why wilderness workouts burn more calories
When the snow or rain is pelting down, getting outside to workout can be the last thing you feel like doing. But when you actually get out there, you feel a hundred times better….and it’s not just in your mind! Scientific evidence has proven that outdoor exercising has superior benefits to being stuck inside the gym.
Once you’ve dressed for it, embracing the cool winter air and getting your heart rate elevated promotes negative ions which, turns out, are really very positive. These negative ions are invisible – but jam packed with many health promoting qualities. The opposite of positive ions (just named illogically!) that are linked to environmental allergies, asthma, and low energy. Being in and especially exercising in an environment of a high concentration of negative ions boosts energy, enhances mood, and promotes quality sleep. These negative ions also decrease stress, help alleviate allergies, positively impact depression and may even promote weight loss through their ability to increase performance.
Letting the sun shine on you Humans are designed to spend time in the sun and it is essential to our health (not to the point of getting sunburned). […]
back to basics fitness
Growing up in rural New Zealand, keeping fit was a necessity. Our workout plan included chopping and clearing the wood when lightning struck a tree, or lifting hundreds of hay bales onto the neighbours truck. My father figured that if we had enough energy to go for a run, we had enough energy to round up the sheep or milk the goat.Needless to say, there was no bathroom scale in my house and no-one in my family had to worry about what we weighed.
Urban living has the kind of convenience that can make a person lazy. And although there are a lot more fashions forcing us to think about what size we are (and what size portions we are stuffing into our mouths) living in the city has it’s perks. No longer can we blame skipped workouts on stormy weather – fitness facilities are as mainstream as Starbucks, popping up on every street corner. Funky graphic design and music entices you through the door, like the aroma of coffee and allure of joining the hip people drinking it. You enter the environment of thin people wrapped in […]
altitude training
All workouts are not created equal. Running a seven minute mile at sea level can be a completely different experience to training the same intensity on altitude. Taking your training to higher ground through altitude training benefits your fitness in more ways than you could imagine. The immediate gratitude of feeling great lasts all the way into your next training session at sea level – after the increased physiological stresses of training at high altitude, it seems easier to push yourself to be stronger and faster at sea level.
So what’s the science behind it? Simply put, when you train on altitude, your body receives less oxygen. Experts believe that this chronic exposure improves your endurance performance at sea level due to the physiological adaptations achieved by your body receiving more oxygen than it is used to.
There are several training methods available that create these adaptations to your body that enable your performance at sea level to be improved. The most common approach, especially in our beautiful mountainous province, is to live high and train low. Studies have shown that living at relatively high altitude (2000-2700m) may result […]
ways to choose the right protein powder
The Planet Friendly Diet includes kick ass smoothies twice a day, made from the worlds most powerful super-foods and, of course, the incredible Juice Plus protein powder and capsules.
Many people dump protein powder into the body builder’s bucket, and it’s only in recent years that this supplement has got the attention it deserves as an amazing weight loss solution. When used correctly, protein powder is adelicious, nutritious way to get all the food groups into one tall glass of goodness. There’s a big difference between smoothies and protein shakes. Bright and bold, a smoothie screams “I am healthy” in a way that old-school pasty protein shakes can’t….Ladies and Gentlemen, start your blender!
So what’s the difference? A protein shake is a powder with milk or water, crushed ice sometimes and yogurt or a banana (blah). Smoothies are the delicious, healthy drinks bursting with juicy berries, zesty fresh lemon, refreshing strawberries and an endless array of fresh ingredients including a protein and super food powder that blends smoothly without a strong taste. This powder provides enough high quality protein to compliment the carbohydrates and ‘good’ fats, making Smoothies become […]
fitness tips for seniors – exercising safely and effectively into your golden years
Lots of people over a ‘certain age’ have the misconception that they are unable to build muscle like a younger person. The myth stemmed from scientists who conducted studies several decades ago on test subjects that were not pushed to the best of their ability. With low expectations from the guys in white coats, test subjects were pushed at minimal intensity, some as low as 20 to 30 percent of what we now know they are capable of lifting. In more recent years, Tufts University researchers exercised test subjects at 80 percent of their one repetition maximum (the most they could lift once) because, says Irwin H. Rosenberg M.D. “we recognize that to build strength appreciably a person must work out at that level.”
It’s really exciting to be living in an era where we can redefine the limitations that society once placed on us. There are amazing role models who continue to raise the bar of athletic achievement at all ages! The challenge with people of the older generation is more often trying to overcome the social customs and out-dated attitudes about health and fitness. For example, many believe […]
How choosing the right clothes can help you find workout motivation
How can I find workout motivation?
If you need an excuse to justify going shopping, this is it! I sincerely believe that kick ass workouts only happen when you’re motivated and feel good about yourself. Dressing for the gym is just as important as dressing for anything else you want to be successful at.Pride is a personal value and we all have our own definitions of what it means. Function and performance are key factors to consider: style and brand names come secondary.
There’s no need for worn out cotton t-shirts that look like they’re about to fall apart…no matter how powerful your deodorant, it’s tough to fight the smell of a sweat drenched shirt! Buy a wicking fabric or microfiber shirt that allows your skin to breathe.
Wear clothes that fit. Better yet, wear clothes. If you’re too sexy for your shirt, try your bra on before buying it. Jump up and down in the changing room to make sure it is supportive and comfortable. And please, leave a little something to your fellow gym goers imagination! If you wear just a sports bra, relax your bottoms – like cargo […]
Benefits of early morning workouts
Fitness experts have been promoting the benefits of early morning workouts since Richard Simmons started bouncing around in lycra tights. Truth is, only you can decide if they are for you. Everyone is different. If hauling yourself out of bed before the sun rises is more shock to your system than it’s worth, find another time in the day to exercise, motivation has little to do with it!
Timing is everything, whether it be love, money, opportunity or fitness. In today’s fast paced world, we are too busy to bother with un-progressive exercise regimes and results that fail to impress.
This shape-up game is a simple procedure. If you don’t know when your body performs best, you’ll find yourself jumping between workouts without consistency – sometimes being able to sweat yourself silly and push personal limits, while other times you can’t wait until it’s over.
According to Dr. Michael Smolensky, Ph.D., professor of environmental physiology at the University of Texas, the time of day you exercise is an important factor in staying safe in your workouts, and reaching your best performance. It also influences your enjoyment levels. The series of […]
Dynamic warmups – the fun way to motivate your workouts
How to find workout motivation
Motivation, motivation, motivation….sometimes you wish it could be found in the bottom of your coffee cup! Many people find it an ongoing challenge to vamp up their workouts and keep them interesting. In my boot camp program, we start the workout with an goofy warmup session. Dynamic warm ups can trick you into doing something completely new, fun and a little crazy at the same time. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or “jerky” movements, instead only specific to the training session to follow. Movements may include arm swings, torso twists, slow leg swings or body resistant squats – any light weight
movement that provides a total body warm-up effect, specific to what will be required in the upcoming training session. Body temperature and heart rate is increased to a level that will better prepare people to train efficiently as this raised circulation and breathing rate will allow more oxygen to be pumped to working muscles.
Stretching muscles actively using proper movements relevant to the workout also jolts the nervous system into action mode, allowing your clients to have the right ‘head space’ […]
benefits of sleep
Catching a good night sleep does more than make you feel rested and energized. Sleep is also a powerful regulator of appetite and weight control – studies have found that the more that people lack sleep, the more likely they are to become overweight.
Catching a good night sleep does more than make you feel rested and energized. Sleep is also a powerful regulator of appetite and weight control – studies have found that the more that people lack sleep, the more likely they are to become overweight.
Benefits of sleep include:
· Improved ability to learn new tasks better, and remember better what you have learned. A lack of sleep can cause us to make decisions much slower; also these decisions tend to be faulty and can become more about risk taking.
· Reduced stress and health complications.
A lack of sleep places the body under stress and may trigger the release of stress related hormones which can cause unwarranted increases in both heart rate and blood pressure.
· Some studies have also shown that people who chronically lack sleep have higher blood levels of C-reactive protein which higher levels of this protein may […]
exercising with asthma: simple tips to breathe easy
I am an obese women looking to lose weight?
Don’t let asthma stop you from getting started on a fitness routine! Often at my live-in fitness weight loss camp, guests come with asthmatic conditions. In fact, nearly three million Canadians suffer from some form of asthma, a condition where your lungs airways tighten up and it becomes really challenging to breathe. It can be quite frightening to have these attacks when you’re in the middle of a workout – especially if they only come about once in a while and you don’t have your inhaler with you! There’s a difference between being out of breath from an elevated heart rate, and being “breathless” because your body can’t find oxygen. It’s enough to make many people drop out of exercise programs!
The good news is, smart exercise may actually help asthmatics to be better able to cope with this frustrating condition. Doctors say that the causes of having an asthma attack vary from person to person, but the process stays the same. Simply put, the muscles surrounding your airways narrow and go […]
