage in behaviours that help us forget about a lack of fulfillment. (AKA addictive behaviours)

We all know on some level what our guiding core values should be.

If you're serious about really making change in your life for the better, I suggest you take a few days to ask yourself if your overall life paradigm is in alignment with your true self.

After living in the question of "What is truly important to me" write down the top five most important things in your life. These are your guiding principles. Start asking yourself every opportunity you have in making a choice, big or small, if you are moving closer or further away from your true values. Give yourself a break when you don't honor your values and notice when you've strayed. And make the next choice in front of you with consciousness and a sense of responsibility.

Life is too short and sweet to waste on living someone else's life eaten up by regret about what we wish might have been if only we knew at the time.

Exercise therapy for creative blocks

2011-12-14T15:37:00.004-05:00

Over ten years ago my life took a dramatic turn. I left the security of a corporate career to start doing anything but that. I didn't know exactly where I was headed. I was just headed in the opposite direction and fast. I started reading the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and followed her book to the letter. It helped unlock part of myself buried by my drive to conform to external ideas of what was normal, stable and successful. As part of my journey I started working with an acting coach, Richard McKenna, in semi private classes. Immediately, he assigned daily exercises that included free movement and meditation. The whole idea was to help remove my censor through the daily practice and free up my creative self. I did what he told me to do to the letter as well. As part of this process, I started painting again (I'd spent much of my childhood painting surrounded by artists) and explored some Kundalini yoga in addition to getting back into high intensity boxing and strength classes. I started reading about Kundalini and realized I was waking mine up. Although I doubt it's completely open, I do know it's no longer dormant. I'm not an expert in this area and would never pretend to be. However, I could feel something powerful energetically alive again and I found a part of myself waiting to we woken up. I eventually got enough work together to have an art show which I named, The Kundalini. There was a lot of painting with my nudie bod' on the canvas as the paint brush. My work kind of sucked. I sold one painting. But the process is what was most important. The awakening. I had been living from my neck up since starting business school at 19. I was seriously blocked from my creative self for several years.

Kundalini is a psycho-spiritual energy, the energy of the consciousness, which is thought to reside within the sleeping body, and is aroused either through spiritual discipline or spontaneously to bring new states of consciousness, including mystical illumination. Kundalini is Sanskrit for "snake" or "serpent power," so-called because it is believed to lie like a serpent in the root chakra at the base of the spine. In Tantra Yoga kundalini is an aspect of Shakti, the divine female energy and consort of Shiva.

The power of kundalini is said to be enormous. Those having experienced it claim it to be indescribable. The phenomena associated with it varies from bizarre physical sensations and movements, pain, clairaudience, visions, brilliant lights, superlucidity, psychical powers, ecstasy, bliss, and transcendence of self. Kundalini has been described as liquid fire and liquid light.
Read full article

I could write a book about exercise and movement and removing creative blockages but instead I'll just summarize the way I approach it. I've worked with accomplished writers, artists, directors and loads of creative types. But I do believe that anyone needs to have their creative centre alive and well to be CREATING the life they want.

So my advice is vitality important for artists but equally important for the survival of everyone's creative life force which to me is the same thing as spirit.

First, we need structure in the way we try to remove creative blocks. Many artists lack structure and therefore can flail during blocks. Scheduling appointments with ourselves to move, workout, practice yoga is a vitally important aspect of helping our creativity flow. It can be an anchor for meditative movement and a disciplined approach to making work.

We have to wake up the muscles around the root chakra to wake up our creative centre. This requires excellent pelvic floor engagement, strength in the pelvis and butt muscles and extra strong lower abdominal muscle fibres to create a container for the powerful creative energy we all can manifest. Many people say they have no lower abdominal strength. It is merely a function of our ability to use our brains to send signals to these muscles. In creating the pathway from our brains to the muscles around the Kundalini we are building an energetic pathway from our primal creative life force up to our intellect so we are no longer just using just ourselves from the neck up to create. By building this energetic pathway and by building a strong container around our Kundalini we can then strengthen our abilities to tune into our creativity. A strong connection between our root energy and our brains eventually manifests as a feedback loop, our intellect and physical beings in balance.

But guess what? Sitting at a desk all day actually shuts down this area and these muscles. Most people now sit for work all day and this leaves many people feeling blocked creatively. This powerful creative energy lies dormant and even stagnant.

The cure? Set up a time to come see me for a private, come to one of my classes or if you're not in my area, we can do a remote coaching session. Everyone needs a slightly different approach depending on how weak the mind body connection is and long someone has lived with being out of touch with their body and pure life force.

All the best in your journey creating the life you dream of.

Jane

Exercise therapy for depression

2011-12-10T19:48:00.003-05:00

This time of year people often experience a dip in their energy levels. It's a hard time of year for people to avoid using food to pick themselves up from their lows, like a way to stuff away the blues. We all turn to different activities to self medicate from whatever is bugging us. It can range from food, sex, cigarettes, booze or even just a thought process that provides us with a dopamine jolt.

When I was 15 I started using exercise to pick myself from the stress and anxiety of growing up in an insecure and tumultuous household. It was my go to drug of choice for picking myself, even temporarily from the downs I would feel from being in a household I didn't feel like a fit. Always being told I was too sensitive, had to grow a tougher skin or being coached that I overreacted to unpredictable rages and sometimes even violence. The only time I felt totally free of my pain was when I was kicking my legs up in the air during old school high impact aerobics. The environment of Fitco, my club of choice, also made me feel like I belonged somewhere. I felt light and alive.

Even though these highs were temporary, I thank my lucky stars that I had the wisdom to turn to these activities and this positive community oriented environment to feel good. I did take this too far as some points in my life. Using exercise too much, being obsessive compulsive about exercise and not listening to when I had over done it.

Not all teenagers or not all people for that matter are as lucky as I have been to find something non-destructive to medicate themselves with. Many people find much less healthy methods to keep depression and anxiety at bay. My passion for fitness comes from my own personal experience with how it has saved me at many different points in my life.

I urge anyone who knows that exercise will help them particularly as the days get shorter and the urge to hibernate and overeat kicks in. We all know exercise is good for us. We are assaulted with the knowledge that we should be doing better at taking care of ourselves.

But if we can let go of the idea that we have to do it perfectly, get 5 workouts in a week, achieve the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week and just focus on doing something even small, certainly the tide in our lives will shift and we can slowly propel ourselves into forward motion towards picking ourselves up with something so obviously beneficial to us.

I could list the benefits exercise to brain chemistry like better serotonin uptake, the feel good chemicals that act like natural heroin in our brain, the feeling of vitality in moving our bodies the way they we were designed to be used, increased sex drive due to increased testosterone levels not to mention improved body image. We all know this by now no?

It's just about taking the first scary step into perhaps an unfamiliar gym or even dragging your ass down to the beach in your parka for a long walk. My most important piece of advice is to choose an environment for your brave step forward that makes you feel connected with nature or people. Find somewhere you can move be it gym or the outdoors that makes you feel lighter where you can exhale your stress and let go of your worries.

This comes from my heart and soul. I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't lucked out back when I was fifteen. I know I can get blue in the winter. I know I couldn't be relatively grounded or a glass half full person for most of the time if I didn't move my body.

Just take the first step and keep finding the inner discipline to do little things that make you feel better, not worse.

I know from first hand experience working with hundreds of people that exercise can be the flotation device we need during a storm and that it can even propel you forward in a new life direction.

When NOT to buy someone a fitness gift

2011-12-08T09:43:00.003-05:00

My most recent iVillage column is all about the giving of fitness gifts this season including a clear description of when to or not to buy someone a fitness or health related gift.

I also list my top my recos at different price points.

So go check out the full article.

But first, a teaser...

Many people have the best of intentions when buying fitness related gifts for their loved ones. Of course we want people we love to be healthy and happy and to feel great about themselves. But make sure you are giving this gift because they are demonstrably into health, not because they complain about their weight. Do not buy anyone fitness gifts unless they've already expressed an interest in tackling their fitness or are already working out.

If you’re the mother of a teenage daughter absolutely DO NOT buy her something fitness related unless she’s been begging you for something. I’ve spoken to too many female clients that relive the moments their moms gave them workout videos telling me how much it scarred them to this day.

Also, a wife giving a husband a fitness gift can easily be construed as another behavior in the nagging spectrum only creating MORE resistance to change like a regressive little boy who will subconsciously refuse to do something just because someone is pushing too hard. STOP. THINK. THEN BUY.

Exercise Therapy is My Passion

2011-12-05T21:47:00.005-05:00

MY DEFINITION OF EXERCISE THERAPY: Exploring the opportunity to accelerate physical, emotional and spiritual healing through movement and exercise.

What physical ailment or mental condition can't be aided through movement and exercise? Everything I'm reading is about yet another study showing the benefit of regular exercise on illness, medical conditions and psychiatric disorders.

My passion for quite some time has been in working closely with people who are looking for hope, looking for a promise that they can feel vital again despite major set backs in their lives. I'm doing my best to manifest new clients who need my passion, who's doctors haven't given them hope in their diagnosis or treatment. I love working with clients just before they take a giant leap of faith into an unknown path in life that might be ending a relationship, starting a new business venture or just simply taking responsibility for designing their lives the way they want them. Anyone I've described above needs to build stronger containers (their bodies) to support their beings through difficult times or transitions. Plus getting in better touch with our bodies forces us to listen to ourselves more closely. We can't ignore the need to rest. We can't shift into auto-pilot as easily and we certainly can't accept the status quo once we aren't numbed out.

I have clients with growing neuropathy down the entire side of their bodies and their neurologists just shrug and prescribe steroids. I have clients with MS who have been told this is the best they are going to feel for the rest of their lives and prepare for degeneration, that being able to stay out of a wheelchair is the best they can hope for. I have clients with potentially debilitating rare auto-immune diseases who need to find the strength to care for their young children and pay their bills. Their options for fitness environments are limited.

I have a hard time integrating into mainstream fitness communities because the fitness industry does not focus on the people who need help the most. Sure having a nice ass is great! Losing weight can definitely aid in the healing process of many illnesses and conditions. But how many people with serious shit going on feel welcome going into a big box gym? First, you have to fill out piles of waivers and medical release forms. You might be lucky to work out unsupervised in environments focused on protecting their own liability before helping people. Second, most trainers are scared to touch people who have complex issues. The most fit looking people out there are the ones who often have the most fucked up ideas about what true health means. Obsessive compulsive behaviours and type A attitudes towards health is not health to me. This is merely about micromanagement, not about taking a step back to look at what it means to be a balanced human being. Looking the part of a fit person does not require heightened levels of consciousness, deepened self compassion and alignment with what is truly most important in this world. When we get in alignment and start focusing on consciousness, a fit body will follow because we are listening to what we REALLY need in terms of food intake and movement.

There are no fitness certifications for many of things I see at Urbanfitt plus by the time I read an out of date textbook, there has been more research and development. It's an on the job learning process and forces collaboration with progressive health practitioners and constant finely tuned intuition and deep connection with each client.

The future of fitness is in exercise therapy. I'm not talking the traditional use of the term in physiotherapy settings or specialized medicalized environments. It is in using movement and exercise to release emotional repression, in improving true vitality so our bodies can heal, in getting in touch with our MOJO again so we are less likely to slip into depression and anxiety, in finding holistic ways to change our brain chemistry so fewer of us need to medicate our issues.

This might be a rant but it is a public announcement that I've been in this industry way too long to focus on the next it fitness toy (unless it fits with my priorities) or the hottest new fad eating plan, diet or cleanse. I don't want to contribute to the fitness industries' dysfunction and I certainly don't want to pretend I'm fit just because I have a flat stomach and small tush.

You Don't Have to be Fat to be Funny or Skinny to be Successful - An Interview with Naomi Snieckus

2011-11-22T13:14:00.002-05:00

I had the pleasure of connecting with Naomi to talk to her about making peace with our body types. She's a truly confident grounded woman and I thought it would be important to share her wisdom and experience with health and fitness with other women.

Naomi Snieckus is an award-winning actress, improviser, and veritable impresario. She is the co-founder and member of The National Theatre of the World, three time Canadian Comedy Award winner for Best Improv Troupe, who will be performing their annual Impromptu Splendor: A Very Mamet-y Xmas Show with guest-star Ron James at Theatre Passe Muraille on December 11th. Naomi can also be seen in the upcoming new CBC sitcom Mr. D (premiering in January) and in a Martin Short comedy special also on the CBC in February. She is also the creator and co-producer of online series The Casting Room. For more info visit National Theatre of the World

Here's a teaser from our interview.

As a performer do you feel more pressure to look a certain way?
If I wasn’t a performer I’d still want to be healthy and fit so I don’t know if I put more pressure on myself.

I want to grow up and be one of those 60 or 70 year-old ladies where people say “she’s so flexible and so fit”. I don’t want to be the lady that is 70 and look like she’s 100. But the industry of TV and film caters to skinnier and slender ladies but I also just bring what I bring. I’ve never been one of those 6-foot tall models. I quickly realized who I am physically and I’m ok with that.

How would you describe your body type?
I’m Lithuanian so I’ve got muscles. I’m strong like bull. Comes in handy when things need to be lifted. Ya. That’s my body type. Lithuanian.

...Read the full article here!

Can you vibrate your way to better bone density?

2011-11-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

There's been much debate about the benefits of vibration plate machines for bone density. For me, anything that doesn't require a little sweat and hard work seems too good to be true. I see many women with osteoporosis or osteopenia so I stay on top of research. Yes, there's been some studies to say that vibration machines will improve bone density but I was always skeptical.

The Globe and Mail reported on this most recent study that I'm vibing well with. ;)

But now a new Canadian study, published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine, has cast doubt over the burgeoning field of whole-body vibration. A trial of 202 postmenopausal women failed to show the device could build bone density. Some of the women were asked to stand on the platform for 20 minutes daily at home for 12 months. Other participants served as a control group. Bone density tests were taken at the beginning and end of the trial.

“To our disappointment, we did not find an effect from vibration therapy in these post-menopausal women,” said the senior researcher Angela Cheung, director of the osteoporosis program at the University Health Network in Toronto.

So there ya go. But you have to ask yourself, if you're looking for something that passively improves your health, then maybe you're just passive about your health in general.

Jane

Pema Chodron's 100,000 Aspirations Goal

2011-11-17T09:34:00.002-05:00

Check out Pema Chodron's site.

She's putting a call out for aspirations! Log yours to help raise group consciousness and send positive energy out into the world. It'll also firm up your commitment to your aspiration by writing it down and sharing over twitter and facebook.

Gathering 100,000 of our best intentions and radiating them to the world.

My aspiration:

I aspire to help people find their vitality and life force through movement and deep interpersonal connection.

I do believe having a sense of purpose that has at its root contributing to the world is the best way to prevent depression and improve our chances of being at peace with our existence. True

Trainer Tips to Tackling Holiday Excess BEFORE it Starts

2011-11-15T16:11:00.002-05:00

I'm a strong believer in the power of our beliefs and thoughts to determine outcomes in our lives. This article is primarily about that.

If you think something will be so, it will be so. It's something I'm trying to become more and more aware of in my own life. The power to manifest both the positive and negative.

So take a look at the full article but here's a teaser.

Do you see yourself at holiday parties and family dinners gorging yourself to the point of self-loathing or even just indulging beyond what you know is reasonable? Do you anticipate the pressure from family members to over do it on the food front without a strong enough will to set boundaries with people who love you through food?

Maybe you see yourself getting a little tipsy at every single holiday party and plan on a hard-core cleanse in January. I offer you a quote that is a guiding principle for my life and one I always bring into my weight loss and health coaching at Urbanfitt.

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” - Frank Lloyd Wright
If we believe losing weight or keeping it off is going to be next to impossible, our behaviours and choices will reflect this belief.

I offer you an alternative vision of the holidays: The ability to enjoy the sensual pleasures of the holidays within reason by raising our self-awareness and consciousness about our moment- to-moment choices.

Nevada Health District Raids Picnic due to Unregulated Organic Foods

2011-11-13T11:44:00.002-05:00

Genetically modified foods at McDonald's are glorified and promoted via endorsed USDA certification. Meanwhile, fresh natural, organic food is a "threat to our health and well being"?! Support locally grown organic food, before this starts happening here!!! (quote from Scott Heaney regarding this video).

Things like what happened at this innocent picnic in Nevada really make me wonder where western society is headed. Watch it and see if you're left as perplexed as me. If we grow our own food are people going to break down our doors to force us to pour bleach over it?

New Study: Aging Well Through Exercise

2011-11-12T22:05:00.002-05:00

I talk a lot about seeing older clients post cancer treatment and seeing the amazing youth deriving benefits of resistance exercise.

I don't need studies to make me believe in what I see with my own eyes every day. But never hurts to spread with word with cold hard research. Gretchen Reynolds from the New York Times reported on a new ground breaking study that tickles my fancy. So take a look at the full article. Here's an excerpt.

Consider the results of a stirring study published last month in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine. For it, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recruited 40 competitive runners, cyclists and swimmers. They ranged in age from 40 to 81, with five men and five women representing each of four age groups: 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70-plus. All were enviably fit, training four or five times a week and competing frequently. Several had won their age groups in recent races.

They completed questionnaires detailing their health and weekly physical activities. Then the researchers measured their muscle mass, leg strength and body composition, determining how much of their body and, more specifically, their muscle tissue was composed of fat. Other studies have found that as people age, they not only lose muscle, but the tissue that remains can become infiltrated with fat, degrading its quality and reducing its strength.

There was little evidence of deterioration in the older athletes’ musculature, however. The athletes in their 70s and 80s had almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their 40s, with minor if any fat infiltration

I've believed the fountain of youth is maintaining muscle mass. This study goes to show that you can exercise and have the body of someone 20 years younger. We need to adapt our ideas of what aging means and start seeing that having bodies that fall apart is a function of choice and not pre-determined.

Let's Welcome Stephanie Kus and Paluna Santamaria to Urbanfitt

2011-11-09T13:50:00.008-05:00

Urbanfitt has some exciting changes to announce!

But first a moment to say how much we already miss Sara-Clare who recently moved to Montreal :) Whaawhaa.

We have two new instructors who recently joined us at Urbanfitt.

I'd like to introduce Stephanie Kus as part of our fabulous group of Urbanfitt instructors. We know each other from way back in the Level Five days. It was my very good fortune that Goodlife bought Eclipse October 1st. There has been a westward migration since many of the individuals who once flourished there do not fit into the corporate culture that is Goodlife.

So join me in welcoming Stephanie Kus to Urbanfitt. She's teaching Saturday Urban Warrior - Circuit Strength class. If you'd like to register for the next Saturday six class session starting December 3rd, do it now by emailing help@urbanfitt or give us a ring at 416.964.3309. We reserve space when full payment is received.

Stephanie has been a fitness professional since 2002 bringing a strong focus on functional training with proper form and technique to provide safe and effective workouts to class participants and personal training clients. She has taught indoor cycling, body sculpting, plyometrics, Swiss ball, and circuit training and loves to motivate people to challenge themselves and realize the potential of their own bodies. Her training background includes crossfit, yoga, Olympic lifting, martial arts, cycling and kettlebell work. In her spare time Steph enjoys getting out on long early morning bike rides as well as hitting the park with her two dogs Casper and Obi.

And a big welcome to Paluna who came to us through Sara-Clare. She has taken over Sara-Clare's Kettlebell MMA class on Monday nights. She's a one of a kind woman and a gift to have at Urbanfitt. To reserve your space for the next Monday session, do it now! It starts Monday December 5th.

Paluna started her movement exploration journey at a young age. Coming from a family where her father devoted half of his life to the practice of yoga, she was introduced to the discipline at the age of 5. Always curious and fascinated by the human body, she has practised a wide variety of sports and martial arts as well as joining a swimming team for three consecutive years and getting a Pilates certification in 2004.
Now certified as a Personal Trainer with specialties in pre/post natal, post rehab, kettlebell training and yoga she dedicates her life entirely to teaching.
Completely convinced of the healing qualities of movement not only on a physical, but an emotional level, she enjoys helping participants find that discipline that makes them smile and feel happy to the bone. “If you enjoy it, you’ll stick to it” Paluna says.
Paluna brings her expertise to Urbanfitt as an instructor and trainer.

How Light Therapy Can Boost Your Energy in Darker Month

2011-10-31T21:22:00.002-04:00

Here's a taste of my most recent iVillage Column with some great links to more information for people who feel their energy dipping with the shortening days.

Plus check out an event I'm hosting on Nov 9th for all those motivated energy seekers who want to feel better.

Every fall when the sun starts setting early and I wake up to an alarm in the dark, I feel a strong desire to conserve energy, hibernate and just slow down. But the reality of my life is that I still have to be full of energy to motivate my clients and be fully present as a parent. I’m not a bear that gets to crawl into a cave for winter. I’ve traveled all over and constantly find myself picking hot climates with lots of sun, sand and the ocean at my disposal. I’m not built for Toronto winters!

A few years ago, right around this time of year, I knew I had to start being proactive about my energetic deficit. I couldn’t spend another cold Toronto winter just trying to make it to spring. I had read about light therapy lamps for people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I started being very honest with myself. Maybe I suffered from SAD. But as I started researching light therapy, it became clear that most people who lose sunlight in the winter could benefit.

Read full article

Gabor Mate on the stress illness connection

2011-10-24T11:39:00.002-04:00

I heard Dr. Gabor Mate speak on Friday night at a small venue. An honor to be included in that evening.
Needless to say, his humanity, intelligence and wisdom was enlightening and revealing.
Please watch this. Western medicine is so limited. You can't get well as an entire being without addressing emotional and spiritual issues and the process isn't about reaching a destination. It's about choosing core values and continually realigning with them.

WATCH THIS

Do you have a set point for exercise?

2011-10-19T08:39:00.003-04:00

Gretchen Reynolds, of the New York Times, just reported on a new study out.

Does exercising at one point during the day make you less active the rest of the time?

The question of whether humans have an innate set point for movement, a so-called activitystat, is of increasing interest and controversy among scientists. One of them is Dr. Terence J. Wilkin, a professor of endocrinology at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, England, who asked himself that question a few years ago while hoping to learn more about the interplay of activity and childhood obesity.

Read full article

A personal reflection on this study...

When I put out more energy, I need more down time. Let's say I work an 11 day like I do on Wednesdays, I need to balance it out with sloth time later or even on the weekend. Maybe a nap in the studio or a relaxing pedicure. I know how much energy I have and more activity requires me to rest more.

Dr. Wilkin had expected that the children at the prep school, who spent about 65 percent more time exercising at school than the other students, would be much more active over all. But they weren’t. In fact, when he collated the data, the weekly activity levels of the students from all three schools were remarkably similar. Students who exercised more at school were less active afterward.

What does this mean for managing childhood obesity or obesity in general? The answer isn't just more exercise. Weight loss and weight management is 80% food related.

And in reality, most people in our society haven't even come close to their maximal exercise out put. So don't take this finding as discouraging. Get off your ass and leave it behind! And particularly right now, lay off the Halloween candy. A little goes a long way.

Second trimester workout plus more

2011-10-12T13:45:00.002-04:00

Go check out my most recent iVillage Column, Second Trimester Workout. I'm routing for all the preggers out there who want to feel good for the majority of their pregnancy.

I talk about the exercise contraindications for you in your second trimester and provide a simple and effective workout you can do at home with little financial investment. PLUS I explain the purpose of each exercise so you understand why you're doing it!

AND BTW, big kudos for me ;). My article, "The one exercise you need to ramp up your sex life", got posted on the homepage of MSN. Steamy and useful for sure!

Also, go check out my editor, Adina Goldman's, verdict on the one month of building strength from the inside out with me as her coach.

Enjoy!!!

Lots of love,

Jane

The Indo Board Workout: Functional or another fad?

2011-10-04T08:10:00.002-04:00

I saw this posted on the New York Times Well Blog and thought it looked kind of fun. The only thing that totally loses me with new group fitness classes though are the 'cardio' or warm up moves. I started teaching in 1991 and it seems that these moves just won't go away. If I never do another grape vine in my life, I will be happy. Why can't group fitness move to more functional warm ups like joint mobility and dynamic stretching to actually prepare the body for movement!

So in terms of how useful I think the Indo Board Workout is, I work with people with compromised proprioception (meaning "one's own" and perception and the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement). In fact, most people who live from the neck up and don't really tune into their bodies benefit from work that makes them think about what their bodies have to do to accomplish a movement.

I also find work that focuses on proprioception is an excellent stress reduction tool. It's like moving meditation. When we have to focus in the moment on exactly what we're doing or we will fall or lose balance, the past and the future melt away.

People post chemo often have issues with proprioception as do people with any neurological issues. I also find people suffering from anxiety and depression find it hard to complete balance exercises possible due to a completely taxed nervous system.

In addition to work that makes people sweat and improve strength, I love work that integrates the entire being to make people more body aware. So thumbs up to the Indo Board workout. But could you guys lose the cheesy toe tapping cardio and 90s aerobic style warm up? It's not necessary nor is it functional.

Peace,

Jane

Reebok to pay $25M over toning shoe claims

2011-09-29T11:43:00.003-04:00

Just goes to show people are getting wiser to whacky claims about apparent fitness benefits of new fads, like toning shoes.

I like to think that eventually the cream rises to the top and people who don't have the best of intentions or ethics will be held accountable in some way. This ought to seal the deal for any of you thinking about buying toning shoes. Instead, get your butt to the gym and sweat and strength train and stop the hand to mouth reflex.

Shoes aren't the answer. The answer to a nice toned arss and sexy legs in within you. There are no short cuts.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Reebok will need to tone down advertising for its shoes that claim to reshape your backside.
The athletic shoe and clothing company will pay $25 million in customer refunds to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that it falsely advertised that its "toning" shoes could measurably strengthen the muscles in the legs, thighs and buttocks. As part of the settlement, Reebok also is barred from making some of these claims without scientific evidence.
"Settling does not mean we agree with the FTC's allegations," Dan Sarro, a Reebok spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday. "We do not. We have received overwhelmingly enthusiastic feedback from thousands of EasyTone customers."
It's the latest controversy surrounding so-called toning shoes, which are designed with a rounded or otherwise unstable sole. Shoemakers say the shoes force wearers to use more muscle to maintain balance and consumers clamored for them, turning toning shoes into a $1.1 billion market in just a few years. Companies such as Reebok, New Balance and Skechers have faced lawsuits over their advertising claims. But the FTC settlement, announced Wednesday, is the first time the government has stepped in.

And Kim, you and I both know your coveted ass has nothing to do with you wearing toning shoes.

Read full article

First Trimester Home Workout

2011-09-27T20:43:00.003-04:00

My most recent iVillage Column is a equipment free home workout for women in their first trimester. It was soooo hard to write. So many things to consider including experience level with exercise, choosing exercises that even barfy mamas can do easily and creating enough of a challenge that mamas will feel like they actually did something.

I put together five exercises that hit all the major muscle groups and work on alignment and structural balance to help with the weight about to be packed on. This pic is of the plie squat. Since gravity plays a really important role in getting the cervix to open up during labor, we need to find the strength to squat while in labor.

It might seem far fetched that you're going to actually work out while you feel nauseous and exhausted, but it always helped me feel better. I remember many times in my first trimester (when everyone at the studio I was working at the time didn't know I was pregnant yet) sitting in a bathroom stall before a class wondering how I was going to get through an hour of teaching and motivating people. And every single time I got the strength together to move a bit, I ALWAYS felt better for a good couple hours.

So go check it out!

Victoria's Smoothie Recipe

2011-09-25T20:44:00.004-04:00

Victoria Fodor is a legend in her circles for her dinner parties, her wonderful homemade frozen meal service (Victoria's Kitchen) and for just being the nurturing full of life woman that she is.

Today she and I were chatting and she told me about this AMAZING smoothie recipe she came up with.

I would say, treat this as a bit more of a dessert smoothie. But it's loaded up with so many different nutrients in a totally yummy way, that I had to pass it along. I love yummy and healthy foods.

This should make a few servings!

1 banana (packed with potassium and fibre, also Vitamin B6 and C)
2 tablespoons almond butter (protein, omegas, calcium and Vitamin E)
6 dates (rich iron and in antioxidant flavonoids such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, packed with fibre)
Chocolate almond milk (vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, iron, fiber, zinc and calcium)
Coconut water (cytokinins in coconut water showed significant anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-thrombotic effects)
Pinch of cinnamon (calcium, iron, vitamins C, K, and manganese)

Add liquid in equal parts to your desired consistency. Yum!

Thanks Victoria!

The Truth about Toning Shoes

2011-09-19T19:51:00.002-04:00

Just watch this. Really. She knows what she's talking about. There's nothing that will make people have 'toned' bodies without sweat and eating mindfully. Shoes won't deliver miracles. Consistency, commitment and strategy is what it takes. So could people just stop asking me about their potential benefit please? There is no magic pill!!!!

They could actually hurt you. If we were meant to walk in what feels like a mini rocking chair, our feet would be in the shape of a rocking chair.

Why You Shouldn't Fear Prenatal Exercise

2011-09-18T23:21:00.005-04:00

My iVillage column this week has at its heart, the hope that I will somehow inspire even one pregnant woman to get on the path of self care during pregnancy. Once baby comes around, all the attention goes off the mama's health and gets directed at the baby. I always felt this paradigm was flawed at it's core. If the mama is the primary caregiver, then the oxygen mask on first analogy should prevail. Happy mom. Happy baby.

I know how hard it is to care for a new born. Some babies are harder than others. If I hadn't had the physical strength I did when my daughter was born, I wouldn't have been as engaged with her as I was. I wouldn't have been able to milk the beautiful moments the way I so often could (not a perfect record on this front of course!).

I really had NO idea how intense having a new born was going to be. The one thing we do have in our control if we have a normal pregnancy, is to make ourselves as robust as possible for all the unpredictability and chaos those little tiny beings bring into our lives.

So go check out my most recent column to get a bit of inspiration and maybe even a bit of a kick in the pants you need to get moving mama!

Here's a bit of an excerpt as a teaser...

James Clapp M.D. (unrelated to moi), is the world’s leading prenatal exercise researcher and author of “Exercising Through Your Pregnancy”. He conducted a 1990 study that concluded that women who exercised regularly during their pregnancy had shorter labors, fewer C-sections, less uses of forceps and their babies had higher APGAR scores. APGAR is an acronym for activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration and is the test given to a newborn immediately after birth.

Read full article

Stay posted on my soon to arrive column, "First trimester home workout"

If you've got a baby bump right now, hope you're happy and well!

Jane

How University Students Can Fight "The Freshman 15"

2011-09-14T10:36:00.002-04:00

My most recent iVillage Canada column comes at the perfect time. Kids are settling into their first year of university and have some control over what's coming ahead, the Freshman 15.

Rapid weight gain or weight loss is often a symptom of something awry within someone. A lack of internal emotional and psychological balance can manifest on the exterior. The freshman 15 isn't just about too much greasy pizza and beer gardens.

Kids are faced with one of the most dramatic transitions, moving away from home and launching into early adulthood. With that comes emotional challenges and stress.

I tried to sum up the big picture issues and simple health tips for new university students in 500 words.

Check it out

A month of strength training from the inside out

2011-09-10T11:08:00.003-04:00

I love being given a challenge. When iVillage Senior Editor, Adina Goldman, approached me to help her with her one month challenge of building core strength, I was ready. Coaching people towards their goals is so much more than designing an exercise program for them. It's about understanding the flow of their lives, overall priorities, time constraints and getting to deeper to their true motivation for wanting to make a change. Only then, can a coach truly help facilitate positive change.

My most recent iVillage column is all about Adina and my assessment of where she's at and my recommendation for her progress. So go check it out!

Here's a teaser from Adina. You might be able to relate very well to where she's at. So stay posted for her/our updates of our month together, creating strength from the inside out.

Intro by Adina: I’ve been working an office job for most of my adult life, and as 40 looms menacingly in the distance, I find myself feeling the impact of all those years at a desk, hunched over a keyboard. While I ride my bike do a weekly yoga class, it’s not enough.

Come 5pm, I find it harder to stand up straight. These days, my posture is getting hunched and I am way more prone to brutal kinks in my neck. Lately, picking up my son (who is really too old to be carried) can throw my back into uncomfortable spasms. Is this what getting older is all about? What can I do to get stronger?

When I spoke with our fitness expert Jane Clapp, she said I need to build up my core strength. And I am a lucky, lucky editor – she’s agreed to be my personal trainer for a month, helping me create a regimen that focuses on building core strength in my minimal free time. We are SO on. Introducing ‘My Month With a Personal Trainer"

Do you eat when you’re stressed? This new study knows why

2011-09-04T17:42:00.003-04:00

Since opening Urbanfitt over 6 years ago, my health philosophy has become more and more holistic. Squatting our asses off and sweating our faces off isn't the most important part of getting fit and staying a healthy body weight. It's all about our overall health: physical, emotional and spiritual. I always include 15 minutes of myofascial release ( AKA self massage on a roller) and fascial stretch therapy at the end of my client sessions to help the body heal after a workout and release chronic stress. Any trainer who doesn't look at fitness from the inside out hasn't been on a journey of self discovery through enough stressful times to truly understand how to coach people who are living with chronic stress. We coach to whatever depth we have been to ourselves. So when choosing a trainer, make sure you feel like they have walked or could walk a mile in your shoes so that they get where you are at, see past the surface of you and, instead, look to understand your life in designing your fitness approach.

When I get really stressed, I feel slightly nauseous and lose my appetite. Most of my clients have the reverse problem when it comes to stress. They want to eat more. So I'm always looking at understanding this stress response because I have the opposite problem. Some people build a porch (i.e a belly) under prolonged stress and some people burn a porch (i.e. lose weight) under prolonged stress. You know which one you are. In choosing an exercise plan, it has to be something that helps you let go of stress and tension especially if you're an overeater or undereater during stress.

A new study gives fitness professionals even more reason to coach clients in a holistic way.

A new Canadian study has pinpointed how stress can temporarily rewire the nerve cells in the brain to ramp up hunger pangs. The findings finally put some science behind what people have thought for years.

“There’s lots of anecdotal evidence,” noted Jaideep Bains, a scientist at the University of Calgary. “People say when they’re stressed, they eat a lot … When you don’t eat, you have this really increased desire to eat, that perhaps you don’t sense the satiety signals the same way, or you tend to overeat.”

Dr. Bains and a team of researchers from the university’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute used rats to study how the brain reacts to stress. And in the case of rats, a key stress is availability of food. So the scientists took away the rodents’ food supply for a day and then examined what happened in their brains.

They looked at the nerve cells, or neurons, of the hypothalamus, the ancient part of the brain, which has previously been identified as playing a key role in controlling appetite and metabolism. The hypothalamus is also the main area responsible for how the brain handles stress.

Their findings, published online this week in the journal Neuron, found that the endocannabinoids, or chemicals that are produced in the brain to control how cells communicate, which also regulate food consumption, were negatively impacted by stress.

(taken from the Globe and Mail)

Intuitively, we know that there's more at play with weight gain and overeating than simple impulse control issues. It's a complicated relationship between our mind and body. Sometimes one of the best ways to change our bodies is to tackle our emotional challenges. We need to find ways to deal with stress and find fitness professionals who can assess our full beings, not just look at a number on a scale or a body fat % and then give us a cookie cutter diet and exercise program. We get the best results when we give our mind and body exactly what it needs to get in balance.

Nick Carter's Visit To Urbanfitt

2011-09-01T11:51:00.009-04:00

Nick Carter swung by Urbanfitt last night to do a special online video chat with iVillage Canada and the wonderful Taylor Kaye passed along iVillage reader's questions. Here are some pics from last night. Maggie wandered right into the shot at one point and was all smiles, being as adorable as ever. A pleasure to host it!

Stay posted for my iVillage Canada interview with Nick Carter. I interviewed him to find out more about how he stays fit and smokin' hot given his busy life as rock star!

The Energy Project and Take Back Your Lunch

2011-08-31T09:17:00.002-04:00

Ever wonder what happened to the lunch hour? Where did it go? Are we actually more productive because we don't take time away from our desks and end up gobbling down food in front of our computer screen. Check this out!

People are more sleep deprived, stressed and exhausted now than a few decades ago. Our compulsive productivity oriented society isn't working for most people. Simple activities like going for a walk, sitting in a park or even reading a bit of a book you're loving will help reenergize you for the rest of your day. It will also make it easier to stay away from caffeine, sugar or other stimulants later in the afternoon.

Here s the book that inspired the Take Back your Lunch Movement.

"The Way We're Working Isn't Working" by Tony Schwartz, CEO of the Energy Project.

Here's a bit more about his book.

The defining ethic in the modern workplace is more, bigger, faster. More information than ever is available to us, and the speed of every transaction has increased exponentially, prompting a sense of permanent urgency and endless distraction. We have more customers and clients to please, more e-mails to answer, more phone calls to return, more tasks to juggle, more meetings to attend, more places to go, and more hours we feel we must work to avoid falling further behind.

The technologies that make instant communication possible anywhere, at any time, speed up decision making, create efficiencies, and fuel a truly global marketplace. But too much of a good thing eventually becomes a bad thing. Left unmanaged and unregulated, these same technologies have the potential to overwhelm us. The relentless urgency that characterizes most corporate cultures undermines creativity, quality, engagement, thoughtful deliberation, and, ultimately, performance.

No matter how much value we produce today—whether it’s measured in dollars or sales or goods or widgets—it’s never enough. We run faster, stretch out our arms further, and stay at work longer and later. We’re so busy trying to keep up that we stop noticing we’re in a Sisyphean race we can never win.

All this furious activity exacts a series of silent costs: less capacity for focused attention, less time for any given task, and less opportunity to think reflectively and long term. When we finally do get home at night, we have less energy for our families, less time to wind down and relax, and fewer hours to sleep. We return to work each morning feeling less rested, less than fully engaged, and less able to focus. It’s a vicious cycle that feeds on itself. Even for those who still manage to perform at high levels, there is a cost in overall satisfaction and fulfillment. The ethic of more, bigger, faster generates value that is narrow, shallow, and short term. More and more, paradoxically, leads to less and less.

Just a little food for thought. The world isn't going to suddenly change around us. We have to change ourselves to feel healthier, more engaged and more fulfilled. It could start with something as simple as stepping away from your desk to mindfully eat your lunch and give yourself a bit of downtime.

Jane

Dr. Gabor Mate: Interview on TVO regarding his book "When the Body Says No"

2011-08-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

I'm absolutely fascinated with the mind body connection. I'm not just talking about it on a superficial level in terms of mind body fitness related activities. I'm talking about it on a fundamental health level. I see so many clients with random illness, especially cancer and autoimmune disease. I'm absolutely ecstatic that I get to hear Dr. Gabor Mate speak in October.

If you are someone who can't say no and is constantly feeling exhausted by all of your obligations, then you have to start looking at your health more seriously.

Watch this, please! I have personal experience with idiopathic illness that almost killed me. I have been committed to working with my clients in a more holistic way in large part due to my own experience.

The Cure for Chub Rub

2011-08-28T17:22:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I take requests in class for exercises or body parts. Sometimes I entertain the requests if they aren't too kooky. Often, women ask for inner thigh exercises still hanging on to the lost cause of spot reduction. It seems people take issues with their thighs rubbing together. Certainly, endurance athletes who have to deal with inner thigh chafing have a legitimate complaint. Any chafing stings like hell in a post workout shower and can get infected due to moisture and constant irritation.

My most recent column at iVillage is all about inner thigh chafing AKA chub rub. Get your mind out of the gutter.
It might be impossible to stop our thighs from touching but there are some creative solutions out there to make it less annoying!

So go check out the article! There's also a picture and description of my favourite inner thigh exercise I like to call "Bladerunner".

Preaching a Healthy Diet in the Deep-Fried Delta

2011-08-24T22:32:00.005-04:00

A client told me about this article in the New York Times. I had to share it with all of you. It is truly inspiring. I'm not a religious person and I don't go to church. I am a true believer in the fact that when our bodies are out of balance our mind and souls cannot shine the way they were intended to.

And after a trip to Ontario Place yesterday, I can see that the obesity crisis isn't going away. Although this article is about an area in Mississippi, Canadians should know that our obesity stats are getting closer and closer to those of the U.S.. People don't seem to be motivated by their doctors to make changes. But maybe we will be motivated and empowered by leaders in our communities to find the strength and accountability to change.

Mississippi finds itself on the wrong end of just about every list of health indicators. It is first among states in percentage of children who are obese, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. It is first in rates of heart disease, second in the number of adults with diabetes, second in adult obesity, near last in the percentage of adults who participate in physical activity, near last in fruit and vegetable consumption and dead last in life expectancy.

For over a decade from his pulpit here at Oak Hill Baptist in North Mississippi, the Rev. Michael O. Minor has waged war against obesity and bad health. In the Delta this may seem akin to waging war against humidity, but Mr. Minor has the air of the salesman he once was, and the animated persistence to match.

Read full article

Maybe when we used to live laborious lives, not desk bound car lifestyles, we could eat whatever we wanted. But this isn't the reality anymore. We just don't move as much as we used to but our appetites just haven't adjusted yet. And let's face it, everything has gotten bigger from coffee cups to salads. What is going to become of us as a population?

Who's the blame about childhood obesity?

2011-08-22T23:01:00.005-04:00

Incredible. MacDonalds has added apples to their happy meals after pressure from consumers and regulators. But is this really a solution to childhood obesity? I have a magic word that comes in handy when my daughter asks for crap food. It's NO! It's not to say she doesn't get treats but it's all about limits right?

Childhood obesity is a complex issue. I agree. But have many parents lost the ability to say NO both to themselves and their kids when it comes to eating fast food regularly? As Michael Pollan says, "Eat food. Mostly vegetables. Not too much".

McDonald’s Corp. is adding apples to all its Happy Meals and launching a nutrition-focused mobile phone app as part of a broader health push.

The changes that underscore how the restaurant industry is reacting to the demands of customers and regulators who blame it for health ills ranging from childhood obesity to diabetes.

- McDonald’s pledged to reduce sugars, saturated fats and calories through “varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations” by 2020. It didn’t give details. By 2015, it will reduce sodium by 15 per cent.

– McDonald’s will introduce a new mobile app focused just on nutrition information.

– McDonald’s U.S. president Jan Fields and other executives will go on a “listening tour” in August to hear suggestions from parents and nutrition experts. The chain will also launch a new online forum for parents.

taken from the Globe and Mail

It is true that food manufacturers develop the perfect blend of fat, sugar and salt to make food extremely pleasurable. It is also true that MacDonalds markets the shit out of their products to make them look like fun to kids. Hello? Ronald MacDonald. I just feel that our society could become way too paternalistic where we stop taking full responsibility for our choices and start blaming them on giant corporations. Is the corporation there each time we take our hand and put it to our mouths? There are so many systemic issues at play that contribute to the obesity crisis, way too many to try to talk about now. But change starts with the individual. I can't impact them in a big way but I can take responsibility for myself and my daughter.

In fact, many of my friends have poisoned their kids against MacDonalds by nick naming it "McDirtys". When their kids drive by a MacDonalds, they say "ooh McDirtys".

I have a hard time even thinking about putting their food in my mouth, not because I'd never indulge in fast food. Very occasionally, you can catch me eating fast food. I'm human, not a fitness robot. In desperation one morning last year I ordered an egg McMuffin, yes I did, and I took a bite and it was cold and moldy. I just can't go back. There's no freakin love or care in their food and people who work there are miserable most of the time, living below the poverty line.

When I told my daughter that MacDonalds was adding apples to their happy meals because many people feel that companies like MacDonalds are making children obese, she said, "Mommy. It's not MacDonalds. It's the parents."

Out of the mouth of babes.

Cirque inspired workout will have you flying!

2011-08-19T10:53:00.003-04:00

My latest column at iVillage Canada is all about suspension training and the hottest tools out there that people are gravitating towards with links to find them.

I also designed a four exercise gymnastics rings circuit with information on where to buy them. So go check it out !

All I can say is that the gymnastics rings are one of the most efficient tools for core and upper body strengthening I've ever used.

If you want to come for a ring workout, just drop me a line at jane@urbanfitt.com to book your next class. Here's a link to our current class schedule. Your first sweat is on us!

7 Exercise strategies to battle premature aging

2011-08-16T20:29:00.005-04:00

I WISH I could sit down with every trainer on the planet who still thinks that more exercise at a higher intensity is what it takes to get people fit and lean. It makes me crazy to think that fitness professionals are out there that don't think like health professionals looking at the big picture wellness of a client in order to prescribe individualized fitness for where people are at in their lives. In fact, are there still trainers out there that operate this way? Yikes.

It's all about getting the body back in balance. I feel like a broken record sometimes. But sometimes I experience small victories. Like today a dear friend and client emailed me to let me know she saw Dr. Penny Kendall-Reed, Naturopathic doctor, who I consulted for my most recent iVillage article "7 Exercise strategies to battle premature aging".

Week after week my dear friend would come in for an early morning workout after only sleeping 6 hours the night before having been unable to stay asleep due to stress. Eventually, she developed digestive disorders that her doctor investigated through imaging and then got referred to a nutritionist. The nutritionist got her on an elimination diet, didn't ask her about her work life balance issues and sent her on her way. In addition, she started having issues with historic injuries and they just wouldn't heal the way they had in the past. I pleaded with her. You are burnt out. Your body is saying no because you can't say no for yourself. You need to heal your body, get help learning to sleep again without the use of pharmaceuticals and learn how to set more realistic works goals for yourself. Also, I talked to her about how her cortisol and hormones were out of balance. Well she heard the same thing from Dr. Kendall-Reed today and slept for 9 hours straight for the first time in god knows how long.

So go check out my recent article on iVillage Canada. Find out what ya gotta do to slow down the rapid aging process many of us get caught up in our efforts to 'get ahead' in life.

Exercise can reduce symptoms of ADD/ADHD

2011-08-15T21:33:00.003-04:00

Surprise surprise...the effect of exercise on symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder is being studied. It is believed that the way exercise changes brain chemistry will have a positive impact on people who suffer from ADD. What is exercise not good for treating?

Here is some great information to explain why. (taken from an interview with Dr. J Ratey from Mescape.com)

Attention-deficit disorder (ADD), also called attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is often surrounded by controversy over medication use and is perceived by many as a condition that is overtreated. John J. Ratey, MD, advocates that exercise should be included in the treatment regimen, and that exercise can even reduce or eliminate the need for medication. An Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Ratey is author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, as well as several related books in the popular press. He also has consulted on clinical studies pertaining to exercise and psychiatric conditions.

Dr. Ratey: First, ADD affects at least 8%-10% of children, and almost as many adults. It's now considered a biological brain disorder and may have genetic components.

There are 2 basic ways of thinking about ADD in relation to exercise: One is about the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, both believed to be drivers of the attention system. Exercise increases the concentration of both dopamine and norepinephrine, as well as other brain chemicals. I have always said that a dose of exercise is like taking a bit of methylphenidate (Ritalin®) or amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall®); it's similar to taking a stimulant.

Second, over time, exercise helps build up the machinery to increase the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain as well as their postsynaptic receptors. Chronic exercise eventually causes growth of the system. The more fit that you are, the better the system works.

This excerpt from Medscape led me to Dr. Ratey's website and more about his book "Spark".

SPARK is a groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance that shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more.

There's no need to convince me of the benefits of exercise for balancing brain chemistry. When our bodies are out of balance so will our minds be out of balance. Some people need high intensity exercise more than others to get to equilibrium yet some people need exercise the brings them down. Either way, I can't see going the pharmeutical route for treating issues with brain chemistry without prescribing exercise along with pills. Doctor's like John Ratey will hopefully lead this revolution in medicine.

Suzanne's protein smoothie recipe

2011-08-12T15:20:00.004-04:00

All too often, my clients tell me that they just can't stomach breakfast, that they're too rushed to eat breakfast or that they don't like typical breakfast foods.

Thank goodness for the invention of the blender and, subsequently, the smoothie. In the summer, it's my go to running out the door breakfast and a solution for busy moms and non-breakfast people.

Breakfast is so important because:
1) People who don't eat breakfast are likely to be overweight.
2) Breakfast is often a cure to night time over eating because you top load your day with calories instead of feeling like you didn't get enough calories during the day
3) It kick starts your metabolism first thing in the morning

I could easily rattle off 30 more reasons to eat breakfast but instead I will share Suzanne's protein smoothie recipe for you. She's a breakfast convert like you will be very soon.

And guess what, peaches are freakin' awesome right now.

1 cup of 1 percent or skim milk
1 scoop of flavourless protein powder
1tbsp almond butter
2 ice cubes
Half a fresh, ripe peach
Half a cup of strawberries

Blend. Poor. Drink. Yum!

If you want to lose body fat and be healthier, there is no way around it. You need to have a balanced breakfast. End of story.

Share your favourite protein smoothie recipe below!

Be good,
Jane

How Chocolate Can Help Your Workout

2011-08-09T22:33:00.003-04:00

Before you get too excited, the researchers found that only half a small square of dark chocolate improved exercise performance.

For those who worry that fitness requires nutritional denial, there is good news, with caveats. Auspicious new science suggests that chocolate can have a surprisingly large effect on the body’s response to exercise, although not in the ways that many of us might expect, and certainly not at the dosages most might hope for.

Taken from New York Times Well Blog

I wanted to report on this study for next week's iVillage Column but, alas, it has saturated both print and digital media. James Fell over at Chatelaine.com also beat me to it. Here's an excerpt from his article. Check out his post.

My advice is to completely ignore studies like this and focus more on common-sense eating. If you want to lose weight, you need to, of course, exercise frequently and at high intensities. That’s a no-brainer. Another no-brainer is realizing that junk food like chocolate really is junk food, regardless of quirky little studies like this, and that it needs to become a rare treat in order to keep your caloric intake down.

Well said James!

So what this means for people with impulse control issues? I agree with James. Ignore this finding entirely. Don't buy a giant dark chocolate bar and mindlessly eat half of it kidding yourself that you're doing something healthy for you. Then you might even find yourself at a dinner party spreading inaccurate information about the benefits of dark chocolate for exercise.

If you can stop at half a square then gobble this information up. But the researchers warn:

And even for those who adore dark chocolate, there is a catch. “A very small amount is probably enough,” Dr. Villarreal said. Extrapolating from his group’s mouse data, he said, five grams of dark chocolate daily, or just a sixth of an ounce — about half of one square of a typical chocolate bar — is probably a reasonable human dose if your aim is to intensify the effects of a workout.

Sadly, “more is not better,” he continued. “More could lessen or even undo” any benefits, he said, by overloading the muscles’ receptors or otherwise skewing the body’s response.

Personally, I don't need exercise enhancement as a reason to eat chocolate. But like anything, I just don't overdo it or kid myself that something unhealthy I'm doing is actually good for me. True life long change starts with being honest with ourselves.

The One Exercise You Need to Ramp Up Your Sex Life

2011-08-07T21:30:00.006-04:00

I had fun writing my most recent column at iVillage Canada. I meet women who don't know how to find their pelvic floor muscles much less engage them and I want to help enlighten them as to the benefits of knowing their bodies intimately!

Last year I presented at a Divas in the City event at the Spoke Club and met Jessica O'Reilly, Sexologist, who delivered an awesome workshop on how to give (clearing my throat and blushing right now) hand jobs using carrots. Her workshop was engaging, fun and informative but it was clear that after spending an hour with her that her education and commitment makes her one of Canada's leading sex docs.

Jessica is a Toronto-based sexologist registered with the American College of Sexologists. She has completed her Ph.D. in human sexuality and holds degrees in education and sexual diversity studies from the University of Toronto. As an educator, she views sex education as a lifelong process that addresses cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of sexuality. Her training includes courses in counselling skills, resolving sexual concerns, sex education, clinical sexology, sexual development, sex and disability, group therapy and erotology. Jessica loves her work and divides her time between public speaking engagements, freelance writing, program development, and consulting in the field of sexual health.

In my column, Dr. Jess explains the benefits of pelvic floor strength and gives how to tips. I also explain how to do my favourite pelvic floor exercise called the Leprechaun to tighten up those muscles. So go check it out now! Before you spend one more day not getting the most out of your sex life.

Over and out,
Jane

Super efficient 9 minute weekend workout

2011-08-05T19:47:00.004-04:00

I found this sweet workout from Mike Chang at Six Pack Shortcuts you can do at home, all you need is a towel. Notice, there are no crunches in this workout!

Check it out for a little motivation wherever you may be.

This workout totally fits with my philosophy. It's efficient, full body, focused on core strength and will get your heart rate up to make you sweat. And it sure gets a lot done in 9 minutes flat.

Here's a phrase I came up with today...
"Sweat is sexy on sexy people" so get to it!

The Bar Method: a hot new ballet inspired workout

2011-08-02T23:32:00.005-04:00

A couple people asked me what I thought of the new Bar method, a ballet workout with a bar. Bar Method franchises have been popping up all over the West Coast of the US and people are really digging it.

It is a new name for something that has been taught all over for quite some time, AKA ballet conditioning for regular people. In fact my friends, Sarah Robichaud and Victoria Fodor, started teaching ballet bootcamp over 10 years ago if not longer than that. Victoria has even subbed in for me at Urbanfitt many times and surprised the class with a ballet bootcamp class. There were many confirmed sore muscles the next day.

The New York Times fitness guinea pig, Karen Barrow, went and tried it out.

My review of the Bar Method? Whatever gets people moving on a regular basis and involves strength and resistance training while you sweat gets a thumbs up...especially when there's a focus on posture and alignment! The only thing I might be concerned about? Improving strength and fitness requires progressions (i.e. more weight, higher intensity, longer duration etc. etc.). Many group fitness programs don't ensure progressions. I wish I could go try a class for myself ;)

6 Tips for Becoming and Exercise Addict

2011-07-31T13:13:00.002-04:00

I cannot be fully and completely myself without exercise in my life. If I take more than a week off from exercise, I get squirrelly and even grumpy. It is what keeps my soul and mind balanced, not to mention by body relatively fit!

I was really excited when Adina Goldman, my editor at iVillage Canada, asked me to write an article on how to get addicted to exercise. It gave me serious pause. I do believe there is a bit of a recipe to making exercise an essential component of our day to day existence, not seen as an extra thing on top of everything else we do, but something essential for peace of mind. I'm not talking about being obsessive compulsive about exercise like ignoring injuries, sickness or not adjusting to your energy or stress levels and choosing activities that are healthy to improve balance.

READ FULL ARTICLE

As a teaser, here are my six tips are as follows:

1) Find your location motivation
2) Master mad skills
3) Make play a priority
4) Take baby steps and reward yourself
5) Know yourself
6) Find your people

For a full explanation of what I mean by these tips, go the my column!

The truth about getting older: Ernestine Shepherd

2011-07-30T14:00:00.004-04:00

There are many misconceptions about getting older that proliferate our society. To me, the most distressing belief about getting older is that we can't do everything we want to do, that we have to be more 'careful' with how we use our bodies and that our worlds start to shrink as a result. This belief leads to decreased vitality as we have less and less time to make the most out of our lives. I say, screw that! As we get older, our life experiences can help us get wiser. I think it would suck not to use this hard earned wisdom to enjoy life and milk it as much as possible.

So I choose to not adopt this belief about getting older. I have many clients over 60 who blow this societal norm out of the water.

Here's an amazing woman who also proves that resigning to decreased vitality as we age is bullshite.

If you're not exercising now, just know that the path you're choosing will definitely lead to a limited life as you get older. And if you're not doing regular strength training work, your body WILL fall apart. Pain will start being a more common experience. You will gradually start favoring nagging injuries. Your muscles will atrophy and eventually things that were once easy for you to do, like getting up off the ground or even a chair, will be a distant memory.

40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes

2011-07-28T23:54:00.002-04:00

I love finding ways to pick up my spirits in a quick way, especially when I'm not feeling totally myself and I've got a client about to walk through the door. Or I've had a crummy day and I'm about to pick up my daughter. I do believe 100% for taking responsibility for our emotional state of being. We all need a tool kit to access for attitude adjustments or a refocus to get us out of feeling sorry for ourselves. Plus finding things that help us keep our chin up leads us away from unhealthy coping mechanisms which will only lead us further and further away from making the most out of the precious lives we are given.

I found this short and sweet 2 minute pick me up. Yes, it's brought to us by Hollywood but it also made me remember all those great movies that have brought me so much enjoyment.

Take a peek!

It's like a 2 minute motivational workout for our attitude!

Melt Your Muffin Top: Tried and True Tips for Shrinking The Bulge

2011-07-25T11:23:00.005-04:00

My most recent column at iVillage Canada is all about the muffin top. I give away the tips I share with my individual high paying clients with everyone in the categories of fitness, food and fashion. Take a peek!

Here's the full article.

My favourite muffin top exercise is the plank rotation, a sure fire way to ring out our middles and create a nice tight mid-section. Visit iVillage Canada for the description of the exercise.

But remember, muffin top shrinking is multi faceted. Make sure you start with looking at your holistic lifestyle in an honest way, blinders off, denial off to the side. And if you think I naturally don't have to work at not having a muffin top, I'd love to show you a picture of myself 10 years ago after 2 years of lack of exercise and over indulgence. I speak from experience. That was the last time in my life I ever want to feel that way!

By the way, these pics were taken in my bros back yard in Victoria on a golf course.

I already miss all the green space!

Running in the heat: tips for hydration and health

2011-07-11T17:11:00.005-04:00

My latest installment at iVillage Canada is a running in the heat article that provides a concrete hydration recipe from Kyle Byron, Sports Nutritionist. He works with ultra marathoners and pro MMA fighters so he knows how to keep these athletes going strong during an event.

These tips apply to anyone who wants to exercise in this heat. Some people may notice that they feel more tired for a workout even when they go inside to workout in air conditioning. At least, many of my Urbanfitt clients have observed this. This could be because they are starting their workout dehydrated.

So check out Kyle's hydration tips to make sure you stay away from heat stroke and get the most out of your workout. Plus there are some gear tips in there, even some new fan dangled running gear.

But as a teaser, here's Kyle running cocktail recipe. Great for during or after a run. Drinking straight water can make absorption difficult during a workout so try this! A bit of sugar and salt can speed up absorption.

In a 1 litre container mix the following:
1.5 cups orange or apple juice
Pinch of salt
Tablespoon of protein powder
Water

Now go to the article for the rest of these very important tips to make sure your summer training is maximized!

Recipe for Kale and Pecorino Salad

2011-07-08T21:39:00.007-04:00

Last week my guy and I went to my favourite restaurant, Foxley (207 Ossington Ave) for some chow. It was, of course, yum yum for my tum.
One of the newer things on the menu was a kale salad. Kale has been referred to as "The Queen of the Greens" but I've never eaten raw kale so I had no idea what to expect.

Unlike spinach or chard, kale doesn't contain oxalic acid, which prevents the body from absorbing calcium. Kale is the richest of the greens in the phytochemical lutein. Known mostly for its prevention of eye disease, lutein is now thought to be more protective against cancer than beta-carotein. Kale is also one of the highest sources of antioxidant flavonoids which help ward off heart disease and regulate blood pressure.

Kale has many benefits for women. It helps regulate estrogen, and wards off many forms of cancer including breast. The calcium in kale is more absorbable than the calcium in milk so it helps protect against osteoporosis, arthritis, and bone loss. Before and during pregnancy, kale supplies important minerals like calcium and iron. It also provides folic acid which is necessary for proper development of the baby's nervous system. While nursing, kale and other leafy greens increase breastmilk supply.
Taken from Veg Family, The Magazine for Vegan Family Living

It was so good that I've decided I have to replicate the experience to the best of my abilities.

Here's my knock off recipe:

8 cups finely sliced kale
3 cups baby arugula
3/4 cups very thinly sliced pecorino
8 finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Dressing as follows:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Salt and pepper

I tend to follow the eat cold food when it's warm out and warm food when it's cold out. I make a mean salad and eat salad almost every night in the summer. I get tired of the same old green salad with tomatoes. If you've got any salad ideas that are out of the box, post them here!

In addition to the Foxley kale salad, my other fave is the Tangled Thai Salad with crispy tofu from Fresh. I won't even try to replicate that.

Eating a healthy salad every day is also an excellent way to fill up on fibre before more calorie dense foods with potentially fewer nutritional benefits (i.e. weight control). And green stuff is just plain good for you!

Enjoy!

Does exercising on an empty stomach burn more fat?

2011-07-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

I have many morning clients that have learned their lesson in terms of not eating anything before a training session.

They hit a wall much sooner in their session which, in effect, is a waste of their precious money and time.

They end up feeling dizzy or nauseous because blood sugar levels are so low in the morning much less add a hard workout on top of that.

They don't build lean body mass as easily because they can't lift as much or work as hard.

I love how people spend so much time debating the "how to burn more fat debate". It's simple as hell. If you feel like you need to grunt or whine and you're sweating, chances are you're burning the butter. But if you don't have any fuel in your body to rev up your engine high enough to grunt and sweat, then less fat burning will happen.

ANAHAD O'CONNOR from The New York Times dug around a little bit deeper to answer this question.

Here's an excerpt from the June 27th article

After reviewing years of research on the subject, a report published this year in Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that the body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before a workout. But you’re likely to lose muscle by exercising in a depleted state, the report found, and without fuel to aid the workout, exercise intensity and overall calorie burn will be reduced.

But the simple question is, would you want to race a car that has an empty fuel tank?

Fitness Trend Alert: Sandbag Training for a Total Body Transformation

2011-07-03T21:46:00.004-04:00

Here's a teaser of my most recent column on iVillage Canada!

Just an FYI I totally geeked out on sandbags for this one. Was up late researching and digging around for the latest and greatest exercises. The ones in the article I chose are good starters and pretty simple to do. Just remember to stay on top of your spinal alignment and posture and don't let your shoulders roll in. Most of all have fun and feel the sweat drip off you!!!

Sandbag training has been taking the fitness industry by storm after being featured on The Biggest Loser and Losing it with Jillian Michaels and has made its way into celebrity workouts like LL Cool J, Courtney Cox, Julianne Moore, and Sean "Puffy" Combs.

The truth is that sandbags have been around for hundreds of years as an integral training tool for athletes of all cultures because they’re inexpensive and versatile.

Read full article

If you want to see a great video example of a sandbag workout, check out Rachel Cosgrove's Famous Sparatus Workout.

Or check out Josh Henkin's workout below. He's the dude who makes the best sandbags on the market. There's a link to his site in my iVillage Column.

My interview with the extraordinary Lisa Ray

2011-06-28T08:01:00.003-04:00

Here's a little teaser of the interview I did with Lisa Ray for iVillage Canada. We talked about how her cancer diagnosis and treatment impacted her and how commitment to practicing yoga helped her get through her illness to make her life even better.

How did your illness impact your outlook on life and your relationship with yourself and people you love?
I interpret my illness as a strong message and motivation to examine my life and lifestyle and make some changes. I was forced to make an honest assessment of my habits and I identified what I call, my 'integrity gaps'. There are things we know and there are things we put in practice. I’ve spent a large portion of my life over-riding my body's signals. I was very cavalier not just about my health, but about relationships and other aspects of my life. Now, I practice gratitude in every moment. I made a list of my core values and I check in and make sure that everything I do, every decision I make, is aligned with these values. Relationships are top of the list.

Read full interview here!

The ElliptiGO - World's 1st Elliptical Bike looks like fun

2011-06-24T21:31:00.005-04:00

One of my clients told me about this new fandagled thingy that combines a bike and a elliptical for use on the road.
I had to check it out. I've spent at least a full year of my life wasting my time on a stationary piece of cardio equipment going nowhere inside. Ellipticals and stationary bikes were often my machines of choice. I've seen pretty much stayed away from clocking in time trying to improve my fitness this way. It seems like a funny way to spend our precious lives especially if you are a fitness junkie like me. It gets kind of BORING.

Then the ElliptiGO comes along and looks like fun, especially because you can travel on average 24km per hour without having to be hunched over on a bike. I tried to find out where I could test drive one of them to do a review of them but there are only two locations in all of Ontario that offer test drives and neither of them are close enough to make it worth my time. Check out their promo video below.

Here's a link to an athlete's review of the thingy. They cost upwards of $2000 by the way. Can someone bring one to me so I can do a review???

Cheers,
Jane

Lose 3 inches by end of Summer: The Achemist Fat Loss Rules

2011-06-19T17:01:00.003-04:00

My recent column on iVillage Canada is an inside look into how I work with fat loss/weight loss clients. I've been developing this strategy over the many years I've been working one on one with clients to help them achieve their goals. I believe the added value in seeing a trainer is learning how to make sustainable change. Anyone can follow a diet in the short term. But learning how to live a healthy life is a totally different journey.
It's no magic bullet in the sense that it's a short term strict system that will blast your body into skinny times. It is a strategy that will ensure you trim down the RIGHT way, the PERMANENT way and the HEALTHY way.

Check out the full article.

Is Stephen Harper Fit to Lead Canadians into Better Fitness?

2011-06-15T15:19:00.003-04:00

I tried getting a hold of Stephen Harper's public relations person, Dimitri Soudas, to interview Stephen Harper about his continued weight loss and fitness plan and about his struggles in keeping the pounds off. He's not the only busy Canadian trying to stay fit given demands of work and family. I say if Stephen Harper can't do it, how does he empower other Canadians to tackle their weight challenges? And I wanted to know, as a Canadian, if he was taking care of business and staying healthy for us all.

The Conservatives promised to double the child fitness tax credit from $500 to $1000 and provide a $500 fitness tax credit to adult Canadians in 2015.

But if fitness isn't important to the leader of Canada, how can we be sure it's going to remain a priority instead of just being a campaign promise? I've consulted in large organizations in implementing wellness programs. What I've found is that if the leader of an organization doesn't make fitness and health a priority in his or her life, it's not going to trickle down through the entire organization. This phenomonem isn't disimilar in my mind to what happens on a national level. If our brave leader doesn't make his wellness a priority, how is this going to become a normal part of Canadian culture.

Let's take a look at Barrack Obama. Why not take a look at the Obamas as a couple. They're looking mighty fine and fit. They don't mess around when it comes to staying trim and working out. They also aren't afraid to speak openly about helping their daughter tackle weight issues. If the President of the United States can stay fit and lead by example, then surely many Americans feel empowered by their inspiring leader.

I wish I could have talked to Harper, even given him some tips for staying healthy and fit while on the road. Hell, you can even eat out every day and not gain weight if you've got a strategy.

But what do you think about having a leader who struggles with his weight? Does this make you respect him any less? Should he be held to a higher standard than the rest of us since he purports to being the best to lead us?

All I can say is why wait until 2015 for an Adult Fitness Tax Credit. Do it now. People need help and encouragement P.M.

Leave a comment below.

All the best,
Jane

Father's Day Spare Tire Workout

2011-06-12T20:11:00.003-04:00

My latest installment on iVillage Canada is the Father's Day Spare Tire Workout.

I wanted to design a workout that busy dads could do anywhere. Who doesn't have a spare tire in their trunk? You can do this at the cottage, at home in the backyard. Anywhere outside.
I designed a six exercise circuit that is super fun and heart thumping. Plus it'll pump up the upper body while targeting the spare tire around your middle.

Bill Cosby said it best. “Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.”

When you become a dad, everything in your world changes instantly. Your heart expands in a way you never imagined possible and maybe your belly too. In no time at all, you’ve grown a spare tire and need help fitting workouts into your new life.

According to Health Canada, “a waist circumference at or above 40 inches for men, and 35 inches for women, is associated with an increased risk of developing health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.”

Read full article

Recipe for sugar free iced tea

2011-06-08T13:11:00.005-04:00

Today calls for some serious thirst quenching. And today I also posted one of my favourite weight loss tips...cut the frappucino anythings out.

So what better day then today to post Sara-Clare extraordinaire's favourite iced tea recipe. (from Freya Ravensbergen at the Primal Grind)

Enjoy!

Pick your fav teae. I like to use moroccan mint green tea.

Add fresh squeezed lime and lemon

Grate some ginger

Add soda water

And Voila! Refreshing no sugar, thirst quenching summer drink!

Also, remember if you're going to workout on a day like today (even if you're indoors), start your workout hydrated or else you're going to hit a wall. It's really difficult to hydrate yourself DURING a workout. Better to start good to go!

Invitation from Yvonne O'Hara for an afternoon at the movies

2011-06-06T23:04:00.002-04:00

Yvonne has been part of the College Street community long before I ever made my way here back in 1999. As a thank you to her clients and her community, she has booked the entire Royal Theatre for a viewing of the King's Speech. She would like to extend the invite to the Urbanfitt community as well. Check out the details below!

I would like to invite you and your family
to join me and my family for an afternoon at the movies.

Sunday June 12th at 4pm at the
Royal Theatre on College between Clinton and Grace.
We will be presenting the Kings Speech.

Please RSVP to Yvonne O’Hara, Remax Unique at
416.230.3448 or yohara@rogers.com by June 7th.

This is my treat. There will be a draw for prizes.
Please come!

Making your butt your best ass-et

2011-06-06T10:51:00.004-04:00

Here's a teaser from my most recent article on iVillage Canada. Make sure you check out the article to get the low down on my top three fave butt moves.

Ever notice that as we get older our butts sag? This isn’t a forgone conclusion. Our butts get lazy from sitting all day. In fact, there is a condition called ‘dead butt’ syndrome that explains why so many people need to start paying attention to their rears. I believe in every one’s ability to have a toned, beautiful tush. In fact, I’ve helped breast cancer survivors in their 60s get the butt of their dreams. Read full article

The person who modeled for me is my client Anna who comes from an assless family. Check out her perfect butt now!

Training clients with cancer - by Sara-Clare Lajeunesse

2011-06-03T16:18:00.002-04:00

Sara-Clare Lajeunesse isn't a person who does things half way. When Lisa became her client, she tackled her training plan with veracity and passion and most of all, professionalism for providing Lisa with exactly what she needed given she had just been diagnosed with cancer. This is an article Sara-Clare wrote for Agatsu Magazine. I am so moved by this article and hope you will pass it along to anyone in cancer treatment to inspire them to find their Warrior Within.

WARRIOR WITHIN
Training clients with cancer

When I first met Lisa, neither of us could have truly understood the journey that lay ahead. I have worked with several clients dealing with serious life threatening issues, such as permanently implanted heart defibrillator and another client who only has one artificial heart value working. But never have I had the chance to meet and work with someone pre surgery or illness.
Lisa walked into Urbanfitt, a boutique gym in the west end of Toronto, one day as she had heard that we “take the broken clients no other gyms wants to deal with”.
-Lisa 47
-June 2010 diagnosed with Invasive Ductile Carcinoma (advanced in left breast)
-Tumor was 6.5 cm and cancer had spread to lymph nodes.

We sat and chatted a little and then I had the pleasure of assessing this amazingly vivacious, full spirited and head strong lady. We were able to get through two training sessions together, before her treatment started. In them we worked on mobility, strength, and connection in everyday movements. We also discussed our game plan.
-Foundation
-Preservation
-The Come Back

FOUNDATION:
First two training sessions
I could see that she had good body awareness, decent core strength and a pretty good understanding of her foundational ‘everyday’ movements (squats, pushing and pulling etc...) She lacked strength in the upper body and posterior chain.
She was also big into spinning and yoga, 2-3 days a week. We had a great base to start with.

Next came the surgeries and treatments
-Chemotherapy was started right away. Her doctors needed to get the tumor under control before they could even hope to operate.
-She was giving a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) basically a long piece of tubing that is inserted into the vein on her arm and extends into her heart. That is where they would inject her with chemo treatments every three weeks (July 2010)

Once the tumor was under control she underwent the following surgeries:
-Double Mastectomy
-Removal of 12 Lymph nodes
-Ovariectomy (removal of ovaries)
After this she continued on with the rest of her chemo treatments.

PRESERVATION:
Training during treatment
We had set out our goals for this part of the journey early on. Preserve and maintain body, mind and spirit. These sessions were wrought with complications.
3 days after her first chemo treatment and dealing with a little fatigue, things seemed to be going well. Being very head strong she went to a spinning class and felt great for a few days afterwards. Until the side effects that she had been warned about seem to hit her overnight.
She went from a stubborn take no guff from this cancer warrior to a quiet shell of the lady I had once met. She could no longer even squat onto a base and simple movement patterns like alternating sideways stepping faltered from day to day.

Complications and side effects during her treatment
-The PICC ended up giving her a blood clot.
-Extreme fatigue
-Extreme Joint and Muscle pain
-GI Track complications, and major loss of appetite
-Shortness of breath
-Early menopause, therefore battling through shortness of breath and hot flashes during sessions
-Loss of bone and muscle density (osteopenia)
-Immune system at zero due to chemo
-Peripheral Neuropathy (Peripheral nerves carry information to and from the brain. They also carry signals to and from the spinal cord to the rest of the body.
Peripheral neuropathy means these nerves don't work properly. Peripheral neuropathy may be damage to a single nerve. It may be damage to a nerve group. It may also affect nerves in the whole body)
-Loss of Proprioception and Basic Motor Skills (It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with the required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other)
-Mental and Emotional discouragement

Training for preservation changed from day to day. There were days she would call and want to cancel but I talked her into coming. If she was able to get to the studio, we should work. Unless she was at the hospital there were no excuses. Letting her give into the temptation of staying home and sitting with what the cancer had left her would defeat her mentally. It is so important that a trainer understand when and how to encourage their client to work in these dark times. The emotional aspect of training and being in control of even the littlest of things, gave her a sense of control and hope for the next days battle to come. If she could get through today then tomorrow is one step closer. Mind over Matter, Warrior Within.
We did what we could, even if it meant I was moving her body for her.

On GOOD DAYS some training consisted of
-Re-learning basic motor skills such as squatting onto a base
-Balance drills like standing on one foot. The floor was challenging enough at this point, never mind trying to perform a walking lunge, she would lose her balance.
-Posterior Chain Work
-Connection in moving her body from one position to another.

Good day Workout Sample
-Joint Mobility with simple arm and leg swings and circles
-Figure eights with broom handle
-Box Squats
-Roll downs
-Inchworms or Bird Dogs
-One foot balance drills (with varied step ups a la Poliquin, we later worked up to throwing a ball back and fourth on uneven surfaces like wobble board)
-Rows with bands and Posterior Chain work like tree hugging and proud chest pose (only once PICC was removed)
-Isometric holds like Dead Bug or One leg out holds (Mosquitoes) for Core Engagement work.

On BAD DAYS some training consisted of
These days were sometimes so bad that a simple roll down or box squat confused her CNS and her would get very dizzy and fall over.

Example of Bad Day Workout
-Short walks up and down the stairs focusing on proper overall engagement.
-Rehab exercises of walking her fingers up and down the wall and extending her arms fully to open areas where she had had the surgery.
-Posterior Chain work lying down doing T, Y and W shapes with her arms while getting her the retract into my hand.
-Flexibility work on hips and shoulders with PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation)
-Me moving her body using myofascial release (it is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and resulting pain and restriction of motion.

THE COME BACK
Once her treatment was over, her energy started to stabilize a little more and we were able to work a little longer in our sessions. We had to now build her back up from scratch. The preservation exercises had given us a good base with which to start.
Most important in this next phase was to gain muscle and bone density as well as cardiovascular endurance. The chemo had really stripped her of these essentials.
So we started small with an 10lbs Kettlebell, while still incorporating other joint mobility body weight training, rehab exercises and myofascial release.
The main reason I choose to use Kettlebells was because it offered her a low-impact way to build up bone, muscle and joint density. Also it challenged her coordination skills immensely and gave her the mental rush she had been missing from her spinning classes.

Some samples of her workouts as she progressed are:

Day 1
5-10 mins walking incline warm-up
Tea Cups (major focus on mobility in surgery areas)
Inchworms and Walking Lunges 3 times across room
Windmills 2x5
Circuit of 10 reps 2-3 Rounds of:
Seated Rows
Leg Raises
Box Squats with KB overhead
Fire Hydrants

Day 2
Joint Mobility with PVC pipe shoulder openers (focus on opening fascial chains around surgery area)
Scorpions hip openers
Uneven Ball Tosses and Circus Lunges for balance 3x10 at each end of room after crossing with lunges
Wall Ball 3x10 with plank holds for 5 breaths
Circuit of: 3-4 Rounds
5 KB Dead lifts
5 Side Plank holds each side using stability ball at first (10 sec each)
5 Push Ups
5 Band Hacking each side
5 One Leg Kb Rows

Day 3
Joint Mobility with Kb to open shoulders (Halos and Bent Over Circle drawing)
Single Leg Hip Circling
Bear Crawls (forward and backwards)
Walk Squats and Hands Together, Feet Together Squats

KB Circuit 3min rounds x3 (30 sec each exercise)
-Two Hand Swing
-High Pulls (Right/Left)
-Two Hand Swing
-Push Press
-Alt Backwards Lunges holding kb bottoms up
*Adding in around the body passes with and with and without stalls as active rest when she felt she was fading.

I am glad to say that to date Lisa and I are still working together, but less often as she is back at work as the amazing photographer that she is. She has purchased kbs for her home gym and keeps up with the prescribed routines I have given her while on the road. Recently she gave me a signed copy of her latest book. In it she thanked me for all the work we had done together and for how good she feels today.
I feel the opposite. I can’t thank her enough for walking into my gym and allowing me to learn and grow so much as a trainer and athlete.
There are days when I am training, I hear someone complain that the exercise is “too hard” or “I don’t like this one. Can we do something else.” Even days where I am in the middle of a grueling workout (Agatsu Level 2 cert, to name one) and I feel like I have nothing left or am getting frustrated with a new movement and want to swear and quite. But I think about her, and how hard it was for her to re-learn all those basic movements we take for granted in our everyday lives. We once spent a whole hour on re-learning how sit, stand up and then walk up stairs properly so she wouldn’t have pain in her joints. I sometimes think that if I was her I would have lost my mind with frustration, but she never once gave up when I gave her a task during a session.
She truly inspires me to push beyond what I think I’m capable of mentally and physically.

Home Bootcamp - use your house to kick your own butt

2011-05-27T22:21:00.003-04:00

Here's a teaser from my most recent iVillage Column. Go to iVillage Canada to see the whole thing!

Most people wouldn’t look at the usual things we have in our homes as tools for getting us fit and strong. I want to open your mind to the possibilities of working out in your own home without any investment in equipment. All you need is some great motivational tunes to crank and some self-discipline.

The exercise is the home bootcamp circuit include:

1) Stair running

2) Kitchen counter tricep push-ups

3) Chair butt raises

4) Broom stick over head squats

5)Cleaning the floor planks

For full descriptions, reps and pictures, click here and work it. I'm making it so easy for you to exercise it hurts.

Recipe for Metabolism Repair

2011-05-27T12:00:00.002-04:00

If I had to choose one word that would summarize my approach to repairing and kick-starting my clients' metabolisms it would be CONSISTENCY.

If you've ever been a person trapped in the weight loss weight gain trap or the exercise on and off wagon, a major cause of a sluggish metabolism is in the fact your body has been shocked too many times out of it's optimal rhythms and can't predict what's coming.

So here's what you can start doing now to repair your metabolism and start stabilizing your weight:

1) Pay attention to your sleep issues and start getting help to improve your
bio-rhythms. Start to create some routine around your sleep habits if you
don't have them. Focus on trying to create as much routine around eating times as well.

2) Focus on strength training to build lean body mass and your ability to
metabolize sugars instead of store them. Muscle fibres needs glycogen (i.e. sugars) to survive so more gets stored in lean tissue then gets stored as
fat.

3) Start your day with protein and ensure you have at least 20 grams of
protein at every meal. This will help to level off sugar peeks and big
drops.

4) Make sure you include lots of fibre in the form of veggies to slow down
digestion and make meals last longer.

5) If you're a binge eater in any way, this is going to continually mess up
your metabolism. Start looking at your food addiction issues and try to
level off your extremes wherever possible. Instead of a week of binging try
to limit the amount of time you go off the rails.

6) Stop the cardio overeating cycle. If you find you're turning to cardio
as a way to work off yesterday's food guilt, you are not actually working
towards balance. You will never catch up but instead get stuck in a nasty
cycle of guilt and self punishment.

It takes time and many months of consistently trying to tackle the six
things above. But these things are really the only way you're going to kick
start your metabolism and start leveling off your yo-yo-ing.

Hang tough.

Focus on little improvements over the long term and one day you'll wake up
in a smaller pant size and have to go spend loads of cash on a gorgeous new
wardrobe and maybe even a skimpy bikini!

The Winston Churchill Workout

2011-05-19T16:01:00.005-04:00

I love it when my dear clients bring articles for me to read, knowing that I will enjoy them. Coleen brought this in for me. Having co-authored a book (Working on the Ball), I learned a lot about the negative impact of sitting for prolonged periods of time. Much of my energy coaching clients is put into undoing the negative effects on the body which include poor posture, tight muscles, obesity and other impacts from living a sedentary lifestyle.

The Globe and Mail published an article earlier this week titled "The Winston Churchill Workout". Here's a little excerpt.

Winston Churchill took to smoking cigars at age 20, appropriately enough in Cuba, during the Spanish-Cuban War in 1895. He never stopped. For the rest of his life, he smoked as religiously as he drank. When asked, toward the end of his life, to explain his longevity, he named the two vices he regarded more as rites. Smoke good cigars, he said, and drink fine brandy. He died at 90. Although British censors now airbrush his cigar from historic Second World War photographs, Churchill could yet become a posthumous model for healthy habits and long lives.

In his time, he was celebrated as much for his literary achievements – 77 volumes, thousands of speeches and essays – as for his statesmanship. (He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.) Remarkably, using a wood lectern attached to a wall in his study at Chartwell, his beloved manor home in Kent, he wrote and dictated much of this work standing up, often striding about the room, as one historian put it, “in a cloud of cigar smoke.” He regarded writing as a physical as well as an intellectual exercise. But he frequently combined it with bricklaying and grounds work: “200 bricks and 200 words a day.”

Churchill’s example now appears relevant again because of the remarkable findings of James Levine, a medical researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. For the past five years, Dr. Levine has sought the answer to a simple question: Why do some people, who consume the same calories as other people and who exercise the same, gain more weight than those people? The answer, as revealed in a series of experiments using highly sensitive motion sensors to track subjects’ moment-by-moment movements: The people who didn’t put on weight moved more than the people who did.

I really don't sit still very much in my day. However, many of my clients sit all day. In fact, most people in Canada sit most of their day. Even though it may seem like a tall order, people really should be taking a break from their zombie screens every 20 minutes. You can't think as well when you sit for too long as well. Hello, circulation to the brain? Blood pools in our lower legs when we sit for prolonged periods. I could go on and on.

My great friend and co-author Sarah Robichaud, just got another book published in the US. Yay for her! Check out her book. Great ideas for getting more active at work without hitting the gym.
99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before - Getting Fit Without Hitting the Gym: Your guide to avoiding costly memberships with no results

Sitting still, in other words, is highly dangerous to your health. Your muscles instantly relax when you sit. Your calorie-burn rate falls (to one calorie a minute). Your risk of obesity rises. Your risk of death increases. Quoting other current research, Mr. Vlahos reports that men who sit for six hours a day, in their off-work hours, have a 20-per-cent higher risk of premature death than men who sit for three hours. For every incremental hour of TV-watching a day, people increase their risk of premature death by 11 per cent.

Crunch Free Core Workout

2011-05-16T14:39:00.004-04:00

Here is a link to the latest article I wrote for iVillage Canada and a little teaser...

My seven year old has been the photographer for my articles. She's has quite the eye ;)

As a teenager in the late 80s I was doing very high impact classes and I remember doing crunches endlessly. Twenty years later, core training has evolved, and I want to catch you all up on why crunches are a thing of the past. (read more)

In addition to what was discussed about proper core training in my article, I have to say one of the best ways to measure a personal trainer's expertise in dealing with back injuries/issues is whether or not s/he has someone doing crunches. I have fixed many backs. Even today, one of my clients who couldn't even get up and down off the ground or pick up her kids due to back problems came in today and reported she could sit for a full hour meditation without pain. If you experience lower back pain while exercising, don't ignore it. It's your body telling you something isn't right.

Enjoy the article!!!!

5 ways to exercise with your kids

2011-05-09T08:08:00.002-04:00

I have the amazing opportunity to be the iVillage Canada fitness editor which just launched today! Congratulations to all the hard working people who got it up and running beautifully.

My first installment is an article ""5 ways to exercise with your kids". Check it out and get you and your little peeps moving too. Afterall, it's all about DO AS I SAY AND AS I DO!!! Show your kids the path towards health by getting off your butt and leaving it behind.

Follow this link to the iVillage Canada article. I've provided 5 fun and creative ways to help you and your family get healthier.

Follow this link to the iVillage Canada Passion Project and find out why I found fitness and what passion means to me.

Complaint Free Monday - Take Two: Monday May 2nd

2011-05-01T21:03:00.004-04:00

I started Complaint Free Monday because I fell into a negative pattern of griping about little things. I thought I could do better at being grateful for what I have. I was complaining all the time about the weather (trying so hard not to right now with all the rain!!!).

I believe it takes strong intention followed up by concrete behaviour to change ourselves and our outlooks on our lives and our experience in the world. People who have great lives work at it. I'm not afraid of work. I just need some structure. Thus, Complaint Free Mondays, next one tomorrow May 2nd on Election Day. I forgot I'm getting a cavity filled tomorrow. I always whine at the dentist like "Give me more freezing! I can feel something" or "Are you going to be done soon?".

But really? I want to look back on my life before my last breath and not regret missing out on all the good stuff because I had my eye on things that weren't important or petty. That would just be horrible. I also know that paths we take all the time get well worn. The more we follow a path of thinking, the more likely we will again and again. It's just plain habit. Breaking habits takes conscious practice!

Read the below description of negative thinking patterns. If you think you tend to fall into one or more of these categories of thinking on a regular basis, maybe it's time to make a conscious choice to take a different path. I'm also a strong believer in psychotherapy for being a very positive choice for making change in our lives and our relationships.

The following descriptions of negative thinking is taken from MayoClinic.com "Positive Thinking: Reduce Stress, Enjoy Life More"

1) Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, say you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. But you forgot one minor step. That evening, you focus only on your oversight and forget about the compliments you received.

2) Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

3) Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. You refuse to go out with friends for fear that you'll make a fool of yourself. Or one change in your daily routine leads you to think the entire day will be a disaster.

4) Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad, black or white. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or that you're a total failure.

Golden words about core training from Dr. Mike Prebeg (every trainer should read this)

2011-04-25T17:53:00.008-04:00

Dr. Mike Prebeg regularly heals my clients. He always stays ahead of the curve. I know when I send clients to him to get fixed up (not because of me hurting them but due to pre-existing issues) they get the best treatment available. We are also on the same page in terms of what core training is and what people are generally doing wrong to improve core stability.

Dr. Prebeg is a chiropractor who specializes in the treatment of sports injuries. Through the combination of ART and Contemporary Medical Acupuncture, and joint manipulation he has helped athletes of all levels with injury recovery and in performance enhancement.

Dr. Prebeg practices as a consultant with Athlete’s Care Clinics located in the greater Toronto region. Dr. Prebeg is currently a consultant with many Olympic and professional athletes (MLB, NHL, NFL, CFL).

He has covered the World Track and Field Championships in Edmonton 2001, and Paris 2003, Goodwill Games 2001, World Cup of Track and Field 2002, US National Championships outdoor and indoor 2002, 2003, NCAA Track and Field Championships 2003, and the World Basketball Championships. He's a certified Chiropractic Sports Physician and a consulting Chiropractor for the Toronto Blue Jays and an instructor at McMaster University Contemporary Acupuncture Program.

Here's what he had to say when I sourced him as an expert for an upcoming column for iVillage Canada titled "Crunch Free Core Training Workout". Stay posted on when that will be up on the site within the next month or so.

Everyone wants immediate results these days, something tangible, visible, measurable. I understand. So do I. Problem with your true core muscles is that you cannot see them. The original term for core muscles was the spinal stabilizers. Then it became this fad and now everyone thinks of core muscles as the muscles around the mid section of the body. i.e recutus abdominus. Spinal stabilizers are the transverus abdominus, oblique interior and exterior, the multifidi, rotators and then the diaphragm and pelvic floor.

As you noted earlier, the listed muscles aren't the ones you can see. Thus, training these muscles can feel very unrewarding other than improved quality of life or sports performance. For example, core stability exercises were the only exercises to be shown to have a translation into sport performance in one study, better than any strengthening exercises.

The truth about crunches is that they are actually bad for the spine. Dr. Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, performed a study that showed crunches increase compression of the spine, therefore increasing the chance of disc injury/pathology. Crunches only focus on building strength in the rectus abdominus. An over dominant rectus abdominus will cause spinal compression and cause multifidi inhibition which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve when your goal is to decrease back pain and improve core stability.

Another major issues with training the core is that in today's society, everyone is a paradoxical breather. Accessory muscles like the scalenes and pectoral minor are over used. To properly train the core you should first step back and learn how to breath helping on multiple levels. First, you will increase the oxygen content of your body which will have a positive effect on your entire being. Second, you need the diaphragm to work properly to develop the relationship with the pelvic floor. This alone will fill what has been called the internal ball, like a steel belted tire, and fill your tummy with air causing a compression from the inside to stabilize your spine. Then your transversus abdominus and obliques kick in and your multifidi, and you have a stable spine.

Another mistake many people make is that they don't think of the glutes when they think of core training. Glutes take alot of pressure off your spine. The reality is that most people have flabby ass syndrome (inhibited glut max). I personally like glut bridges. They're easy and safe, although there are a ton of exercises you can do to target glute strength.

Another key core training exercise is the modified side plank on the knees to start and progressing to a full side plank.
Front plank, in my opinion, is an advanced maneuver that most people are not ready for. People can cycle front plank in when their back is strong and take it out when the back is feeling "weak". What I have found even with people that have a VERY STRONG core is that sometimes they can do things that aggravate their backs. This happens a lot in athletes like when a hockey player gets hit. They then can have some local inflammation that inhibits the "core" (back stabilizers) and then the individual will have a "weak core " when assessed or tested. This just means go back to the basic exercises for a few weeks and build up.

The core when trained properly in a semi-in-shape person will actually progress fairly quickly. Within a few weeks people can build a stable core and then just stay on top of it.

Thank you Dr. Prebeg! I wish that every personal trainer or exercise specialist would get on board with the above and stop creating imbalances and start fixing backs for life! Lest people think this core training approach is non-essential, talk to me when your back hurts so much you can't work out. That's a great way to get out of shape fast! We all need to do our housekeeping in our workouts.

Dr. Michael Prebeg website is here.

Over and out peeps.

Jane Clapp
Founder,
Urbanfitt

Single best exercise - my response to NYT article

2011-04-17T19:49:00.006-04:00

I get this question all the time. "What's the best overall exercise people should do?" It's like people just want to do a couple exercises a day for the rest of their lives and hope to be fit.

Well there's a number of issues with doing just a couple exercises a day which include:

1) Why do people want to do just a couple exercises over and over again? Boring for your mind and your body.

2) Why are people CONSTANTLY looking for short cuts to being healthy and fit? Anything really worth having takes work.

3) Our body is complex and requires movements in all different planes of movement to optimize strength, functionality, prevent injury and build muscle tissue in every major muscle group.

No exercise specialist who takes what they do seriously likes getting asked this question. With that being said, the New York Times asked several experts, "What is the single best exercise?", and got a variety of answers.

THE BURPEE

Ask a dozen physiologists which exercise is best, and you’ll get a dozen wildly divergent replies. “Trying to choose” a single best exercise is “like trying to condense the entire field” of exercise science, said Martin Gibala, the chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

But when pressed, he suggested one of the foundations of old-fashioned calisthenics: the burpee, in which you drop to the ground, kick your feet out behind you, pull your feet back in and leap up as high as you can. “It builds muscles. It builds endurance.” He paused. “But it’s hard to imagine most people enjoying” an all-burpees program, “or sticking with it for long.”

WALKING

“I personally think that brisk walking is far and away the single best exercise,” said Michael Joyner, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a leading researcher in the field of endurance exercise.

As proof, he points to the work of Hiroshi Nose, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of sports medical sciences at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, who has enrolled thousands of older Japanese citizens in an innovative, five-month-long program of brisk, interval-style walking (three minutes of fast walking, followed by three minutes of slower walking, repeated 10 times). The results have been striking. “Physical fitness — maximal aerobic power and thigh muscle strength — increased by about 20 percent,” Dr. Nose wrote in an e-mail, “which is sure to make you feel about 10 years younger than before training.” The walkers’ “symptoms of lifestyle-related diseases (hypertension, hyperglycemia and obesity) decreased by about 20 percent,” he added, while their depression scores dropped by half.

THE SQUAT

But let’s face it, walking holds little appeal — or physiological benefit — for anyone who already exercises. “I nominate the squat,” said Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University and an expert on the effects of resistance training on the human body. The squat “activates the body’s biggest muscles, those in the buttocks, back and legs.”

H.I.T.

“I think, actually, that you can make a strong case for H.I.T.,” Gibala said. High-intensity interval training, or H.I.T. as it’s familiarly known among physiologists, is essentially all-interval exercise. As studied in Gibala’s lab, it involves grunting through a series of short, strenuous intervals on specialized stationary bicycles, known as Wingate ergometers. In his first experiments, riders completed 30 seconds of cycling at the highest intensity the riders could stand. After resting for four minutes, the volunteers repeated the interval several times, for a total of two to three minutes of extremely intense exercise. After two weeks, the H.I.T. riders, with less than 20 minutes of hard effort behind them, had increased their aerobic capacity as much as riders who had pedaled leisurely for more than 10 hours. Other researchers also have found that H.I.T. reduces blood-sugar levels and diabetes risk, and Gibala anticipates that it will aid in weight control, although he hasn’t studied that topic fully yet.

WHAT I THINK

Of the exercises listed above, I like H.I.T. for the overall benefit however it is the least functional in terms of learning proper movement patterns if done on a stationary bike. The burpee is an issue for people who don't have good core stability. The jump back in the burpee can be too much strain on the lower back for people with weak core muscles. And walking is great but shouldn't really be counted as exercise (there's my very opinionated outlook coming out). It should just be a regular part of our lives, not counted as something 'extra' and it won't help people hang onto lean body mass especially in the upper body. Of course anything is better than nothing!

None of the exercises above talked about how important it is for people to fix postural issues and work on upper body musculature. We are evolving into hunched forward humans given the amount of time we clock at computers and in cars. It is essential that people build up back muscles to hold their bodies up. The issues from rounded shoulders and overly curves thoracic spines are numerous and can truly interfere with quality of life. The pain I've seen people suffer from in their neck and shoulders stop people from sleeping at night, prevent them from being able to pick up their kids and severely limit them from doing the simplest things in life.

So I would like to nominate the...drum roll please...

SQUAT WITH CABLE ROW

With this exercise, you will get all the benefits of a squat but also work most of the upper body musculature as well. Plus it takes total concentration and coordination to do it properly and it will get your heart rate up like in H.I.T. because your whole body is engaged. And it will help fix posture by working the posterior chain (i.e. back) and your core has to be engaged or you will fall forward.

The squat cable row involves:

Starting in a squat position with arms extended (the weight shouldn't rested on the weight stack) and then using your core to stay grounded and not allowing the weight of the cable to pull you forward, you exhale and pull the cable while straightening your legs. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, keeping the shoulders down and squeeze your glutes and add a little kegel at the top.

If you don't quite get it, just come to a class at Urbanfitt and I'll show it to you!!!

Don't overdo it gals or you might fry your brain: new study out of U of T

2011-04-11T22:48:00.006-04:00

There is much debate about what amount of exercise is optimal for women. Many people think more is always better. I'm not of that mindset. Anyone who knows my philosophy knows that I'm not pro long duration exercise like marathon training or triathalons especially for women who are already burnt out, under slept or just plain chronically stressed.

What we do very well at Urbanfitt is maximize the time spent exercising to make it efficient. We only have a certain number of energy points to spend on fitness without starting to tip the scales out of balance. Optimal health is really about balance after all.

Eating well but not being obsessive compulsive about food. Finding a way to mindfully eat without becoming anxious.

Getting fit without depleting our energy or making it impossible to sleep at night.

Working out with focus without pushing past what is safe and always ensuring to give our bodies lots of love after a challenging workout.

SO MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!

And a study just released out of U of T confirms this.

Apparently, women who spend too much time exercising might be putting their future mental function at risk. Let's be honest. Most people don't exercise enough so this isn't a major concern for 95% of the population.

But women trying to clock more and more time exercising or training at high intensities ought to listen up.

"Many studies have found that exercise protects the brain, but until now no study has compared different intensities of exercise. Mary Tierney, a professor of family and community medicine at U of T, became especially interested in that link after reading about a study where intense physical activity reduced women’s risk of breast cancer – by depleting their estrogen levels.
Estrogen, Tierney knew, protects the brain against cognitive decline. Could highly active women be depressing their estrogen levels enough to have a detectable impact on their cognitive well-being?

Tierney, who is also a senior scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute, recruited 90 healthy post-menopausal women and asked about the amount and intensity of their physical activity throughout their adult life, in 10-year periods up to menopause. Strenuous activities included swimming laps, aerobic exercise, playing racquetball and running. Moderate activities included brisk walking, golfing, cycling on street level and playing softball. Tierney and her colleagues calculated the number of hours a week that each woman engaged in both strenuous and moderate activity, in exactly the way the breast cancer study had done.

Then the researchers tested the women on six neuropsychological tests. One, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, requires a subject to listen to a list of 15 simple words five times. Then, after reading a list of 15 other words just once, the subject is asked to recall the words from the first list. The test is highly predictive of Alzheimer’s disease up to 10 years in advance. “Women with the highest levels of strenuous exercise did the most poorly,” says Tierney.
Many active women refuse to believe the results. They feel at their peak when running marathons and tearing up the squash court. “But these results raise the concern that a lot of strenuous exercise may not be good for women,” says Tierney.

Read full article from U of T Magazine

All I can say is this is yet another reason to exercise efficiently. More isn't always better. Clearly, any activities that involve us over doing it aren't good for us. So pick your activity based on what will give you the biggest bang for your time and energy butt. And for those obsessive exercisers who don't know how to take a day off, maybe being healthy for you means learning how to chill.

I feel a little concerned posting this. I can see lazy ladies using this as an excuse not to sweat. But again, the results of this study probably don't apply to you. It's a depressing fact, but the majority of the population isn't active at all. Zilch. So by spreading this study, I hope I'm not giving anyone another excuse not to exercise.

REPORTING FROM COMPLAINT FREE MONDAY

2011-04-04T23:23:00.002-04:00

I promised to report back honestly. Oh yes I did.

Seems I did worse than most other people except my friend Max who really did deserve to complain today so he should be forgiven completely.

I knew I needed a little complaint detox!!! I am generally a grateful person and I've consciously decided to work on being more grateful. I voice how I feel. I think it's important not to keep things pent up, repressed and waiting to jump out at inopportune times. But I knew I needed to learn to keep some things to myself!

So here's how today went:

I started the day with a serene breakfast, no rushing around to get out the door. I saw one of my oldest clients (not in age but in length of time training together...10 years in fact!). She normally gripes a lot while working out but she too had joined the challenge. Within 15 minutes of starting our session guess who complained? That was at 10:25

ME!

It was about not being booked up with clients today. Instead of focusing on her I griped about what I didn't have. Bad move Jane.

Then within the same session at 11:10 I said something about how parents can be boastful and how that was annoying. Now you might be thinking was she actually working out during her session or just listening to me blah blah blah. You can ask her tomorrow how sore she is. Yes we always work hard.

Next complaint came while I was driving to get my daughter from school at 3:18. I was trying to get too much done making changes to the Urbanfitt website and left just a few minutes late. Someone driving a Lexus in front of me was letting everyone and their grandma pass in front of him/her. I said, "Could you just give me break already!"

My last complaint of the day was tonight over dinner with my friend Ilana around 7:15. I can't remember what it was but it was something trivial.

So I owe $20 to the Food Bank. I must confess. I actually thought I was going to owe closer to $100 so despite not fairing as well against others in this challenge, I did do better than I thought I would.

I like the way it made me feel. Catching myself before letting something out of my mouth that goes against my philosophy about life was empowering. Made me feel like I was being more conscious about my reactions to things around me.

I still firmly believe in communicating both positive and negative emotions. Stuffing them down is like holding back a sneeze. We might implode. However, choosing to let go of trivial and petty complaints sure does clear up psychic room for more good stuff.

COMPLAINT FREE DAY - Monday April 4th

2011-03-30T13:20:00.003-04:00

When I got back from Berlin last week and was welcomed by the snow storm, I was not at all happy about it. Everyone around me heard about how freakin' cold it was for days. Many of us of were right pissed off about the delay of Spring although yesterday and today have brought some hope!

Last night I was having dinner with Victoria and she was telling me about a mutual friend who got a very interesting assignment from her therapist - DON'T COMPLAIN FOR AN ENTIRE DAY. Our friend was very surprised by how difficult it was but was also inspired to continue working on limiting her complaining after the exercise. Apparently, it had a major impact.

I was thinking about it. I had just come back from an amazing travel experience and just started bitching about the weather instead of focusing on exercising my gratitude muscles more. I was and am grateful for the opportunity to get away but I really should have just zipped the complaining altogether. I see clients with cancer and other serious disease. Why waste my life complaining about weather, something totally out of my control.

Surely, the mere activity of complaining must set off negative reactions in my brain and body. Maybe a well worn path like complaining needs a dramatic action to shut it down. We truly can rewire our brains just like we can change our bodies, through mindfulness, effort and intention. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that expressing negative emotions = complaining. I am by no means saying to stuff the shit deep down in our beings. I'm just saying that if there is one area in your life you find yourself constantly being pissed off about, why not decide to stop feeding it with more crappy feelings. It could be an annoying work mate, neighbor, or ex-spouse that you are letting suck up your vital energy. Or maybe it's feeling stuck in a job or a house. Inevitably, we are going to only make things worse if we don't turn our attention to creating hope, taking action and refocusing on what we should be grateful for.

So I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. I'm going to designate Monday April 4th as a COMPLAINT FREE DAY for me and invite you to join me. From the minute I open my eyes to the minute I go to sleep.

For every complaint I 'accidentally' make, I'm going to donate $5 to the Food Bank. The people needing those services have something to complain about, like poverty and malnutrition.

I will report back, honestly, and let you know how it went and how much money I owe.

If you're going to join me, let me know! Email me at help@urbanfitt.com or post something below.

Let's see how hard this might be and let's do it together!

My super simple guide to eating out and not gaining weight

2011-03-25T16:38:00.004-04:00

Just got back from Berlin. Feeling a little mushy because I haven't been sweating the way I normally do the last couple weeks. I stayed true to my not gaining weight while traveling guide, cross my heart. I ate out a lot and didn't deny myself the pleasure of trying whatever food I wanted. You only live once and I don't want to regret not eating that amazing strudel I saw in the outdoor market or regret not going back a second time to have some of the BEST baclava I've ever had (even though the guy was grumpy as hell). I didn't gain weight. Tada!

Which brings me to the subject of this post. One of my clients is constantly entertaining guests because of her work and because she has a giant network of wonderful friends who live internationally. She said "I have to stop eating out for a while. I've gained weight."

I nodded and paused. "Uh ha. Do you think you're ever going to stop entertaining the way you do? You're going to continue entertaining right? You're going to have to eat out a lot forever?"

"Well yes but I also drink wine when I'm out," she said.

I asked, "Do you finish everything on your plate? When you drink wine do you still eat simple starches?"

She said, "Well...yes I do. I grew up at a different time than you did."

"Well why don't you just start leaving something on your plate and stop when you're full. Stop ordering food that isn't healthy or just limit how much of the crap you eat. And if you know you're going to drink more wine, don't have any white stuff like bread or pasta."

Problem solved. Eating out doesn't mean gaining weight. Eating too much beyond what is full does whether you're home or whether you're at a restaurant. Crap is crap no matter where you eat it and full is full whether you're at home or at a restaurant.

Got it? It's so simple it hurts.

Highlights from Berlin so far...

2011-03-19T18:24:00.008-04:00

I love traveling. I want to meet people, see new things and challenge myself to change the way I think about the world. Of course, I observe people's lifestyle behaviours and compare them to home. It's what I do for work. It's hard to shut it off.

People are generally not as overweight in Berlin as they are pretty much everywhere else I've been.
It could be chalked up to the fact that most people don't drive and instead walk or take public transit. People I've met also seem to eat a lot of whole foods, not processed. That could be about the demographic of the people I know here or not. Although there are some fast food places around, they certainly aren't as plentiful as in Toronto.

Anyone curious about visiting Berlin really ought to just come. Whatever I write won't do it justice.

But here is a list of highlights so far:

1) Visited Cold War bunker in the ghetto which included an underground hospital, decontamination room, underground theatre space and a bunker that was used during the famous Air Bridge of 1949
2) Best apricot crumble of my life around the corner from where I'm staying
3) Best vietnamese food in XBerg
4) First trip to Hamam in XBerg, kids in tow. Got full on body scrub down

5) Check Point Charlie Museum, thanks Amanda

6) Visit to cafeteria in the middle of government building (by accident). Appreciated perfectly clean washrooms
7) Neues Museum - favourite thing...Egyptian gold rings
8) Bought two pairs of MC Hammer pants AKA Harem pants - you can kiss my arss if you think they look funny
9) Dinner with three sociologists and ate a delicious dinner in an amazing old apartment
10) Outdoor market where I found the best hat I've ever had on my head

11) Checking out bullet holes everywhere
12) Visit to the Berlin Zoo - Knut the polar bear died while we were there. Heard a lion roar for the first time in person
13) Got lost and found on the public transit system many times and always got help from nice people
14) Grafitti art everywhere and it just fits
15) Amazing Turkish food at a Hasir location
16) Cocktail at the Green Door where we had to get buzzed in
17) Blackberry streudel in outdoor market that was so fresh
18) Haunting Jewish memorial statue

19) Observing Freedom for Libya demonstration

20) Not stepping into a gym for an entire week so far but walking everywhere and getting fresh, sometimes frigid, air
21) Upgrade to first class on the plane after experienced motion sickness and getting a sponge bath from the flight attendant
22) Saw my first flowers of 2011 springing up from the ground

Three more days to go!

How to stay fit while traveling

2011-03-14T13:55:00.004-04:00

I'm about to head to the airport to catch a flight to Berlin. I was thinking about my plan to keep on feeling good while I'm away. I may or may not check out some gyms which is always an interesting cultural education. But I have things I automatically do to stay fit and healthy while I'm away. Most people dread gaining weight on a trip. I actually rarely gain weight while I'm away with the exception of my 4 month European adventure during university. That could have been due to a tight budget requiring copious amounts of baguette and cheese eating and maybe a little too much wine drinking.

I thought I'd share some of my secrets for being able to fully enjoy travel while avoiding weight gain and a loss of overall fitness. Life is too short to feel like we have to undo the effects of a vacation. Kind of misses the point of going away for a break or adventure doesn't it.

1) I eat whatever I want, I just don't eat too much.

I love trying new food and drink. It's a big part of why I enjoy travel. I don't deprive myself of the gift of food and the sensuality that accompanies enjoying it. I just don't over eat. Plain and simple. I stop before I'm full because I know it takes time for us to register we are full. I eat regularly and don't skip meals.

2) I walk everywhere.

I will avoid taking the metro if it means I get to walk through an interesting neighborhood. This is a no brainer.

3) I bring a heavy resistant stretch band.

One of the things I hate giving up while traveling is working my back and core. You can hit every major muscle group with bodyweight training (i.e. no equipment) except our backs. I'm very serious about good posture and alignment and love feeling tall and strong. So I do at least 2 strength training workouts a week while away that last about 30 minutes.

If you want an example of an equipment free workout you could do anywhere, check out a video of me on The Kit. There's one full body workout and one core workout.

4) I stretch

Sitting on a plane for long periods and walking a lot can create sore hip flexors and tighten up different muscles in the entire body. I take five minutes at the end of a travel day to do some basic stretching for my glutes, hip flexors and spine.

5) I don't leave assuming I'm going to gain weight

This is the biggest one. Most people assume they will gain weight while on vacation. I don't. We can taste food without stuffing ourselves like pigs. If I'm full, I leave leftover food on my plate. I hate feeling bloated. How is that fun?

6) I use vacations as an opportunity to catch up on sleep

We need vacations to recharge psychologically and physically. Albeit I might have a couple late nights during my trip to Berlin, I respect the need to restore our energy reserves. I love naps while on vacation or even just laying down and reading. I don't over plan my days so that I come back wiped out. One of the best ways to stop storing fat on our tummies is to bring our cortisol (stress hormone) levels down. Vacations should be about destressing.

So there are some of my staying fit while traveling tips. Just remember, fun doesn't have to involve gluttony. And overeating just isn't sexy at home or on vacation. Remember there is no falling off the wagon and getting back on it in terms of health and fitness. Stop thinking there is a wagon at all.

Gotta go! Whoot hoot!

Exercise alters the course of aging - New study reported in NY Times

2011-03-04T11:08:00.003-05:00

I don't know why people would invest in cosmetic surgery or other passive anti-aging endeavors without first doing the thing that is most obvious, exercise. And I'm not talking easy exercise. I'm talking about the stuff that makes our hearts pounds, our faces flush and our muscles burn. I see a huge difference in how people age based on the level of strenuous physical activity they've been consistent with. It is quite incredible to see how visible differences in vitality are when you stand two people beside each other, one who sweats and pushes themselves and another who has been relatively sedentary or engaged in more gentle physical activities.

But too often what seems obvious needs to be backed up my scientific evidence for people to believe it.

Taken from New York Times article "Can exercise keep you young?"

We all know that physical activity is beneficial in countless ways, but even so, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, was startled to discover that exercise kept a strain of mice from becoming gray prematurely.

But shiny fur was the least of its benefits. Indeed, in heartening new research published last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise reduced or eliminated almost every detrimental effect of aging in mice that had been genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace.

In the experiment, Dr. Tarnopolsky and his colleagues used lab rodents that carry a genetic mutation affecting how well their bodies repair malfunctioning mitochondria, which are tiny organelles within cells. Mitochondria combine oxygen and nutrients to create fuel for the cells — they are microscopic power generators.

Mitochrondria have their own DNA, distinct from the cell’s own genetic material, and they multiply on their own. But in the process, mitochondria can accumulate small genetic mutations, which under normal circumstances are corrected by specialized repair systems within the cell. Over time, as we age, the number of mutations begins to outstrip the system’s ability to make repairs, and mitochondria start malfunctioning and dying.

Many scientists consider the loss of healthy mitochondria to be an important underlying cause of aging in mammals. As resident mitochondria falter, the cells they fuel wither or die. Muscles shrink, brain volume drops, hair falls out or loses its pigmentation, and soon enough we are, in appearance and beneath the surface, old.

Now the next question I would have is, can people reverse the signs of aging with vigorous exercise. Well, unless you've fallen into complete resignation, I would say it's worth giving it a go at any age.

But as Sara-Clare stated on her facebook status a few days ago:

Get busy living or get busy dying

The Truth about a Prolapsed Vagina - do your kegels now and forever more

2011-02-28T15:44:00.007-05:00

WARNING!!!! This posting contains graphic material that may be disturbing to the faint of heart. If you want to have sex with your partner tonight, do not let him see the pictures in this post.

Anyone who comes to class at Urbanfitt or is one of my clients might get tired of hearing me say "Do a kegel" or "Are you doing a kegel"? But why are kegels so important during workouts?

According to Carrie Levine CNM, MSN:

The pelvic floor makes up a significant piece of your body’s core, the essence of your very being. The foundation for all movement, balance, stability and flexibility begins in the pelvis. And in times of change, such as during pregnancy, childbirth, perimenopause and menopause, we can support our bodies — literally and figuratively — by creating strength in our cores.

Apart from kegels assisting in improving core strength, they are also extremely important for preventing a prolapsed vagina and leaky lady syndrome one can witness during a jump rope session or jumping jacks.

You might not know that seven out of ten women have disorders of the pelvic floor. It’s not surprising, given that the pelvic floor supports the bones in the spine; structures the abdominal cavity — muscles and organs included; controls the passage of urine and stool; facilitates the childbirth process; and contributes to a woman’s sexual pleasure and ability to reach orgasm. What is surprising for many of us, however, is that problems with the above are avoidable.

As a midwife, I have seen what strength and flexibility in the pelvic floor can do for women. Yet many of us think our only option for these muscles is to practice Kegel exercises. Dr. Arnold Kegel discovered in the 1940’s that you can actually strengthen the vaginal muscles by — get this — resistance strength training. These squeeze-and-hold vaginal exercises known as Kegels were specifically designed to target pelvic floor strengthening.

read full article

I have trained a male OBGYN surgeon who was a non-believer. But this is what the Mayo Clinic says about kegels:

Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, from pregnancy and childbirth to aging and being overweight. This may allow your pelvic organs to descend and bulge into your vagina — a condition known as pelvic organ prolapse. The effects of pelvic organ prolapse range from uncomfortable pelvic pressure to leakage of urine. Pelvic organ prolapse isn't inevitable, however. Kegel exercises can help delay or even prevent pelvic organ prolapse and the related symptoms.

read full article

But is it really worth risking having the following thing happen to our beautiful vajayjays? Is it worth risking having to go for surgery? Clearly kegels can't prevent some incidents of prolapsed vaginas. There are many things out of our control. For those women out there reading this who do have this going on down south, I'm not in any way saying it's your fault for not doing more kegels. For those of us with things in their happy place, why not do what we can to prevent right?

Have I scared the CRAP put of you yet? I put my money where my mouth is. Every time I tell someone to do a kegel I do one too. That isn't going to be me if I have anything to say about it.

So some of you might not know how to do a kegel. You might not even know where your pelvic floor muscles are. So here you go. This ought to clear things up.

How to do Kegel exercises (taken from Mayoclinic.com)

It takes diligence to identify your pelvic floor muscles and learn how to contract and relax them. Here are some pointers:

1) Find the right muscles. Insert a finger inside your vagina and try to squeeze the surrounding muscles. You should feel your vagina tighten and your pelvic floor move upward. Then relax your muscles and feel your pelvic floor return to the starting position. You can also try to stop the flow of urine when you urinate. If you succeed, you've got the basic move. Don't make a habit of starting and stopping your urine stream, though. Doing Kegel exercises with a full bladder or while emptying your bladder can actually weaken the muscles, as well as lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder — which increases the risk of a urinary tract infection.

2) Perfect your technique. Once you've identified your pelvic floor muscles, empty your bladder and sit or lie down. Contract your pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction for five seconds, then relax for five seconds. Try it four or five times in a row. Work up to keeping the muscles contracted for 10 seconds at a time, relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions.
Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.

3) Repeat three times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day. You might make a practice of fitting in a set every time you do a routine task, such as checking email, commuting to work, preparing meals or watching TV.

You're welcome!

Urbanfitt's 2011 Spring Schedule

2011-02-25T11:43:00.004-05:00

NEW STUFF AT URBANFITT starting in March!!

6:30 PM MONDAY URBAN WARRIOR:
Kettlebell/Mixed Martial Arts class

Ever wanted to try mixed martial arts but haven't found the right venue to suit your personality or maybe you're not into hanging around sweaty guys in a dojo.

Starting March 7th we are moving the Tuesday Kettlebell class to Monday and adding a twist! Sara-Clare is bringing Mixed Martial Arts training to Urbanfitt

The MMA training phenomenon is taking the world by storm, and you can be one of the people to try it out!

Watch this video to check out some of the moves that you will try!

* Fight sport specific warm-ups and conditioning drills including Kettlebell Training!
* Fight Stances, Footwork and Shadow boxing instruction
* Striking techniques including punches, kicks, knees and elbows,Basic grappling, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai techniques

This class is part of the Urban Warrior program. Feel free to give it a go on us for the full month of March! The difference between Urbanfitt and other spots is we'll keep class sizes down to ensure you have much more of a group training instead of group fitness experience.

WE'RE ADDING A 2ND URBAN WARRIOR CLASS ON SATURDAYS!!!!

Saturday Urban Warrior has been PACKED so we decided to offer you something more. We thought some of you maybe interested in a more compact Kettlebell class on the weekend. Just because it's shorter doesn't mean it'll be easier. Beware! As of March 5th this is our new Saturday schedule:

9:30 to 10:45 Urban Warrior (Full body conditioning with torture technique of our choice)
11 - 12 Urban Warrior - Kickass Kettlebell

Reserve your space now for either of these cutting edge Urban Warrior classes by phoning 416.964.3309 or emailing help@urbanfitt.com

Pricing is as follows:

6 for $210
12 for $360
Or ask us about our ALL U CAN SWEAT membership for $249

SPRING SCHEDULE:

MONDAY:
NEW!!!!
URBAN WARRIOR
Kettlebell MMA as of March 7th
6:30 TO 7:45 pm (Sara-Clare)

TUESDAY:
FITT
12-1 (Jane)
6:30 pm Urban Warrior moved to Monday as of March 8th

WEDNESDAY:
URBAN WARRIOR
6:30-7:45 pm (Jane)

THURSDAY:
FITT
12-1 (Jane)
CORE TABATA
6:30 - 7:30 (Sara-Clare)

FRIDAY:
CORE BLAST (Jane)
12:15 - 1

SATURDAY:
URBAN WARRIOR
9:30 - 10:45 (Sara-Clare)

NEW!!!!
URBAN WARRIOR
Kickass Kettlebell
11-12 (Sara-Clare)

SUNDAY:
URBAN WARRIOR
9:30 to 10:45 (Jaimie)

(please note that instructors can change at last minute but we all rock)

START URBAN WARRIOR GROUP TRAINING NOW!

Urban Warrior is a pre-registered group training program where you commit to one or two regular days per week or take advantage of our ALL U CAN SWEAT membership option. You can join in anytime. If you buy packages of sessions, you have 6 weeks to use them up. Easy peasy.

No two classes are the same. No pink dumbbells. Urban Warrior is multi-level so get a proper start and you constantly progress. We pay very close attention to form and technique and ensure you build healthy movement patterns to improve structural balance. We get to know your body and it’s particular challenges and work with limitations or pre-existing injuries or conditions.

* High intensity interval training, full body conditioning with cutting edge tools of the trade, myofascial release, joint mobility, Yin yoga inspired stretching to tap into your ability to calm your nervous system.
* Kettlebell MMA involves fight sport specific warm-ups and conditioning drills including Kettlebell training, fight stances, footwork and shadow boxing instruction, striking techniques including punches, kicks, knees and elbows,Basic grappling, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai techniques

6 classes = $210
12 classes = $360
ALL U CAN SWEAT = $249 per month

Contact us to arrange payment. We have a liberal make up policy but do not offer carry forward credits for missed workshops.

help@urbanfitt.com or 416.964.3309

Is your relationship with work making you unhealthy?

2011-02-17T13:21:00.002-05:00

We are nearing the end of February and I'm sure many of you have started to wane on your commitment to making this year the healthiest, fittest year in your own personal history. I find that the number one reason people have a hard time sticking to fitness and health commitments is work related issues.

We have had some amazing commitment from our COMMIT TO FITT folks. People truly going out of their way to make their workouts happen. It is truly inspiring for me to see how hard people are working to balance their lives.

Which brings me to another re-post of an article I wrote a couple years ago.
Take peek at the below if you feel work is one of the main reasons you can't keep your commitments to your health and well being.

IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WORK MAKING YOU UNHEALTHY?

All too often we get caught in looking for THE next thing that is going to solve our issues with being healthy.

* It may be the hottest new cleanse (AKA diet) our work mate told us about.
* It may be just the right gym that is walking distance from our home or work.
* Or finding someone to work out with...
* A fitness video...
* Food allergy testing to explain away our bloat...
* A supplement that will help us sleep at night so we don't overeat during
the day...
* Or maybe we are going to go off dairy and caffeine

What we really need to do is take a MACRO look at ourselves through the lense of self awareness and see the bigger issue behind our challenges.

If there was one word to describe the overriding value in the Big Smoke it would be WORK. We like to work a lot. Most people have major issues setting boundaries between their work life and home life. There's a pretty good chance that your work is taking priority over your health.

Does your attitude and relationship to your work interfere with your ability to be healthy?

Here are some questions to consider:

1) Are you constantly afraid you might lose your job so you take on more and more? (the recession has made this a real fear for some people)

2) Do you eat at your desk and work straight through lunch?

3) Do you check email and work after dinner?

4) Do you find you're consistently canceling exercise commitments because something came up at work?

5) Do you regularly answer emails while on family outings or interrupt conversations with friends to answer work emails?

6) Do you have a hard time sleeping at night because you're worried about work?

7) Do you fantasize about escaping and selling everything and starting an organic farm on a regular basis?

8) Do you use your work environment and the food temptations around you at work to justify your obesity?

9) Do you feel you drink too much but don't feel like you have a choice because it's part of your work entertaining?

10) Do you fantasize that your work is harder than everyone else's and therefore, think you're more justified than others for your inability to consistently exercise or eat well?

If many of these questions are ringing true for you, you might want to put that 'eat for your food type blah blah' book down, ditch your next cleanse, and start taking a look at your big picture.

Going into our health issues on a micro level will allow us to stay trapped in our current global life struggles. Our issues with staying healthy are more a bi-product of other issues.

I don't have the answers for you.

I just know from first hand experience that the extra slice of pie is sometimes not just about the pie. And that lack of exercise often goes hand in hand with another larger unhealthy behaviour or thought process.

Why crunches won't flatten your stomach

2011-02-13T19:37:00.003-05:00

I wrote this a while back but thought it might be useful to re-post. It seems that crunches still haven't died the death they deserve. Maybe this will be the nail in the coffin of crunches for someone out there who STILL believes that crunches will flatten her belly...........

It would seem that the core training phenomenon has twisted the minds of many rational thinking and intelligent human beings. We all know that core strength is really important. We all talk about it at some point or another as something we feel we might need to improve. But what most people don't understand about core strength is that it's not something you do to flatten your gut and get rid of belly fat. The record needs to be set straight so we're all using trendy terms without making jackasses out of ourselves.

Core strength is really about how strong ALL of our muscles are in our ENTIRE torso, not just the muscles running down the front of our stomachs. Core training is far more than doing crunches. The muscles in our core include all of our abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, transversus, internal and external obliques) but also our hip flexors, pelvic floor muscles, glutes, all of our back muscles, and muscles around the shoulder girdle.

So given the fact that core strength is about all of these muscles, why are we all still so obsessed with the standard crunch (AKA sit up) as a way to melt fat from our stomachs? How does it make any sense that lying down on our backs and crunching up repeatedly in one direction would convert fat tissue into muscle tissue and magically melt away all the extra calories we ate that set up camp on our bellies? Do you think maybe that we get belly fat not because our abdominals are weak but perhaps because we eat too much? Come on people.

Top ten reasons why doing crunches won’t flatten your gut:

1) The whole spot reduction idea is so old school in a bad way. Let it go people for once and for all!

2) Abs are made in the kitchen (at least 80% of how your abs look have to do with what you eat).

3) Doing an hour of core training every day would have less of an impact on your ab fat than chronic sleep deprivation. Being chronically under slept will make you store fat in your gut (aka visceral fat).

4) If you constantly stress about how much ab work you’re not doing you’re likely making your belly even bigger. Stress makes us release cortisol which makes our bodies store visceral fat yet again.

5) Building muscle all over our bodies helps us rev up our metabolisms. The more muscle fibres we have the less likely we are to store sugar as fat.

6) We burn more calories working big muscles groups or doing multi-joint exercises (i.e. squats, push ups, rows) than doing crunches. Getting rid of fat means creating a caloric deficit.

7) Whether or not you eat a breakfast high in protein has a bigger impact on ab fat storage than a set of crunches. Try it out.

8) Building abdominal muscle under fat will give you a wonderful six pack that no one can see. People have six packs because they are lean all over.

9) Excess fat storage around our middles has more to do with hormonal imbalances and overall fitness than whether or not we can do 200 crunches in a row.

10) If you have lordotic posture, (i.e. sway back) your belly is going to spill over your hips and make your gut look bigger. If you don’t fix your alignment you’ll always look like you have more of a gut than you really
do.

So learn how to flatten your stomach the holistic and effective way!
Give us a call 416.964.3309

Jane Clapp

Our presentation to Oncologists at Sunnybrook

2011-02-06T18:25:00.008-05:00

Last Thursday Sara-Clare, Lisa (one of our clients dealing with cancer) and I went to speak to a group of oncologists at Sunnybrook regarding our experience working with people dealing with cancer.
We put much thought and energy into our presentation and truly hope that somehow we can influence the future of exercise as it applies to cancer patients. I could just burst at the seams in terms of my belief that regular exercise tailored to the individual can be a determining factor in someone's response to treatment and prevention of recurrence.

Over the next few years we are going to be seeing a major paradigm shift in the way people deal with treatment. The idea that people dealing illness in treatment should rest is being tossed out the window. This following is taken from an article last June 2010.

"New guidelines are urging survivors to exercise more, even -- hard as it may sound -- those who haven't yet finished their treatment.

There's growing evidence that physical activity improves quality of life and eases some cancer-related fatigue. More, it can help fend off a serious decline in physical function that can last long after therapy is finished.

Consider: In one year, women who needed chemotherapy for their breast cancer can see a swapping of muscle for fat that's equivalent to 10 years of normal aging, says Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In other words, a 45-year-old may find herself with the fatter, weaker body type of a 55-year-old."

So when I called Dr. Ellen Warner at Sunnybrook and told her what we were offering at Urbanfitt, she was gracious enough to invite us to speak. Dr. Warner headed up a study that looked at the impact of monitored exercise programs on people during treatment. Can't wait until those results are published! Apparently, the prelim very positive.

Here's a summary of our presentation for those of you interested in what we talked about.

WARRIOR WITHIN: fitness professionals' perspectives on exercise during treatment and bridging the gap between the medical community and the fitness industry

Exercise guidelines during and after treatment from June 2/10 AGM lead by Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., FACSM, associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center

1) Cancer patients and survivors should adhere to the 2008 federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend at least 150 minutes
per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
2) Clinicians should advise cancer survivors to avoid inactivity, even for patients with existing disease or who are undergoing difficult treatments.
3) Exercise recommendations should be tailored to the individual cancer survivor to account for exercise tolerance and specific diagnosis
4) Clinicians and fitness professionals should pay close attention to cancer survivors responses to physical activity, in order to safely progress exercise programs and avoid injuries.
5) Although more research should be done on the effects of strength training on cancer survivors, the practice generally appears to be beneficial.

Barriers to exercise for cancer patients

Fear of engaging in activity that might compromise treatment and old paradigms regarding exercise and illness
Physician concerns regarding liability (PAR Med ex can cover liability both directions)
Accessibility: LOCATION, income, lack of specialized classes and coaching in mainstream fitness environments
Lack of coaching and lifestyle change support in health care system: services exist but people don’t know about them
Lack of collaboration between medical community and fitness professionals

Our approach to exercise for cancer patients

Upper body joint mobility and fascial stretching before and after surgery
Myofascial release to relieve pscyhosomatic tension and calm the CNS - assist with sleep issues
Proprioception to keep neural pathways strong - chemotherapy can impact/damage proprioception
Light strength work to prevent osteoporosis
Create an opportunity to connect the mind and body and feel WHAT IS WORKING WELL IN THE BODY

What we have witnessed

Help clients manage potential depression during treatment and forget about their illness
Women in their 60s doing pull ups post treatment and hanging onto bone density
Even people undergoing chemo can maintain fitness levels
Cancer survivors feel more in control of their destiny and reach remarkable levels of fitness post treatment

Case in point - Sara-Clare and her client Lisa

Pre treatment phase
Treatment phase
Post treatment phase

The future of exercise during cancer treatment

Blue skying it:

Build more opportunities within health care system to capitalize on the window of receptivity to lifestyle change. When someone becomes ill, they are more likely to be motivated to make changes to their lifestyle habits.

Exercise coach on staff that is included in treatment plan (cheaper than docs and with different skill set in terms of lifestyle change management)

Every patient with some form of monitored exercise program

That's the general framework of what we talked about. It is clear that the fitness industry is at the early stages of understanding how to work with cancer patients in mainstream environments. Ultimately, we feel that we have been applying very effective exercise prescription for our clients with cancer that helps them move through their treatment and recovery with hope, combat the effects of chemotherapy on the body and ultimately empower people to feel more in control of their future health.

And to those of you in the fitness industry who are afraid to work with people in treatment, it's time to stop being so chicken shit about it. They are people with limitations who need help more than the people looking to get nicer bums and flatter stomachs. One of the docs at the presentation shared a story about a few patients actually getting turned away from their regular gyms. The gym requested a detailed explanation of the members' limitations out of fear of getting sued for what exactly? Ever heard of a Parmed X people? Not to mention it's just very short sighted to be afraid of working with people dealing with an illness. If anyone would be willing to invest in their fitness and health, it's someone who is faced with their mortality.

New York Times article: "Full Service Gyms Feel a Bit Flabby"

2011-01-30T21:31:00.005-05:00

I have some dear clients who forward articles to me and keep their ears to the ground about fitness trends in the media.
Thank you!!! Misha sent me this one last week:

It used to feel worthwhile to commit to an annual membership at an everything-and-the-kitchen sink gym featuring high-spirited classes, top-of-the-line cardio machines, weights — and perhaps a shot at striking up a conversation with Ms. Lithe sipping a post-workout smoothie.

But these days, the idea of a full-service gym is as stale as yesterday’s sweat-soaked towel. Up to 45 percent of fitness-club members quit going in any given year, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

For all their ads promising to stir motivation, gyms have failed to do so. “Up until the last six years, it’s been relatively easy to sell memberships, and to replace people going out the back door with people coming through the front door,” said Michael Scott Scudder, a consultant who advises health clubs and conducts up to 15 industry surveys annually. “Not so anymore. We’ve come to a point that we can’t sell enough membership in the industry to cover the attrition rate."

read full article

Feels pretty great to know that my gut proved right almost five years ago. Maybe this article is just some more proof that business built on shaky core values just get weeded out in the long run (like making people sign contracts or overselling memberships knowing the majority of people don't use their memberships). As the fitness industry matures so do wary consumers. Can't wait to see what the fitness industry will look like 10 years from now.

A nine year old's perspective on health and exercise

2011-01-28T11:50:00.004-05:00

Many of our clients at Urbanfitt are parents. We strongly encourage bringing kids along to training sessions or classes especially if being able to do so will make it more possible for our clients to fit their workouts into their busy schedules. Alice (changed her name for privacy) has been coming to Urbanfitt for a few years now and many times she's brought one or both of her daughters. We always encourage the girls to jump in and try some exercises out. Sara-Clare, a very gift trainer and instructor, is especially talented at engaging with kids.

Last night during Core Tabata, Alice's nine year old daughter Christine (changed name) came along and participated in class.

We received this note from Alice today...

Christine woke up this morning & said her inner thighs were very sore! She loves doing the split jumps & the frog.

It was an interesting evening with her at the gym and the walk home. She asked me whether I feel much stronger now since coming to Urbanfitt, and said that it's important for kids to exercise everyday -- she went on to explain why! She also talked about the correlation between what we eat & how we feel/look. It was a very adult way of thinking about all this.

Although we have had many discussion about food & exercise at home -- I think seeing & being able to participate in the classes has had a big impact on her -- and she's only nine!!

She was very aware that kids need at least 60 min of exercise daily -- and she listed all her daily activities to prove she gets at least that! She wondered why adults only needed 150 min. per week -- feels that's not neatly enough for us :)

Thanks so much for always encouraging her to participate when she comes with me!

The reality is that our children are going to be more influenced by how we model taking care of ourselves then by what we say or what they hear in school about health and fitness. If we really want our kids to have a health active life, then we have to show them how to do and that we really mean what we say. Walk to talk parents if you want to help your kids!!!! No one said it's easy to fit fitness in but what choice do we have really?

Change your brain with 8 weeks of meditation

2011-01-27T08:34:00.003-05:00

Brain plasticity seems to be the topic du jour. Books like "The Brain that Changes Itself" written by Norman Doidge are flying off the shelves.

A search of the term "changing the brain" on amazon results in over 500 selections.
Maybe part of our evolution involves not only realizing we have control over muscles via exercise but also our brain structure through self awareness and consciously choosing our thoughts. It's a promising trend pointing to the possibility of improvement in our conscious living.

This week clients have been buzzing about a study that was reported in the news, "Change your brain with 8 weeks of meditation". I also have a client who joined an 8 week meditation program that is said to rewire her brain and her ability to cope with stress. Just Monday night, I enjoyed a delicious meditation in Michelle McAdorey's yoga class at Urbanfitt.

So here's what the study said:

A U.S. researcher says mindfulness meditation can change brain structure in eight weeks.

Senior author Sara Lazar of Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital says these changes may account for meditation practitioners' claims of persistent cognitive and psychological benefits.

The study, published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, reports meditation produced changes over time in the brain's gray matter -- including increases in density in brain areas having to do with learning, memory, self-awareness and compassion. Decreased density was seen in the amygdala -- an area linked to anxiety -- in those reporting less stress. None of the changes were seen in the control group.

"This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing," Lazar says in a statement.

Lazar and colleagues studied magnetic resonance images of the brain structure of 16 study participants two weeks before and after they took part in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program involving daily sessions averaging 27 minutes as well as images of the brains of a matched control group of non-meditators.

During mindfulness meditation, participants were guided to focus on non-judgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and state of mind, Lazar says.

Meditation will be a consistent component of both of the new Yoga classes being offered at Urbanfitt. You have until the end of January to try either classes.

Saturdays Flow with Anna Hardwick at 12:15
Mondays Ashtanga with Michelle McAdorey at 6:30pm

Call 416.964.3309

And remember, your first visit to Urbanfitt is ALWAYS free.

Jamie Piekarz and We're Ghana Rock 2 Fundraiser

2011-01-20T10:39:00.004-05:00

She's just one of those women who has got the IT factor. She connects with people easily, has a great sense of humor and when she decides she's going to make something happen you better get out of her way.

Anyone who is lucky enough to have her in their lives should thank their lucky stars.

Here's an outreach message from her regarding a very inspiring project she's been involved with for some time now. Check it out.

Hi Friends,

Every year I travel to an underserved region and do something to try to help out. This winter I'll be going to Ghana with a group of women from Canada. Our goal is to raise enough money to build a school (about $17,000) in a rural village. The way it works, is that we, the volunteers, collect money for the supplies and tools necessary for construction, and the villagers use them to build the school themselves. While we are there, we will build the latrine for the school and community and work in local orphanages. I am asking for you help with building this school.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Attend our fund raising concert "We're Ghana Rock 2"

When: Wednesday January 26th (doors open at 6 pm
Where: Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas West
Tickets: $20 I have some let me know (get them now they're going fast!)

Mike Northcott's "Banned from Heaven" will be playing so get ready to dance!

OR

DONATE DIRECTLY ONLINE

www.goinggoingghana.com

Thanks so much. Your help will make a difference.

Blue Monday Workout Blues Buster

2011-01-18T21:42:00.006-05:00

Anyone catch wind of the fact that yesterday was Blue Monday? I wanted to find out what the hell Blue Monday was and who decided it was the bluest day of the year and why. Here's what I found from a Globe and Mail article from yesterday. Blue Monday was born because a British travel company wanted to market winter travel based on what could be considered the bluest day of the year.

Sky Travel reportedly offered some dough to any academic who would put his or her stamp on the idea that there’s a seasonal mood nadir. A fellow called Cliff Arnall, then a lecturer (and part-time one at that) at Cardiff University in Wales, threw in his hat, and well, the rest is very depressing indeed. (To underscore the flimsy basis for Blue Monday, not everyone agrees on the date; some will “celebrate” next week.)

The mood expert came up with some cockamamie formula using W for weather, D for debt, d for monthly salary, T for time since Christmas, Q for time since failed attempt for a New Year’s resolution, M for motivational levels and NA for need to take action. ( I will spare you the mathematical equation.) Basically, he pseudo-figured that with seasonal affective disorder (the winter blues), broken New Year’s resolutions, the wearing off of any jubilation experienced during the holiday season and mounting debt from having bought everyone presents they may not even like, it is the most depressing day of the year.

We all have blah days for sure. I have to admit, I felt it a bit the last couple days. I'm not a winter person. I'm a West Coaster at heart and the cold kicks my ass. Today, I had to find a way to kick my own ass out of the blahs and find a way to motivate my noon class. So I decided that partnered exercises would be a perfect way to shake things up and shake out the blues.

We all had a blast and definitely got out of our comfort zones. Connecting with other people is one of the best ways to get an escape from grumpy selves, even if it means they sweat on us a bit.

Here's some of the exercises we did today. Grab a partner and give 'em a go.

Blue Monday Workout Blues Buster:

Wheelbarrow push ups - remember from childhood wheelbarrow races? Same starting position. Tighten your core and do 10 -15 push ups. The partner holding their buddies legs and hold themselves in a squat.

Partnered single leg jumps - each partner grabs one ankle facing each other and jumps on one foot. You're going to get a killer burn in your calves, hamstrings, glutes and maybe even quads. Jump 100 times each leg. Ouch!

Partnered towel rows - partners face each other holding a hand towel in either their right hands or left hands. Resist your partner as he/she pulls and rows activating all the back muscles. Do 12 pulls each on each side.

Lower abdominal hand taps - lie on your back and get your partner to stand just above your head. Grab your partner's ankles. Other partner holds their hands up at chin level. Exhale and life your feet in a controlled manner towards your partner's hands. Lower straight legs only to the point the back stays stable and supportive. Complete 30 reps each.

And BTW, some experts argue that NEXT Monday is actually Blue Monday. But at least you're prepared now. Grab a partner and kick the blahs out of your butt.

New Year's Resolution are for pansies

2011-01-04T21:43:00.004-05:00

Just saying. What about life resolutions. Like living life truer to who we are? Like deciding that we should live the rest of our lives with our MOJO intact? Or maybe even finding ways, tools or coaching that will finally make us feel less like the victim in life and instead, in the drivers seat?

Or hell what about shifting our outlooks on getting older? Instead of assuming a whole bunch of crappy things go along with getter older, why not make efforts to feel more vital as we get older instead of less? Why think your life and what you can do is going to shrink?

Sure losing five pounds is a realistic goal. It might be the first step in a larger health goal. But don't you think that it's a little chicken shit to just commit to losing five pounds. Why not let yourself dream a little about what you want the rest of your life to look like and feel like. Maybe it's less about five pounds on a scale and more about a decision to break negative cycles that keep you stuck?

We all need baby steps along the path to truth, wisdom and fulfillment. But if you don't know where you're going how do you know your baby steps are pointed in the right direction. Only brave hearts and souls willing to dream live fully. All you have to decide is that it's going to be you.

Join us at Urbanfitt for your first baby step on this journey towards a life resolution:

Visioning workshop with Certified Life Coach, Ruth Tamari on Saturday January 15th at 11:30.

The cost for the workshop is just $40.

Or you can join us for the COMMIT TO FITT 8 week launching pad into what could be the beginning of a life long journey of lasting vitality and rockin MOJO.

Do You Have Dead Butt Syndrome?

2011-01-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

Many of the people at Urbanfitt could attest to my anal fixation. I know how to work bums and I know how to make them hurt the next day. It's not just a random fixation that is about looking hot in jeans. It's also based on the fact that we can't have healthy lower body biomechanics without good glute strength. Often times, physiotherapists or functional therapists will advise me to focus on glute and core strength when working with clients with any sort of lower body injuries or osteoarthritis etc. I could pull up numerous blog posts devoted to bum strength.

I love it when knowledge that has been circulating for years amongst experts finally gets mainstream coverage. The New York Times published an article titled "When the Diagnosis is Dead Butt Syndrome" on December 21st. Urbanfitt's senior trainer Sara-Clare passed along the link.

Here's an excerpt.

“A new thought in running medicine is that almost all lower extremity injuries, whether they involve your calf, your plantar fascia or your iliotibial band, are linked to the gluteus medius,” said Dr. Darrin Bright, a sports medicine physician with Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and medical director of that city’s marathon. “In the last five to 10 years, we’ve just realized how much of an important role the gluteus medius plays in stabilizing the hips and the pelvis in running.”

If you think of the pelvis as a cup, the muscles that attach to it, including the three gluteal muscles and the lower abdominals, interact in an intricate choreography to keep the cup upright when you run or walk. If these muscles are strong, the cup stays in place with no pain. If one or more of those muscles is weak, the smaller muscles around the hip take on pressure they weren’t designed to bear.

Of course, the answer for your current injury or undiagnosed pain might be more complicated than just fixing your glutes, it never hurts to work them well since they are stretched out and lazy whilst sitting at a desk. If you've been dealing with an injury without actually getting a proper assessment, we've got some great people to refer you to. Just drop us a line.

If you want to wake up your lazy bums, sign up for your first free class at Urbanfitt and fire up your asses!

help@urbanfitt.com or call 416.964.3309

"The Tiny Tiger" by Janette Shipston Chan

2010-12-14T09:55:00.002-05:00

Janette is a woman who has endured more than most people on the planet will ever have to face. She's taken her experiences and sculpted something beautiful, a children's book titled "The Tiny Tiger" a picture book about international adoptions for her daughter and anyone else who finds it inspiring. She also has a truly magical blog regarding their experience with international adoption and the blending of cultures titled "ROAR".

Her life and her inner strength is so humbling to me. Every time I see her at the studio I get an attitude adjustment. She shines even brighter after her struggles. And she doesn't lead with them. She's in the present fully and completely.

Here's a link where you can buy her book. She self published and quickly got the attention of many international book sellers and distributors.

What a beautiful gift for anyone who shares Janette's family's experience.

ANNOUNCING COMMIT TO FITT 2011

2010-12-06T17:24:00.003-05:00

Time after time we’ve rung in the New Year with a resolution that this year we’re going to finally get fit. We’re finally going to lose that last bit of weight, get a bit stronger, make exercise a regular part of our lives… And so often those commitments are put aside by St Paddy’s Day!

But why? Unrealistic goals, lack of support, accountability, and effective coaching – we need all these things to make a healthy lifestyle work and to make it last.

URBANFITT wants to help you make 2011 the year that you COMMIT TO FITT!

The COMMIT TO FITT program is the 8 week launching pad you need to propel yourself forward, ignite your MOJO and get the tools to succeed in your fitness journey - GROUP GOAL SETTING AND VISIONING, GOAL DOCUMENTATION AND TRACKING, COMMUNITY AND COACH SUPPORT, END OF PROGRAM ACCOUNTABILITY.

Starts Saturday January 15th at 10:15 and runs until Friday, March 11th.

The critical elements of the COMMIT TO FITT program are:

PICTURE IT - This is all about figuring out where you’re at now and where you want to go.

It’s time to flex your dreaming muscles and reach for how you really want to feel and look for the rest of your life. Ruth Tamari, Certified Life Coach, will lead us through a visioning workshop on January 15th after class from 11:30 to 1:30, snacks provided.

In this process we will choose realistic 8 week goals – realistic goals could be a 5lb weight loss, a slimmer waist, stronger arms, simply attendance at three workouts per week, or nutrition goals like limiting sugar intake to 1x per week or increasing fruit and vegetable by two servings a day. The key is to choose goals that are attainable and focused, Rome wasn’t built in a day and a lifestyle overhaul can’t be made in a month! Meeting these measurable goals within the first 8 weeks of the year will give you the confidence and desire to make new ones through the year and continue to grow!

DOCUMENT IT –

Before class on January 15th, strip down to your bra and panties and get your picture taken at the beginning and at the end of your 8-week program. Other benchmarks will include weight and waist and hip measurements and food journaling.

Document your current eating habits and get Urbanfitt’s Golden Rules of fat loss. Jane will look at your regular habits and give you quick and effective tips for tweaking your eating immediately. It’s all about combining the changes that provide the biggest pay off with realistic and progressive small changes that can improve your eating habits forever.

Through the 8 weeks continue to track your workouts and maintain your food journal to monitor your progress.

WORK IT – Attend 3 Urban Warrior group training sessions or other Urbanfitt conditioning classes per week and one other day of the week you get to choose a structured activity that makes you happy and lights up your spirit.

MEASURE IT – Once a week, we check your progress. If you’re trying to lose weight, we will do a weigh in. If you are more focused on changing eating habits, we’ll review your food journal. We will also be keeping class attendance so we can see how you’re sticking to the 3 times a week Urban Warrior commitment.

WRAP IT – Celebrate successes of the last 8 weeks with a wrap party on Saturday March 12th at 11:30am. We’ll review our progress, successes, challenges, and plans moving forward to build and maintain fitness through the year. We also will do final measurements and compare before and after pics.

COST = $85 PER WEEK or $649 in advance

COMMIT TO FITTER:

Same as above but add an additional one on one personal training session to the mix. This option is based on personal trainer availability as well.

COST = $164 PER WEEK or $1250 in advance

Reserve your space today by calling 416.964.3309 or email help@urbanfitt.com

Space is limited to ensure we give you the kind of attention you need to make this stick, for good.

A 91 year old track and field star - Olga Kotelko

2010-11-29T23:39:00.004-05:00

I work with the young and the old. But sometimes the 'young' folks are the whiniest of them all. This last month Leslie who just turned 50 was kicking the asses of 25 year olds in Urban Warrior. I won't mention any names. There's a fire and determination in some people to get strong and fight what may seem like the inevitable slide into physical decline and apathy.

I have a 68 year old breast cancer survivor client who kicks ass on pull ups and just doesn't get sore from workouts that easily anymore. She trains a couple times a week, goes to 2 pilates classes a week, walks everywhere and regularly sees an osteopath.

I also have 68 year old clients who have neglected their bodies for years and are basically trying to be able to walk up and down stairs without pain. Good on them for coming in to train. But wouldn't it be great if our efforts didn't come too late so that when our wisdom is ripest we could actually go do whatever our little hearts desire without being limited by what our bodies can do? I know not everyone is lucky and sometimes fate takes over. Sometimes shit happens despite our best efforts to be healthy. But anyone can fight to feel better.

Jaimie sent this link to me today and funnily enough I was talking to someone tonight who mentioned this story as well. Seems Olga Kotelko's story is going viral, at least in my little world.

Here's an excerpt taken from the New York Times article:

On the third floor of the Montreal Chest Institute, at McGill University, Olga Kotelko stood before a treadmill in the center of a stuffy room that was filling up with people who had come just for her. They were there to run physical tests, or to extract blood from her earlobe, or just to observe and take notes. Kotelko removed her glasses. She wore white New Balance sneakers and black running tights, and over her silver hair, a plastic crown that held in place a breathing tube.

Tanja Taivassalo, a 40-year-old muscle physiologist, adjusted the fit of Kotelko’s stretch-vest. It was wired with electrodes to measure changes in cardiac output — a gauge of the power of her heart. Taivassalo first met Kotelko at last year’s world outdoor masters track championships in Lahti, Finland, the pinnacle of the competitive season for older tracksters. Taivassalo went to watch her dad compete in the marathon. But she could hardly fail to notice the 91-year-old Canadian, bespandexed and elfin, who was knocking off world record after world record.

Read the whole story

What if there's a chance that anyone at any age could make fitness gains regardless of injuries, medical conditions or past experience with fitness. I say screw resignation.

Here's another little story. I worked with Vera for a couple months, a 67 year old woman with little exercise experience or at least not the type of exercise that actually made her sweat. Within just a couple months of training, she was going up the dreaded 5 sets of stairs faster and feeling like a fire was lit under her butt. She learned to hustle on her daily walks instead of saunter and is building up the muscles in her lower body to alleviate some of the pain she experiences from osteoarthritis.

Here's some more very interesting stuff from the article about this:

EXERCISE HAS BEEN shown to add between six and seven years to a life span (and improve the quality of life in countless ways). Any doctor who didn’t recommend exercise would be immediately suspect. But for most seniors, that prescription is likely to be something like a daily walk or Aquafit. It’s not quarter-mile timed intervals or lung-busting fartleks. There’s more than a little suffering in the difference.

Here, though, is the radical proposition that’s starting to gain currency among researchers studying masters athletes: what if intense training does something that allows the body to regenerate itself? Two recent studies involving middle-aged runners suggest that the serious mileage they were putting in, over years and years, had protected them at the chromosomal level. It appears that exercise may stimulate the production of telomerase, an enzyme that maintains and repairs the little caps on the ends of chromosomes that keep genetic information intact when cells divide. That may explain why older athletes aren’t just more cardiovascularly fit than their sedentary counterparts — they are more free of age-related illness in general.

Exactly how exercise affects older people is complicated. On one level, exercise is a flat-out insult to the body. Downhill running tears quadriceps muscles as reliably as an injection of snake venom. All kinds of free radicals and other toxins are let loose. But the damage also triggers the production of antioxidants that boost the health of the body generally. So when you see a track athlete who looks as if that last 1,500-meter race damn near killed him, you’re right. It might have made him stronger in the deal.

Exercise training helps stop muscle strength and endurance from slipping away. But it seems to also do something else, maintains Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (who also happens to be a top-ranked trail runner). Resistance exercise in particular seems to activate a muscle stem cell called a satellite cell. With the infusion of these squeaky-clean cells into the system, the mitochondria seem to rejuvenate. (The phenomenon has been called “gene shifting.”) If Tarnopolsky is right, exercise in older adults can roll back the odometer. After six months of twice weekly strength exercise training, he has shown, the biochemical, physiological and genetic signature of older muscle is “turned back” nearly 15 or 20 years.

This is all so very hopeful.

Peter Dale - National Aerobics Championship 1989 USA Individual Male

2010-11-25T15:35:00.003-05:00

Isabel passed along this link. Holy crap. Now I"m dating myself but I used to think guys who could do this, dressed like this were hot. But then again I was about 16. What did I know?

I used to rock outfits like this. Body suit up the bum, I'd add a little matching belt and leg warmers, maybe even a head band.
Thanks Isabel. This makes me feel freakin' old reminiscing on how I started getting passionate about fitness. How far we've come. I wonder what we're going to look back on twenty years from now and laugh about. Like haha we used to do that didn't we look silly and look at what we were wearing. It's going to happen. Or at the very least the kids twenty years from now are going to laugh at us.

But truth be told, I found hard core aerobics just at the right time. It served a very important purpose. It took the edge off of what were anxious teenage years. High impact aerobics gave me the endorphins I needed to have even a temporary high, helped me escape from what was am angst ridden home life and probably saved me from getting into more trouble than I did.

It was Fitco in Victoria with the owner Marty and his mustache similar to Peter Dale's cranking the tunes, smiling and giving the young girls a little pat on the bum that got me hooked. My hat goes off to you Marty for being a part of what has now been well over a decade of working in the fitness industry and at least 20 years of consistently exercising.

I might have looked silly, but I sure as hell felt good. So for any of you reading this, don't be afraid to risk looking silly in your pursuit of fitness. Whatever lights you up inside will serve a very important purpose in your evolution.

New press from THE KIT plus online video

2010-11-22T12:23:00.002-05:00

I'm so lucky to get the kind of press that I do! The wonderful people at a fun and swanky new online magazine used me for their Winter issue. If you follow the link below and go to the Fit Kit section (page 154), you'll see a spread and links to video with me demonstrating my Anywhere Bodyweight Workout and the Crunch Free Core Workout.

Enjoy! And thanks to Erinn Steringa from THE KIT for thinking of me for their publication.

	Look inside >

WORKOUT

The missing piece of advice for Jian Ghomeshi

2010-11-16T19:37:00.006-05:00

Jian Ghomeshi is hmmmm...what words could summarize his iconic presence in Canadian culture? Who else could've handled Billy Bob with so much grace? He's just so...special.

I heard he had his fitness/health regime critiqued in the Globe and Mail so of course I had to take a look.

“I work a 12-hour-day and average five hours of sleep. I’m up at 6:30 in the morning, I do my show, then I’m at the network all day, spending much of the day preparing for next day’s show. I don’t eat red meat; I haven’t eaten mammals in years, so I eat mostly vegetables, and fish."

“I was a caffeine addict. I’d do my show and drink a giant, powerful coffee, have another coffee in the afternoon, then do a triple espresso to have energy to go out at night. I was waking up drinking Red Bull, sometimes, to be up for the show.

"I was finding dramatic ups and downs in my energy throughout the day: I’d want to crash in the mid-afternoon; I’d get to a point in the evening I was bleary-eyed; I couldn’t speak, but then my energy would come back. My energy was disconcertingly inconsistent. And in broadcasting it gets pretty sedentary.

"I was feeling stress, headaches, pains, discomfort, and I was getting really tired. Friends said to exercise. I really needed an outlet for my energy. It’s kind of like the stress of the job, anxiety and fatigue comes out when I’m working out. It’s a healthy outlet for me, mentally and physically.”

My challenge

“I have a terrible habit I’ve socialized myself into from years of touring in a band [Moxy Fruvous], and that is eating at 2 in the morning. And it’s not often the healthiest things.”

Seems he's a caffeine addict. Pretty hard core in fact. I'm sure his days living a rock n' roll lifestyle are hard to let go of, the staying out late habit but now he's got more day time work hours, can't sleep in and has to get to work so darn early. Can't really do both as we get older. It catches up with every one.

The advice to him was as follows:

Registered holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy at 889 Yonge, a yoga and lifestyle spa, says night eating is a hard habit to break, but self-talk is an effective behaviour-changing strategy.

“Jian needs to ask himself, ‘Am I really hungry?’ Because being mindful of what he’s eating and why he’s eating will help break the habit.”

Snack for stamina

For sustainable energy, he should switch to complex carbs such as brown rice, quinoa and millet, and eat between-meal nibbles to prevent energy dips, keeping stamina high.

“Jian should eat a handful of brainy walnuts and four dried apricots, a half-scoop of chocolate protein powder & almond milk, or vegetable sticks and hummus – all blood-sugar-balancing snacks.”

But Jian, really.

She's missing the big picture.

You won't even out your energy levels through your day if you only get 5 hours sleep per night. Sleep deprivation is going to inhibit your ability to build muscle (sleep is when muscles fibres repair and get thicker), fight cravings and kick your caffeine habit. I hate to say it but you're not 20 anymore. You might have to start thinking about sleeping at least 7 hours a night. Your body's cravings for caffeine are telling you something is out of balance big time.

Further, food cravings aren't just psychological. When we're sleep deprived our bodies over produce a hormone telling up to eat more and under produce a hormone telling us we're full. The late night snacking is really just because your body is looking for ways to stay awake. It's not natural to sleep 5 hours a day. We need more for optimal health.

Overall, people sleep at least an hour less per night than we did a couple decades ago. Sleep deprived people are more likely to hang onto belly fat. Plus you aren't ever going to really lose the little belly or keep it off if you don't start getting some shut eye. Sleep deprivation also makes us produce more cortisol, the stress hormone that just isn't a good thing in large doses and can be directly linked to belly fat!

So...

Dear Jian,

Go to bed to lose the caffeine addiction and late night snacking. At least try to get a bit more sleep. Come to think of it, the simplest solution to your late night snacking is shut eye. If you're sleeping at 2am you sure aren't going to be eating.

Jane

Outdoor bodyweight workout for this gorgeous Saturday

2010-11-12T15:15:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow's weather in T.O. is supposed to be about 14 degrees and sunny. So thought it might be a great idea for the desk bound inside dwellers to find a way to get outside, sweat a little and soak up some precious Vitamin D.

So here's a workout you can do outside, anywhere tomorrow! Whoever does this workout over the weekend and sends me a picture of their sweaty selves will get a gold star and a prize! You heard it. You can earn yourself a $20 gift certificate for anything at Urbanfitt just for having the discipline to kick your own butt outside. No cheating!

This weekend warrior workout is a quickie! It'll take you about 30 minutes max. Try to find a field or a spacious park to do it.

Here goes:

Warm up with some:
10 Inch worms
10 Dynamic leg and arm swings (each)
16 Reserve lunges

Now the hard part:
1) Sprint at full speed down the length of the field/track/path 3 times (about 30-45 seconds)
2) Lunge back all the way
3) Drop and do 15 muay thai push ups (see video below). If you can't do muay thai push ups then regular ones will do ;)

4) Stay in push up position and do 20 firehydrants/mountain climbers
5) Find a bench or a ledge and do 15-20 tricep dips

Do it all again at least two more times.

Then make sure you stretch your butt, hamstrings, hip flexors and whatever needs it.

Enjoy the sweat! Remember if you do it take a picture of as proof and get a little pressie.

Jane

Visioning your 2011 with Ruth Tamari

2010-11-08T11:40:00.004-05:00

I recently connected with a woman, Ruth Tamari, and wanted to share an amazing opportunity to start taking charge of what your 2011 is going to look like. I love fitness. I love helping people feel empowered through improved strength and stamina but we are so much more than our physical selves. We actually need help moving forward in other parts of our lives.

So check this out. Might be a great thing for you to do!

Visioning Your 2011
The Art of Creating a Year You Love

Experience the power of visioning and creating a year of fulfillment for your career, personal development, health, family, relationships and much more! Dream big, breathe into your creativity, and get ready to create your own unique vision board or vision story for 2011.

Come learn more about Vision Boards and Vision Stories, how to create them yourself, how to use yours in 2011 and beyond that will connect you to a year and life you love!

A Vision Board and Vision Story are representations of how a life you love look, feel and sound like. The act of creating, focusing and choosing can powerfully propel you forward and keep you laser-focused on your dreams and goals.

This half-day workshop includes:
A certified coach to facilitate the process of creating and fulfilling your life’s purpose
On-the-spot coaching in self-discovery and personal growth
All the materials you need to create your 2011 vision board or vision story
A FREE copy of the NEW 121-Dreams Starter Kit to ignite your life purpose and have a beautiful structure to keep it stoked
Refreshments and munchies
A fun, inspiring and creative day
All you need to bring is yourself! And you’ll have lots of time left for holiday events or for yourself!

Limited to the first 7 participants.

Date: Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Time: 12:30-4:00pm
Place: The Centre for Social Innovation, 4th Floor, The Sunshine Room
215 Spadina Avenue, north of Queen Street, www.socialinnovation.ca
Cost: Early Bird Price: $50 if paid on or before Wednesday, November 24th
$60 from November 25th onwards
Payment by cheque or email money transfer

Facilitated By: Ruth Tamari, MEd, CPCC, ACC
Certified Professional Coactive Coach, Career & Life Transitions
Website: www.ruthtamari.com
Blog: www.ruthtamari.wordpress.com
Email: info@ruthtamari.com

To register: Email info@ruthtamari.com or call 416-972-6896

U.S. food policy just got cheesier

2010-11-07T01:00:00.004-04:00

The majority of people don't like to go down the conspiracy route when it comes to looking at how industry and the government collude to influence what we choose to put in our mouths. But even the New York Times is willing to expose the fact that maybe everyone's expanding waist lines might have something to do with back room deals in high government offices negotiated by conservative lobbyists representing the interests of industry twisting the arms of the powers that be. Perhaps it's the precarious nature of the western economic machine that forces compromises to be made in the interest of artificially extending the profitability of dairy farming. But anyone with their heads buried in the sand should be waking up to the fact that what we eat or what is put in our food is largely dictated by fat white men sitting in cushy offices with their suits bursting at the seams.

This is taken from New York Times Well blog.

Domino’s Pizza was hurting early last year. Domestic sales had fallen, and a survey of big pizza chain customers left the company tied for the worst tasting pies.

Then help arrived from an organization called Dairy Management. It teamed up with Domino’s to develop a new line of pizzas with 40 percent more cheese, and proceeded to devise and pay for a $12 million marketing campaign.

Consumers devoured the cheesier pizza, and sales soared by double digits. “This partnership is clearly working,” Brandon Solano, the Domino’s vice president for brand innovation, said in a statement to The New York Times.

But as healthy as this pizza has been for Domino’s, one slice contains as much as two-thirds of a day’s maximum recommended amount of saturated fat, which has been linked to heart disease and is high in calories.

And Dairy Management, which has made cheese its cause, is not a private business consultant. It is a marketing creation of the United States Department of Agriculture — the same agency at the center of a federal anti-obesity drive that discourages over-consumption of some of the very foods Dairy Management is vigorously promoting.

Urged on by government warnings about saturated fat, Americans have been moving toward low-fat milk for decades, leaving a surplus of whole milk and milk fat. Yet the government, through Dairy Management, is engaged in an effort to find ways to get dairy back into Americans’ diets, primarily through cheese.

Americans now eat an average of 33 pounds of cheese a year, nearly triple the 1970 rate. Cheese has become the largest source of saturated fat; an ounce of many cheeses contains as much saturated fat as a glass of whole milk.

When Michelle Obama implored restaurateurs in September to help fight obesity, she cited the proliferation of cheeseburgers and macaroni and cheese. “I want to challenge every restaurant to offer healthy menu options,” she told the National Restaurant Association’s annual meeting.

But in a series of confidential agreements approved by agriculture secretaries in both the Bush and Obama administrations, Dairy Management has worked with restaurants to expand their menus with cheese-laden products.

Consider the Taco Bell steak quesadilla, with cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella and a creamy sauce. “The item used an average of eight times more cheese than other items on their menu,” the Agriculture Department said in a report, extolling Dairy Management’s work — without mentioning that the quesadilla has more than three-quarters of the daily recommended level of saturated fat and sodium.

Dairy Management, whose annual budget approaches $140 million, is largely financed by a government-mandated fee on the dairy industry. But it also receives several million dollars a year from the Agriculture Department, which appoints some of its board members, approves its marketing campaigns and major contracts and periodically reports to Congress on its work.

The organization’s activities, revealed through interviews and records, provide a stark example of inherent conflicts in the Agriculture Department’s historical roles as both marketer of agriculture products and America’s nutrition police.

In one instance, Dairy Management spent millions of dollars on research to support a national advertising campaign promoting the notion that people could lose weight by consuming more dairy products, records and interviews show. The campaign went on for four years, ending in 2007, even though other researchers — one paid by Dairy Management itself — found no such weight-loss benefits.

When the campaign was challenged as false, government lawyers defended it, saying the Agriculture Department “reviewed, approved and continually oversaw” the effort.

Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health and a former member of the federal government’s nutrition advisory committee, said: “The U.S.D.A. should not be involved in these programs that are promoting foods that we are consuming too much of already. A small amount of good-flavored cheese can be compatible with a healthy diet, but consumption in the U.S. is enormous and way beyond what is optimally healthy.”

The Agriculture Department declined to make top officials available for interviews for this article, and Dairy Management would not comment. In answering written questions, the department said that dairy promotion was intended to bolster farmers and rural economies, and that its oversight left Dairy Management’s board with “significant independence” in deciding how best to support those interests.

It could be said this is a case of sucking and blowing at the same time. While we are being told that obesity is a crisis that will soon overtake smoking as a killer, the US government is making fast food even greasier . Of course, eating at fast food restaurants like Dominos is kind of a no brainer in terms of health implications. It sure doesn't help the folks that succomb to crap food as primary nourishment.

And by the way smug Canadians, our obesity stats are catching up with the US at an incredible pace, faster than most people want to admit.

The 12 by 4 workout

2010-11-03T19:47:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I kind of pull workouts out of my arss, like tonight at Urban Warrior. They always stick my the usual full body conditioning, high intensity thing that gets people fit fast and burns fat.

Tonight I surprised the class with the 12 x 4 workout.

I picked 12 exercises that we did 12 reps of 4 times around from start to finish. And by the way we didn't take any real rest periods. That was half the fun of it...getting the heart rate up high while doing some body weight strength exercises.

This is what we did:

1) reserves lunges
2) push ups
3) burpies
4) plie squat jumps
5) side plank twists
6) leap frogs
7) firehydrants
8) pull ups
9) russian twists
10) forward lunges
11) jumping jacks
12) single leg squats

Give it a go. You can do it anywhere, apart from the pull ups. It challenges you in a different way than workouts you might have been doing.

Fun fun fun.

Jane

American College of Sports Medicine predicts fitness trends for 2011

2010-11-01T19:22:00.004-04:00

I'm getting to the point in the year when I start thinking about the fitness trends I see coming for the New Year. I actually never really stop thinking about where the fitness industry is headed but maybe I strain my brain a little bit more near the end of the year.

The American College of Sports Medicine publishes a list of their predicted trends every year based on a massive survey of worldwide fitness professionals. I love taking a look at their survey results because I know I live in a bit of a bubble off to the side of the traditional fitness industry.

The College surveyed more than 19,000 fitness professionals to come up with worldwide fitness trends for 2011, a survey the group has been conducting since 2007.

Their full findings haven't hit mainstream media yet (if you find them let me know!) but USA Today wrote a little piece just a few days ago highlighting the survey findings as follows:

Boot-camp workouts, strength training and core exercises are among this year's top 20 trends. Pilates and balance training, listed in the past, didn't make the cut this time.

1) Boot-camp workouts

These structured, high-intensity workouts, modeled after military-style training, include cardiovascular, strength, endurance and flexibility exercises. The classes often combine sports-type drills and calisthenics.

"These workouts are not for the faint of heart," Thompson says. "Expect the workout to be led by a drill sergeant who has little to no patience for people lagging behind."

The programs are designed for the more experienced exerciser who wants or needs some additional motivation, or to try something different to spice up the workout routine, Thompson says. Class members move from one exercise to the next with little or no rest.

2) Core training

This trend stresses the strength and conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, back and chest, Thompson says. The workout emphasizes everything but your arms, legs and head.

Many fitness experts believe people with a weak core have poor posture, and those with strong core muscles can function better in all aspects of their daily lives.

Core exercises are an element of many popular fitness programs.

Push-ups, sit-ups and curl-ups are examples of basic core exercises, but some fitness professionals now use such novelties as kettlebells and stability balls, he says.

3) Strength training

Most people have a vision of bulky men as being the only people who lift weights, but everyone from teenagers to the elderly should be strength training, Thompson says.

The government's physical activity guidelines recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities at a moderate- or high-intensity level for all major muscle groups two or more days a week.

So what do I think about the trends listed above? I think most of us who work out on a regular basis would agree to a certain extent. But I'm going to hit this 2011 predicted fitness trends hard in the next months with more specificity and detail based on what I've seen shift at Urbanfitt in the last few years. Stay posted!