JUMP back on the wagon

So the holiday season comes to a close and hopefully you have enjoyed fun, laughter, good food, time with family & friends and lots more. Now it's time to get back to normal as work and school starts again soon. 

Here are some basic guidelines to help you feel less bloated and give you more energy;

1) drink 2L of water EVERY day

2) get 8hrs of sleep each night

3) be active for at least 30mins everyday

4) eat lots of colour! Fruits & veg

5) no sugar or processed foods

6) focus on the words "Show Love" throughout your day, no matter if someone is show if love to you or not

Happy 2014 everyone, make it the best year yet. 

Paula

I'm calling it my 2014 Commitment instead of a resolution

I don't usually make a New Years Resolution, I feel like it's a little anti climactic. If there are goals you have or things you want to change in your life, you don't have to wait for New Years Day to do it. 

With that said, I have made a commitment to myself for 2014 and going forward;

1) dream big...and WRITE them down- this makes it more real and reminds you every time you look at it, what you are working towards

2) be organized- set aside specific time each week for computer work, budgeting, returning emails/calls, planning

3) stop underestimating myself and my business! Realize what I have built & what a blessing it is, cultivate my dream and speak positively into it & allow it to grow without my fears holding it back. 

I don't know what you've been dreaming of or struggling with in 2013 but lay it out there and make it happen; NO MATTER how BIG and impossible it seems, no matter what other people may tell you.... DO IT!!

Happy New Year

Paula

Lose inches on your waistline with one exercise

For the past 19 days at Performance Fitness we have challenged our clients to a squat and plank challenge. They started at 40sec plank and 50 squats and by today (day 19) they completed 180 squats and 3min plank. 

I have also done some measurements this past week around the belly specifically on clients who have had previous back and core weaknesses and found that just from doing the plank 5 out Of 7 days/wk, they have lost between 3/4 & 1.5 inches on thier waist alone!!!

So many people come to me and thier main goal is to lose belly fat and tighten/tone thier mid-section. There are MANY factors involved in this; diet, hormonal balance, gut health and core strength. From an exercise perspective, which is what I specialize in, doing a plank is the #1 way to pull the belly in tight, support the lower back and shrink the waistline. 

When doing the plank, you need to remember a few key things;

1- shoulders should be positioned directly over your elbows, not infront of your body stretched out

2- your boy should be a straight line, no sag or lift at the hips (if you can do it infront of a mirror it will help you keep your technique)

3- relax your upper back so you are really using the core muscles, not your neck and upper back to hold you up. 

4- hold your whole body tight, bum and legs especially to support your back and take pressure off it. 

This exercise is hard, there is no beating around the bush BUT you can progress and increase your time pretty quickly. My suggestion would be increasing by 10-20sec every 4 days. 

If you plank 5 days/wk, it would only take 40sec-2mins of your time...a commercial break!! You can and your lower back, posture and waistline will thankyou. 

Plank away!

Recreational Hockey players...this is for you!!

So many people have started their winter pick up leagues over the last few months and I have SO many clients who have been injured because of inflexibility or weaknesses/imbalances in muscles.
I did a segment on York Region Daytime last week on proper warm-up, stretches and strength exercises to improve your game and decrease injuhttp://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=17&gid=123024ries. Here is the info I shared on the show but for those that didn't watch it (i will post the link when I receive it);

Warm-up (before you play)
* hip swings- leg straight, swing the leg forward and back 10x then across your body (in front of other leg) 10x. Repeat on both legs
* dynamic inner thigh stretch- click here for a demo
* Slow skating (forward/backward/crossovers) then gradually pick up pace

Stretches (after game)- do each for 30sec/leg
* Dynamic inner thigh/hip flexor stretch (same as above)
* glute stretch (Sitting on the bench in dressing room)- click here for demo
* Quad stretch- standing/laying down on side, pull your foot back to your bum and push hips forward till you feel pull down the front of your thigh
 There are MANY more stretches that are great BUT those are the most important and will NOT take you that long after the game before the beer starts flowing :)

Strength Exercises to incorporate into your workouts 2-3x week
What most people don't think about or know is that there are different ways to train when an "athlete" is in-season vs "off season". When/if you play 3+ times a week you need to gear your workouts around sport specific exercises, not on building strength. If you are trying to increase strength, that should be focused on during off-season when you aren't playing as much. If you play only 1-2x week its not as important.
For all hockey players though leg strength, cardiovascular training- specifically intervals with bursts of max speed for 15-30sec to simulate a game & core should be your focus.
The most forgotten sport specific training though is working on agility and acceleration and deceleration. What does that mean you ask...well let me explain:
Agility- "the state or quality of being agile- nimbleness
-training your body and brain to work together faster so that your feet can move quickly and you can react when you need to change directions to get a puck, move around and opponent, or deek someone out; you are fast and controlled.
Acceleration- being able to increase speed quickly
-using tools such as a parachute while you run, agility ladders, or doing exercises that require explosive power like squat jumps/box jumps, ViPR drills
Deceleration- "to slow down"
- This is the most under trained movement of athletes and therefore the cause of MANY injuries! How you train to decelerate properly is using exercises such as this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RITgKLNij4w

If you have any questions or would like a sport specific workout designed for you, contact me at paula.performancefitness@gmail.com

Paula

The other 2 main running injuries we didn't have time to discuss on York Region Daytime

So if you haven't watched our latest segment on York Region Daytime about running injuries; specifically IT band (ITB) issues, click here to view.
Because of the length of our segment we didn't get to touch on 2 other major issues runners can get; Patella Femoral Syndrome and Plantar Fasciitis so we are going to discuss them now.

Patella Femoral Syndrome (P.F.S.)
This syndrome usually stems from weak hip abductors (outer thigh) called your Gluteus Medius. If you have P.F.S. is can feel like pain down the front of your knee and also like your knee wants to "fall in" as you are walking/running.
Exercises recommended:

• Walking backwards- put hands on bum and each steps you take backwards you should feel your bum muscles contracting (seems silly but it works)
• Monster Walks- click here to view demo
• Clamshells- 

Plantar Fasciitis

This issue stems from being flat footed, tight calves and weak foot muscles. If you have this issue it will be A LOT of pain right along the bottom of your foot, especially in your arch.

Exercises/Treatment:

• Calf stretching
• Arch support; taping or orthotics
• You MUST have the proper shoes, this is one of the MOST important factors for any runner.

Happy Running!

Commit to your health and WIN a PRIZE!!

Since our Commitment Challenge went so well for the last 2 months, we've decided to DO IT AGAIN! Those clients who want in will be able to track thier workouts at the studio and if you do the number of workouts you registered for, you WIN!! We will have a huge board with all clients names and session # they registered for and each time you come in, we put a GOLD STAR on it (seems like school again eh?! But it works!) 

Set goals and accomplish them!

See you all in the studio!

Winter Calendar of Group Programs

Checkout our calendar and see what works for your schedule. We'd love to have you join us and get in amazing shape for all those holiday parties and special events.
Don't let the rich food and drinks add weight on, burn off tons of calories with us and enjoy yourself~

Click here to view our calendar

if you'd like more info contact paula.performancefitness@gmail.com

Paula