No More BABY WEIGHT!

How many of you moms had every intention of working out while off on mat leave, having all this time to prep meals and workout with your baby? And how many actually have done that?!?! IT'S REALLY HARD! Babies don't sleep through the night, babies need fed ALL THE TIME, babies need held or get sick or your boobs are sore or you are healing from delivery...and so on.

First of all, THIS IS NORMAL! So don't worry about or feel bad that you haven't done what you intended to do because LIFE happens. Also, don't look at anyone else and compare yourself to them, you have no idea what they are struggling with or what their life is like. Your body created an incredible human being....HEEEELLLLLOOOOOO! That's WICKED! Be proud of that and let's work on creating a happy healthy you in the time that is reasonable for you to commit to,

I have recently revamped how I am doing my own workouts and how I train my clients to get optimal results in a shorter amount of time. EFFICIENCY is the key! And how do we do it??? TABATA Training.

Tabata Training is when you choose 1 exercise/movement and do it for 20sec then 10 sec rest and repeat that for 8 rounds (it totals 4mins), then you move on to a new exercise/movement. This doesn't sound like it would be that hard, but don't be fooled it's intense. The best thing is that people can wrap their minds around 20secs and knowing that after 4mins they never have to see that exercise again (that day) it makes it manageable. Tabata is so efficient because it burns a TON of calories in a very short period of time....THAT'S THE KEY.

25mins a day, 4 days per week...can you do that?! You need to ask yourself a question; How unhappy are you with where you are at and how badly do you want to change and feel back to the real YOU? If you are ready to make a change then you will MAKE time for these workouts.

Here is an example of a Tabata workout that can be done at home;
#1- wide squat with bicep curl and shoulder press (this one is great to start with because it warms up the whole body)
#2- Bentover Row
#3- Plank
#4- Plie Squat with Overhead Tricep Extension
#5- Push Up with Rotation (toes or knees)
Then stretch!!!


I combine tabata training with clean eating and many clients use the Transform30 to kickstart their routine for the first 30 days. I have a website, recipes, support and more during that program as well. Here is a link to the T30 healthy eating program if you're interested

If you'd like to really get yourself back on track, healthy lifestyle not just weight loss, fit not skinny and HAPPY IN YOUR BODY then email me and I'd love to connect via skype, zoom, Facebook, etc.

Why Small Group Training gets HUGE results!

There are so many HUGE benefits to working out with a group of people; motivation, competition, being social, accountability to the group and all that on top of a WICKED WORKOUT! We have found at Performance Fitness that our personal training services expanded into the group training field all because of a request from a client 2yrs ago. Since we launched our first BOOTCAMP (2x week) we now offer 18 group workouts/week!!

The difference between Performance Fitness Group Training and a class that you would attend at a gym is;

·        1. We measure results- at the beginning, middle and end of each 8 week session we take weight and measurements (if client wants to). This was you can literally see the results in a matter of 4-6weeks!

·        2.  No 2 workouts are EVER the same! The trainers base the workouts on clients goals at the beginning of the session. We always have the same focus; challenging your cardio, increasing your strength, toning and core BUT hit those areas differently all the time

·        3.  We use tools such as; TRX, ViPR, BOSU, Kettle bells, Agility Ladder and so much more all in one workout

·       4.  It’s PERSONAL! You will develop a relationship with your trainer and become like a friend. We LOVE what we do and inspiring people means investing in their lives. All your fellow exercises buddies also become friends and you become accountable to each other to be there each workout

·         If you have a previous injury or modification that needs to be made, the trainers always accommodate without question and work with you to create the best workout for each client. 

5. The last and sometimes most important benefit to Group Programs is the cost, it is substantially less than private training but you still get the amazing benefits and personal care when you train with us.

We are proud to offer a variety of programs: Performance Circuit, The Ultimate Performance, Muscle Performance (Men Only), Extreme Performance, Athletic Performance & Performance Girlz, Hot Mamas and MORE!!

For more information on program descriptions, dates and prices please visit www.performancefitnesstraining.com or call Paula Man at 905-715-2666

The never-ending debate; When is the best time of day to workout???

I have people ask me this A LOT! There have been so many contradictory studies, reports, research to tell us WHEN we should workout to burn the most fat or lose the most weight, how do you know what to believe?
Well what it boils down to is;
Whatever time of day you can push yourself the hardest and challenge yourself the most is when you will burn the most calories. So if you are a morning person and you are at your peak for workouts in the morning, then that is your BEST time my friend. If you have to drag yourself to the gym in the morning and convince yourself to just get on the machine then that's NOT your time.
Try each time out (early morning, lunch, afternoon, evening) and see when you feel the best, strongest, most focused on your workout and you will quickly find when YOUR TIME is.

Paula

"Take it outside the gym" by Paula Man

Take It Outside the Gym

Who says you need to have a gym membership to be in shape...NOT ME! There are so many great things you can do at home or outside that require very minimal cost or equipment. Many of them would be fun with your family as well!!

Cardiovascular activities, such as, biking, jogging, soccer, roller blading, basket ball, football and ultimate frisbee are great for burning calories and improving cardiovascular endurance. The key things to remember though are 1) you must get and keep your heart rate elevated for a 20 min+ period of time to see improvements in endurance and 2) you must do these types of activities 3-4x per week. If you follow those 2 guidelines you will see improvements in your endurance, increased energy levels, a more positive frame of mind and usually weight loss!

To gain more strength and tone there are also many options that you can do outside or in your home. In my opinion, the best and most cost effective pieces of equipment you should invest in are a stability ball (approx $25) and tubing (approx $15). With these 2 pieces of equipment you WILL gain strength, tone, and lose inches. With the tubing you can wrap it around a stair banister or support post at home and outside you can use a tree, fence or park bench as your anchor. The stability ball I would use in the house or possibly deck but not on grass in case something sharp pokes a hole in it. It is a great tool for core and legs though.

Here is a sample workout that can be done at home or outside...or ANYWHERE!

Equipment: Medium Tension Tube, yoga mat (optional) & YOU

Warm-up: do each of the following for 45-60sec

*stationary squats (not too deep, keep your weight in your heels), toe touches (opposite hand touches opposite toe then switch back and forth), arm circle (in both directions), plank (shoulders relaxed & pelvic tilt!)

Workout: perform each of these exercises for 60 secs; do as many as you can with proper form in the 60 secs

1) Chest press (with tubing anchored behind you)

2) Row (with tubing anchored in front of you)

3) Mountain Climbers (on hands and toes, body flat, Pull 1 knee into your tummy then switch)

4) Walking lunges (when stepping keep front knee over ankle when you drop down into lunge, both knees should bend to 90 degree. If you experience any knee pain don't go as low, modify to what suits your body)

5) Planks (on forearms and toes)

6) Bicep Curl (standing on centre of tubing)

7) Tricep kickbacks (tubing anchored in front of you, tip forward from the hip so your back is almost parallel to ground and keep elbows at your sides. Push hands back till arms straight then bend elbow to 90 degrees and repeat)

It is up to you whether you have enough time or strength to complete this circuit twice or more. If you are a beginner to exercise or haven't done much in a while start with one time through and see how you feel. This circuit should take you about 15-20 minutes total so ideally doing 2x through is still very manageable for a busy mom or dad. This type of workout should be done 2-3x per week in order to see the results quickly. There are MANY different options that can be given besides this workout so feel free to contact me if you need some modifications or variety.

I must say this as well though, no matter how hard you workout, if your diet is filled with processed carbs and sugars you are sabotaging your results. The eating plan should always go along with the exercise plan. When you put the two into action together you will be floored by how fast you will feel better and see physical changes. Healthy eating and getting active is the key.

So there is absolutely NO REASON why we all can't get active, get outside with our families and see that results we've been looking for. No gym membership needed! Recruit some friends to join you and the accountability is awesome! I have grown from 3hrs/wk of small group training to over 10hrs/wk just because of some pretty amazing results but even more so, the social aspect and accountability that the participants get.

If you have any questions about this article or Performance Fitness and the programs we offer, please contact me at paula.performancefitness@gmail.com.

Get outside and get in shape! Have a great day!

Paula Man

I can't put "The Wheat Belly" down!

I have had MANY clients tell me about the book "The Wheat Belly" by william Davis but had't read it, well bought it and hooked! So interesting how our modern day "wheat" has been so genetically modified but yet was never tested to ensure it is still healthy for humans. There is now testing being done but it doesn't go back to the original grain, it only testing to ensure any future modifications are not harmful for our bodies. All for the sake of more yield per crop and more profit.

We need to get back to the basics people; Whole Foods & Real foods, not genetically modified or man made. If this is a topic you are interested in highly recommend this book.

You Are Beautiful; Believe It!!

You are Beautiful; Believe it!!

How many times a day do you look at another woman and compare yourself to her? How often do you wish you just "had her legs" or "had the time like she does" to workout or “had more money to have a personal trainer?”

I have many female clients and recently I have had many discussions about our images of ourselves and how we are never happy with ourselves. I've seen so many people reach the goals that they have set but they are still not happy. I myself do the same thing and it has been on my mind a lot lately. Why aren’t we happy with ourselves? We are beautiful! We are special, individuals that have been created for a purpose and our families need us. We teach our children without even realizing it -- they see and hear what we say about ourselves and how unhappy we can be because of mere superficial images of ourselves.

One of the biggest and best parts of my job is to show my clients how amazing they are and how far they have come and just how important it is that they are taking time for themselves. I hear repeatedly how their family, husbands specifically, are 100% behind them being active and working out because they see the positive change in their wives. We are happier, more positive and our relationships are deeper when we are confident in who we are as women and individuals.

When you can take time for you and foster a good self-image and know what an amazing person you are inside and out that energy is felt by all those around you. Take some time to find out what makes you happy and what you love about yourself and your life. For me it’s my husband and my 3 beautiful daughters, as well as a passion for my clients and getting more people involved in a revolution in fitness and health. As far as what I love about myself, that takes longer to nail down. I'm happy with my figure and weight but many times I find small things to complain about but my husband always brings me back and I love him for that. Physical activity is not just for adults to gain back control of their lives and prevent or decrease physical health issues. Physical activity has been proven to increase self-esteem, self-image and decrease anxiety and decrease depression.

Many times we get so caught up in busyness of family, work, and programs for kids that we don’t take time for us. Once that happens things tend to head down hill physically and mentally. We need to “find ourselves” again and focus on what we love about us. Once you find what you love about "being you" then dwell on that, make time for yourself. Whether that is working out, yoga, massages, meditation, or many other forms of relaxation. Once you put these practises into place many changes will happen internally and externally. You will be more confident, you will show love easier, you will teach your children to love themselves for who they are and you will also help to balance out hormones internally which then helps us sleep better, have less belly fat, drop weight easier and have a healthy sex drive.

So many amazing changes happen just by focusing on the good in your life and getting back to the basics! You are worth the time, the focus and the results! Try these few easy tips and I promise, you will be smiling from ear-to-ear!

Paula Man
www.performancefitnesstraining.com