Archive for the 'Motivation' Category

Injury prevention for the postnatal client – by team member: Alycia Spadafora

As a trainer I see injuries happen day to day that can often be prevented.  Listed below are few steps that I implement in all my client programs and that you can follow in-order-to prevent an injury from happening or reoccurring.

Creating a Foundational Exercise Program

Approaching exercise at any time must be done first with an assessment. This assessment would evaluate your present fitness state. After having a baby, there can be little or a lot of difference from your pre-pregnancy state depending on whether or not you exercised during pregnancy.

This assessment should be completed through a series of exercises that set a value and correlate to your body. Such exercises would include, squats or wall push ups because these exercises are functional to our daily lives. I specifically look for proper execution of the movement and the muscles endurance (how long or how many can be performed before your body starts to compensate).  These exercises would be retested at a later time to see the muscular adaptions that your body has made.  This will allow you to make changes to your exercise program to continue on your fitness journey. Read the rest of this entry »

Stop boredom with Cross Training! By team member – Donna Foster-Laroque

Before I begin to review some examples of the benefits of cross training, let’s first define what Cross Training is.

Cross Training refers to training your muscles in a variety of ways to improve overall performance. So whether you are pregnant or a new mom, cross training is ideal so you can “train” for the various activities ahead.

So, what are the benefits of Cross Training and why should we incorporate them into a fitness program?

First and foremost, cross training reduces the risk of injury and this is music to any (especially a new) moms ears. If you consistently perform the same routine on a regular basis, you are basically working the same muscle groups over and over.  As a result, you are actually adding more “stress” on the muscles which can result in repetitive strain or overuse.  By Cross Training, you can reduce the amount of stress that can occur on a specific muscle group because by doing different activities, you use muscles in a slightly different way.

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Getting back on the horse….mommy or not: By team member – Aida Estacio

So you’ve fallen off the horse and now you have to get back on before it’s too late and the more time passes the harder it becomes to get back on.  It’s not just about your motivation either. If you wait too long, scar tissue can form and other injuries can follow. And if you’re a mom, injuries are the LAST thing you need.

Now if this is you, let’s hope you have been seeing a certified health care provider such as a physiotherapist or chiropractor for treatment and doing the exercises they gave you.  If you haven’t, that would be a good start.

Whether it’s been a few weeks, a few months or a few years, the best start would be easing into your workouts so you don’t get re-injured or create a new injury as a result. Going too hard, too fast is just asking for trouble. Read the rest of this entry »

Return to running after baby – by team member: Kate Rita

I have been an avid fitness runner for 14 years. During both of my pregnancies I stopped running the first time because I was overcautious, and the second time because it caused bleeding at 14 weeks. We runners tend to be hyperactive A-type personalities who are a bit obsessive about the sport. We can’t wait to get back to running after baby!

Recovering from my first pregnancy I hit the streets again after 6 weeks. I remember my hips killing me but I trained through it. I shudder to think of the state of my postnatal body returning to the sport before it was ready, but still I trained up to my first half marathon at 3 years postpartum.

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Energy survival tips for moms

It makes me giggle sometimes when a client will comment on how “good” I look or how “full of energy” I am. Hey…don’t forget, looks can be deceiving but then I do have a few secrets up my sleeve.

Like every mom on the planet, my days are filled with schedules, routines and lack there of. As much as I try my best to prepare, life still throws me curve balls to keep me on my toes. Having said that, if something does come up out of the blue, I try my best not to panic because we all know what that does; it only creates more panic and the domino’s begin to roll…

Now although we would love to control the way the universe works, there are somethings that we just need to put out there and let things fall where they may. However, we DO have a choice on how good and energetic we feel so we are better prepared for nature’s surprises. Read the rest of this entry »

Training your body as a “whole” – By team member: Alycia Spadafora

I personally believe in training our bodies as a whole. What do I mean by that? To train whole means to incorporate not only our physical body but also our mental and emotional bodies into our workouts. How our physical body reacts to our chosen lifestyle (good or bad) is a direct reflection of how our minds feel. Lets take a look at each element in more detail.

Physical: the things we can see, feel and touch

We are very familiar with our physical body, especially after we have a baby. The postpartum body can be difficult for some when the media does an extensive job on examining what is accepted as “beautiful” or “normal”. We often compare ourselves to others and expect our bodies to transform instantly. Working out is not just a quick fix it’s a lifestyle change. It takes time and hard work to succeed. So when you’re looking through magazines and watching what seems like perfection, don’t sit there and compare.  How can you compare your beginning to someone else’s ending?  Read the rest of this entry »

So now that you’re a mom, how do you stick to your plan? Great advice from team member: Michelle Crispe

To stick to your plan you have to change how you think-completely. It is not enough for you to just decide to change. You must repeat new patterns of thought over and over to reprogram your beliefs or your new habits will never stick.

You see most people just decide they are going to change and start going to the gym but that is a function of your conscious mind which is not the part of your brain in control. Have you ever noticed that when you decide you want to change something like perhaps you want to be more organized, that you go to work and clean out your office only to find it a mess in two weeks? Or you say I’m giving up sugar only to be eating it the following day? Read the rest of this entry »

A moms dream!! Increase your energy and mood in 60 seconds flat! – By team member: Donna Foster-Larocque

As we head into the third month of the winter season, you might find your energy level is low and that you feel tired or simply exhausted all the time! If you’re like me, you’re also looking forward to waking up to warmer weather and to more sunshine!

But there are ways that you can kick start your body to increase your energy level and improve your mood in just 60 seconds! Yes, you read correctly, in just 60 seconds you can improve your overall mental and physical health.

First, let’s focus on some tips to help improve you mentally. Read the rest of this entry »