GO CANUCKS GO! Is Hockey Interrupting your workout schedule?

Has Your Workouts Suffered Through the Playoffs? 

Here are 10 reasons you need to schedule workouts around the games by either going to the morning class or on another "non-game" night.

1. To Prevent Disease
Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of just about every single health problem known to man, from stroke to heart disease to cancer and osteoporosis. Exercise is also a great defense against type 2 diabetes, which is one of the most widely growing diseases of our time.

2. To Look Great
Exercise firms your body, improves posture and even makes your skin glow. Looking your best is a wonderful result of regular exercise.

3. To Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Exercise burns fat and prevents future fat storage. If you want to have a thinner, healthier body, exercise is the answer.

4. To Have More Energy and Mental Staminia
Anyone who exercises regularly will tell you that they are more energetic, less easily irritated and are more peaceful. Exercise has been shown to improve memory and other cognitive functions, and seems to have a protective effect against dementia. A Harvard University researcher called exercise “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”

5. To Sleep Better
Exercise boosts energy levels, but also wears you out. It makes you feel more vibrant during the day and sleep better at night.

6. To Age Slower
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to fight aging. When you age your body loses muscle and bone, while the loss of both are drastically reduced with regular exercise. Exercise also helps reduce inflammation.

7. To Relieve Back Pain and other Aches and Pains
In most cases, the best thing that you can do for back pain is to move and strengthen those muscles. By strengthening muscles around your damaged joints you’re able to use exercise to reduce joint pain and overall aches. Always consult your physician before starting an exercise program, especially if you have chronic joint pain.

8. To Ease Depression and Boost Confidence
Exercise has been proven to reduce depression – sometimes even as effectively as medication. Being fit, feeling healthy and having energy are all building blocks to having great confidence. There is no better confidence booster than sticking with a regular exercise program. Just chalk this up as yet another amazing benefit to exercise.

9. To Enjoy Your Lifestyle
Whatever it is that you love in life – your kids, travel, sports, fashion – it is all more enjoyable when experienced in a fit and healthy body. Exercise so that you are able to enjoy all the great things in life.

10. To Reduce Sick Days
People who exercise regularly are 50% less likely to call in sick to work. A regular exercise program reduces colds and upper respiratory infections.

ARE YOUR RESOLUTIONS A FLOP? Try these 6 tactic's to make those goals a success!

Here are 6 tips to eliminate excuses and hopefully enable you to make exercise a long-term habit.

1. Don't put away your gear. Keep your workout clothes and shoes in plain site when you wake up so it's the first thing you think about. Visual cues are a wake-up call to your brain and will help keep exercise at the forefront of your mind!

2. Turn your commute into a workout. Run, Walk or Bike to work - good for you and the environment! If you take the Skytrain (Subway) or Bus get off several blocks earlier and go by foot the rest of the way. I used to work with a lady who did this everyday - ironically she made it to the office  not too long after me! I soon joined her and it was nice not to battle with crowds of people getting on/off the train. The fresh air was more effective at 'waking' me up than a cup of coffee that I would ultimately grab at the station.

 3. Invest in more workout clothes. Not having enough workout clothes can set you up with the excuse not to workout because your clothes are dirty. Look for basics that are comfy and show off your assets -- whether that's your shoulders or your abs -- so you feel good just suiting up. Having the right attire can boost you self confidence thus enabling you to push up the intensity of your workouts. For the ladies, get yourself a good supportive sports bra - there are a few great ones on the market that eliminate the 'uni-boob' - check out the tata tamer and the Hallelujah Bra. Trust me this piece of attire is worth its weight in gold....have you ever tried sprinting without one? Ouch

4. Log your workouts. Do this either online or manually in a notebook. This literally shows you how far you have come. Getting in the habit of chronicling your progress after your workout every day, for example using social media sites like Facebook or on our Website Community Page, keeps you stay accountable so that your friends know when you have exercise -- and when you've slacked off.

5. Involve your causes. Sign up for a race that requires you to look for donations dependent on your activity level. A client of mine goes the Grind for Kids during the summer - for each climb she would receive a dollar donation amount. If she didn't do the work she didn't make any extra money for her charity. Similarly you can create a goal, such as working out 3 times a week, if you miss a workout you must donate $10 towards a charity of  your choice - this will motivate you to keep exercise mandatory!

6. Make friends with class regulars. This is where CardioCore Fitness excels! Your trainer and fellow comrades keep you accountable while fostering friendships! If someone misses a class you know we are going to call you on it! Plus working out with this great group of people adds a social dynamic that is enjoyable - so why would you want to miss class?

Don't Resist - Lift Weights Today!

On Tuesday, I shared how Resistance Training can reshape your body and boost your metabolism permanently. 

Today I am sharing several other benefits to body and health


Healthy Bone Density: 
Do you know millions of people are diagnosed with Osteoporosis every month? Do you also know one of the top ways to prevent having this deadly disease occur in your own body? Doctors say that resistance training is one of the best activities you can do to strengthen your bones and repel Osteoporosis.

When your muscles are resisting against the weight that is pushed or pulled your bones are also being tugged on by your tendons and ligaments. This tugging results in your bones building themselves stronger to compensate for your muscles being stronger. If your muscles were stronger than your ligaments or tendons then they would snap right off of your bones. Your body was designed in such a way that it learns from the stimulus given to it and it adapts to perform better.

Other Benefits to Resistance Training
•    Increased Strength
•    Improved Coordination
•    Raised Self Esteem
•    Renewed Confidence
•    Feel Good Endorphins
•    Feel Younger Than Ever

Come back Monday for a Beginners Guide to Resistance Training!

7 Easy Steps to Success

7 Easy Steps to Success

I know, I know—you are sick and tired of weight loss solutions being classified as “easy”, but stick with me during this series of blog posts, as I explain how it really can be easy. Most weight loss solutions fail because they only offer a partial solution to your weight gain and do not truly address your weight gain triggers. This means that the few pounds you do lose will come flying back on with astounding speed. In order to attain and sustain healthy weight loss you need to include the following seven steps:

Step 1) Education—A little know-how goes a long way
Step 2) Resistance Training—Muscle tone burns fat
Step 3) Cardio Training—Strengthen your heart, shrink your waist
Step 4) Nutrition—Eat to be fit and healthy
Step 5) Challenge—Avoid the dreaded plateau
Step 6) Support & Motivation—Guarantees your success
Step 7) Hey, this is fun!

These seven steps are what make a person lean, toned, fit and strong – for a lifetime. The following pages will dive into each topic in depth and give you all the “gems” you need to effectively reach your fitness goals.

To ensure that you get quick and permanent results I suggest that you join one of our CardioCore Fitness classes which will not only educate you, provide resistance training, cardio training, nutrition guidance, and challenging workouts, but will also provide fuel in the form of motivation and success in the form of accountability as you have a great time!

Click here to read the next in the series

Simple Yoga Poses to Relax and Rejuvenate

Have a hard time falling asleep? 
or need some motivation to get out of bed?

Try some of these relaxation poses modified in bed.

Upside-Down Relaxation - Hold for 2 minutes
• Sit facing a wall (or your headboard) with your butt about 6 inches away from it.
• Lie back and extend your legs up the wall.
• If this is too intense a stretch for your hamstrings, slide your butt further away
from the wall.
• If it’s not enough, scoot closer.
• Let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up, and breathe gently, feeling the
stretch in the backs of your legs.

Winding-Down Twist - Hold for 1 minutes
• Sit cross-legged on the bed and exhale as you place your right hand on your left knee and left hand on the bed behind your tailbone.
• Gently twist your torso to the left.
• Allow your gaze to follow, looking over your left shoulder. Breathe deeply, then
return to center and repeat on opposite side.

Laying Butterfly - Hold for 2 minutes
• Lie on your back with knees bent.
• Place the soles of your feet together, then let your knees fall open, forming a diamond
shape with your legs.
• Rest your arms on the bed.
• If you feel any strain, elevate your legs by placing a pillow underneath each knee.

Child’s Pose - Hold for 2 minutes
• Sit up comfortably on your heels.
• Roll your torso forward, bringing your forehead to rest on the bed in front of you.
• Lower your chest as close to your knees as you comfortably can, extending
your arms in front of you.
• Hold the pose and breathe.

Rock-a-Bye Roll - 1 minutes
• Lying on your back, hug knees in to chest.
• Cross your ankles and wrap both arms around your shins with clasped hands.
• Inhale and rock your body up to sit; exhale as you roll back.
• Continue for 1 minute, then roll back, extend arms and legs, and drift off to sleep.

NEED SOME VISUALIZATION? 
TRY ONE OF THIS VIDEOS

Sometimes waking up and getting the day started can be tough. 
Try some of these movements to get your day started on a good note!
YOGA in the morning as you wake up 




YOGA in the evening before you go to sleep
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=1685708n&tag=related;photovideo

Physical Health begins with Mental Health - Be Positive!

Thinking Positively Does Help
I’m sure you know people who tell you to be positive. They say things like, “Look for the silver lining,” or “Look on the bright side.” Those people may even be a bit annoying at times with their ever-sunny disposition, but there’s actually a benefit to having a positive attitude.

Here’s why:

1. A positive attitude makes you feel better, which makes your day more enjoyable and productive than when you focus on what you cannot do.
If you believe something to be true, it really does have a better chance of coming true. If you believe, for example, “I can reach my work targets,” “I can lose weight,” or “I can get out of debt and save money” then you have a better chance of succeeding.  Our mind is very powerful and our thoughts and the language we use affects our beliefs, actions and even our abilities.

2. A positive attitude helps you get over challenges because challenges seem to be less significant.
It’s not that positive people don’t have challenges to overcome, it’s just that challenges have less of an effect on their life and their outlook than they do for negative people. If you have a negative attitude, the smallest setback can feel like Mount Everest. If, on the other hand, you have a positive attitude, even major setbacks feel do-able.

3. A positive attitude helps you see opportunities rather than limitations.
Opportunities, recognizing them and seizing them, can make the difference between tremendous success and living an ordinary life. When you have a positive attitude, you view the world as a welcoming and friendly place and you expect, recognize and grab opportunities as they come to you. If you’re negative then it’s easy to view the world as your enemy and everything as a problem.

4. A positive attitude attracts people to you.
Do you like being around negative people?  I don’t. They drain my energy! A positive outlook makes others want to be around you and brings opportunities, customers and friends to you. You’re able to surround yourself with other positive people and success comes more easily.

Having a can-do attitude gives you the extra edge to dream big and accomplish your goals. When you believe you can accomplish something, you’re able to make it happen. You’re excited to sit down and plan how you’re going to achieve your goals. You’re determined and focused on getting where you want to go and you’re able to celebrate and share your success with others.

How To Change Your Thoughts
Although we’re not all born with rose-colored glasses, the good news is, this is something you can learn. You can learn to be positive, to use positive language and to look on the bright side.
First, you’ll want to practice recognizing your thoughts, both positive and negative.  Once you can learn to recognize or be conscious of your thoughts, then you can begin to eliminate or change the negative thoughts into positive ones.

The important thing is, do not judge yourself. Notice that sometimes you choose more positive thoughts and actions.  And sometimes, you choose more negative thoughts and actions.  That’s perfectly okay. Just ask yourself, “what is there to learn in this space?”  By approaching everything with curiosity rather than criticism, you’ll find that you feel lighter even when the situation would ordinarily feel stressful or heavy.

Don’t give up when you find this process difficult, it is and it takes time and practice. However the effort is well worth it.

Try On A New Perspective
If you have a situation that’s upsetting you right now, look for any positives, benefits or opportunities by asking yourself:

• Is there another point of view I can take?
• Did he/she actually mean something else, rather than the interpretation I have in my mind?
• What can I learn from this?
• Is there anything funny about this situation?
• How would my partner, best friend, child or someone I respect handle this? (Or, ask them in-person!)

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Get Serious about Fat Loss with these 5 Tips!

1. DO NOT Skip Breakfast!


2. Start your day Moving!
Even if it is just a 5 minute stretch.


3. Make strength the priority of your workouts and
follow up with stretch.

4. EAT a PROTEIN and a PRODUCE (veggie and/or fruit)
with EVERY single MEAL and snack.


5. Live each day On Purpose.
Your actions reveal your priorities.


Time to stop wishing and hoping for results to
appear -  all change comes from taking action.

You can do this!

Morning Motivators - Start the day with Smiles

Ensure your mornings are off to a positive start with these Morning Motivators!

1. Smile

2. Move

3. Play upbeat music

4. Talk

5. Eat an energizing breakfast 

You must admit that these sound a little too obvious – but let’s be honest…

…how often are you actually DOING any of these?

The energy from a smile goes unspoken.

When YOU wake up – try it…smile! If you have a roommate share some cheer with them. If you are a parent wake up your children with a smile and get them to smile with you! Follow up with a good morning hug.

Move simply means Move

Instead of just dragging yourself out of bed, jumping in the shower and filling your body with coffee- take 5 and do some basic stretches or come to Bootcamp class for Cardio, Strength and Stretch!

Be sure you drink a Big glass of water too! Being hydrated ensures a boost of energy!

Music has the ability to calm, soothe and entertain the soul. Play something soothing like Jack Johnson or go all out with something fun and upbeat like the Black-eyed Peas

Good Morning Sunshine!

How would you describe the conversations you have with your loved ones in the morning?

Why not fill your children up – and yourself for that matter- with positive and encouraging words.

You all know this one ~
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Add to this important ritual by actually sitting down and eating breakfast rather than at the computer or TV - this is especially important for families - it sends positive message and allows for the exchange of more talk and smiles.

Step Up to the Challenge and Get Motivated!

To get you on the path to results, here are 8 ways to help get master your motivation to workout and eat healthier.

1. Find Your Reasons Why

You need to figure out a compelling purpose. For example, if your goal is to lose 25 lbs you need to identify WHY that’s important to you. Is it to feel sexier for your spouse, fit into that old pair jeans, or feel more confident? Once you identify your initial reason, keep asking “why?” to go deeper and finally come up with true reason that will motivate you!

2. Connect to Your Core Values

This is the ultimate secret. If you can connect the process (ie. working out, eating healthier) to your core values, even in small ways, you can change your game. For instance, some core values might include freedom, happiness, love, connection, family, or growth. Figure out what matters most to you and work from there.

3. Change Your Mindset

You can instantly find your more enjoyment in working out by shifting your mindset from “having to workout” to “getting to workout”. I have a good friend who always says, “I’ve got to workout, I’ve got to workout!” He feels compelled and thus less empowered. I told him to consider adopting the phrase, “I get to workout”, which would put him in a state of gratitude instead of obligation. Be difference.

4. Anchor the Feeling

Remember how good it feels when you finish you workout or eat a healthy meal. Find a way to anchor that feeling into your body so that anytime the going gets tough you can easily revert back to feeling that way. For instance, flexing your new muscles or shouting out an exhilarating “wooo hooo!!”

5. Use Reference Points From Past Successes

Sometimes you might feel overwhelmed or unsure about your ability to get in a good workout or prepare a healthy meal. However, if you can think back to similar situations in the past where you were successful, then realize that you can do it again. If you were once able to do 12 push in one go, then go back to that experience and reassure yourself that you can do it again – if that’s your goal.

6. Find a Meaningful Metaphor

Find a metaphor that fuels you – a tag line if you will. Maybe you’re the “Little Engine that Could.” Maybe you’re “in the zone.” One of the most powerful things you can do is find a metaphor that connects to your values. Whatever you choose make sure it resonates with you.

7. Pair Up

Pair up with somebody who compliments you or who can mentor you and get you over the humps. This is why having trainer pr coach can be a great way to get your butt into shape! At the very least, training with a friend can take your workouts to a whole new level.

8. Take Action and Reward Yourself

Here’s a secret that once you know it and apply it, can change your life.


Action comes before motivation.

You simply start doing an activity and then your motivation kicks in, especially if you reward yourself for taking action. For example, you might not always look forward to your workout, but once you start, I’m sure you find your flow. And once your workout is done reward yourself with something that makes you feel good – and preferably not a piece of chocolate cake!

Mind and Muscle - Linking It All Together

Article written by: Troy A. Dolfi

The mind-muscle connection. This mentality is nothing new. In the late 80's and early 90's it seemed to be a body building buzz word. But with all the supplement advertising and steroid news, it seems to have fallen through the cracks to some degree.

What is the mind-muscle connection?

The mind to muscle connection is to use your mind to connect with the muscle you are training and to actually envision the motion, the tension, the growth and power you need to push yourself to another level.

One thing that is key for anyone is that you have to believe that the subconscious can aid in your workout. Seems a little hard to swallow at first, but think of it this way, you buy a supplement that you've heard others talk about and you start taking it, within two workouts you feel awesome! Intensity is high, better workouts, adding a few pounds to your lifts, etc. etc. Now, was this strictly from the supplement? Or could it be somewhat due to the fact that in your mind you thought that you were taking this new "super" supplement? These thoughts are known as a "placebo effect" and will eventually dissipate.

Now, what if you could keep this effect all the time?

This is what the mind-muscle connection may do for you.

Just so you know, this connection is not visualizing the next set or the next exercise to do in your workout. Nor is it looking at those amazingly pumped biceps in the mirror while doing preachers.

It is the ability to subconsciously connect with your muscle fiber through the nervous system and make the muscle believe it is capable of more.

All lifts start with the brain. The brain directs the muscle through nerve impulses to push or pull and then the pulses, depending on their frequency and strength, can become a big factor in how much force you may apply on a given lift.

You must picture the explosion of energy that is needed in each muscle group to get that last rep, push the last few inches, pull that dumbbell all the way up on the concentration curl, or press that bar up and over the head on a military press.

Nothing else matters, you hear nothing, you see nothing, all you do is CONNECT!

How do you start this connection?

It is as simple as posing in front of a mirror.

Try to connect with a particular muscle on your body when posing in front of a mirror and see if you can get it to contract/tighten and then release.

Then you need to apply this in the gym.

It will require slowing down your lifts and lightening the load so that you can feel the muscle working while moving.

Through time you will have greater control over the area being worked.

Mind-Muscle Connection For Your Back

I chose back as it is an area we do not see, and can be a little harder to connect with.

Perhaps the single best way, next to actually working the back, is posing. Different lat and back poses will teach you how to keep your back tight through flexing, and help you learn to squeeze your back muscles harder during a lift. Mastering the front and rear lat pose (showing lat spread), is for lat width, and the double back biceps pose is for thickness and detail. Utilize this posing technique as you perform various back movements. For example as you perform lat pull downs, imagine you are hitting a double back biceps pose.

If you are just starting into bodybuilding, practice these back poses twice per day. This will help put you on the fast track to huge lats. It is also suggested that everyone flexes their back hard after a good set, and of course stretch hard between and before sets.

You will also build a better mind-muscle link through working the muscle properly. The correct form will better establish this connection. As you do any kind of back exercises try to think of your arms more as hooks, rather than being used in pulling the weight. Pull hard with your back muscles, and force them to take the brunt of the load.

Along with all of this, you must provide adequate recuperation time and proper nutrition.

It will be the catalyst that works with what is mentioned above to put you in to a less stressful training situation and provide you with a mixture of ingredients for better body building success.

Once you start to master the mind muscle connection, it is what separates you from everybody else. Some people have parts that respond better than others,,, some will say its genetics. Which surely plays a part... But could it also be that the person has a better mind muscle connection to that particular muscle?

Something to think about.

Its like wiggling your fingers. Some folks can't move each individual finger without moving another. Connecting with a part vs. the whole can make for a big difference in your training. Give this a try the next time you step in to the gym and see what it can do for you.

Sources:
Scott Abbett - Develop a real "Mind-Muscle Connection" for Bodybuilding Success - searchwarp.com
Mind and Muscle by Blair Whitmarsh - June 2001