Tuesday 29 April 2014

Just Try

If you had told the 20-year-old me that I would one day be a bodybuilder and personal trainer, I would have laughed. I was obese and miserable, and far from a jock. 
I fell into training by accident. I was yo-yo-ing up in weight once again and figured I would have to be more active. Imagine my surprise when I realized I liked it. A lot. And I was good at it. I understood it and it interested me. When I started doing yoga, the same thing happened. 
You never know until you try. Maybe you have a hidden talent. If there's something you've always wanted to try but been afraid to fail, try anyway! In bodybuilding, as in life, you grow when you fail. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want, and that's the worst that can happen!

Monday 28 April 2014

Fascia Television

'Posture is a manifestation of emotion.'
This quote came from the woman who taught a course in myofascial release techniques that I took with some colleagues last fall. 
Fascia is in fashion - at last! It's a connective tissue that surrounds every cell, every muscle spindle - every part of our bodies. It holds us together. And it's very sensitive to emotion. 
For me, my aches and pains are largely due to fascial tightness or spasms. I have a sensitive nervous system, and if I don't face and deal with emotions, I end up with physical problems. Backaches, kinks in my neck - the list goes on. 
Yoga is excellent for releasing fascia, especially yin/yang hot yoga. I often finish these classes in tears - but I don't feel sad, I feel relieved, lighter. 
We, as a society, try to bury our emotions and hide from our problems. It doesn't work. You either end up like me, with mysterious physical issues, or you take it out on the world. 
I'm not saying you should honour every emotion as it arises because this would be inappropriate. But journaling, talking it over, and some physical release will go a long way. You have to take care of your body AND soul.

Sunday 27 April 2014

Mind Games

"You're crazy! I can't do that!"
I cannot tell you how many times I hear this from clients.
"Just try," I tell them, and 95% of the time, they can do whatever it is I've instructed.
I have noticed that many people - women and gay men in particular are apt to underestimate themselves when it comes to training. It's as if they've bought into the myth that we must be weak and/or inferior.  We tend, also, to notice what's negative - what we don't like about ourselves, what we don't have or can't do.
So I've taken on another role, both in my work and in life - that of cheerleader. Focus on what you can do, what you do have, and life becomes sweeter.
It takes a little practice, but work at it, and you may find you're patting yourself on the back more often, and celebrating little victories. And if you come upon something you can't do, make it a goal and develop a plan to get there.
We are more powerful than we realize, but only if we tap the most important muscle of all - the mind.

Thursday 24 April 2014

Bike Safe

I see the craziest things when I'm riding. Yesterday, I was stuck behind a guy riding erratically on Pape, and as I finally passed him, I realized he was playing with his iPod. Listening to music while riding is one thing, but one hand and both eyes busy on something other than riding is nuts!
Today I saw a girl chatting on her phone while riding. It's not just their safety I'm concerned about, but mine as well. If I try to pass them and they suddenly swerve because they're not paying attention, I could be pushed into traffic. 
And on my ride today, I witnessed a woman driver on her phone blocking an intersection, halfway through the turn and oblivious to the cars lining up behind her.
I love my phone, too, but there is not one thing more important than my safety, and everyone should feel the same.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Hopefully No One Is Watching

I've often been asked why I don't go to the sculpting and cardio blast and other such classes at the gym where I work and the reason is this - I suck at choreography. 
And because I'm a trainer, everyone thinks I can do it all, AND they'd be watching. In yoga classes, this is not a problem - I've been practicing for years. But I occasionally take barre/ballet classes closer to home, and I'm terrible at the footwork. I'm the loser in the back row going the wrong way and almost crashing into other participants.
If I can power my way through something, then I've got it made. But dance is much different, and I cannot convince my body to do what my brain and the teacher want.
So that's my dirty little secret. I hope it serves to show that trainers aren't perfect, and maybe you get a little boost because you can do something I can't!

Sunday 20 April 2014

Not So New

I remember looking at stability balls and thinking 'wtf?'. They looked to me like those giant rubber balls with the handle that kids straddle and bounce around on. I always wanted one of those. Weird new trend, I figured. 
Not so much, it turns out. The Swiss Ball, or balance or stability ball, was invented in 1963 by an Italian man, for use in physical therapy. 
The TRX suspension training system? Yes, it was developed by Navy Seals, but in reality, they're just portable gymnastics rings. 
Medicine balls go back even further. Their prototypes were in use by Persians and Greek wrestlers 3,000 years ago. 
Kettle bells were originally a standard 35kg weight used by Russian farmers in the 1700's to weigh crops, but turned out to be a useful way to demonstrate strength at festivals.  
And dumb bells? They're so named because villagers noticed that the guys who pulled the ropes to ring the big church bells were in great shape, but it would have been rather annoying to have bells ringing all day, so they wrapped the clapper to make it dumb. Talk about your functional training!
I just think it's funny that so many things we think are new are really not. And that so much of the cool stuff takes so long to reach North America, where we think we know it all. 


Wednesday 16 April 2014

Hard Work or Hospital?

One of the other trainers at my gym asked me today, 'What do you think of CrossFit?'.
"You mean besides the fact that it's killing people?" I asked. 
We laughed, but it's true. People are ending up in the hospital with a potentially fatal kidney disease called rhabdomyolosis. Look it up. 
Others are simply hurting themselves, trying to get more reps per set, regardless of form. 
Intense circuit training is fantastic -  I do it myself. But I know how to do the exercises properly, and I know when to stop and rest.
Once again, we have a fitness fad that people are lining up for without really knowing the facts, and people are getting hurt in their rush to get fit.
My advice is this - let any new fad sit for six months or a year first. If it stands the test of time, get some training and go ahead and try it.
How many times have we seen the next great machine (vibration plates, for example) or stylish new regime promising to get us fit fast, or even better, with no effort? 
So far, I believe we are still waiting for the miracle that will replace good old-fashioned hard work and clean eating.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

One Easy Step to a Bad Back

Do you ever use a kettle bell? If so, do you know what you're doing? 
I ask because I see a lot of members using kettle bells improperly. I watched a couple yesterday trying to do a synchronized routine (they were NOT in sync), and one of the moves was supposed to be a clean and press. Their form was so bad, I'd be surprised if they are not both injured today.
Yes, kettle bells are totally cool, and it's a great way to mix strength training with cardio...BUT using them incorrectly is a guaranteed way to mess up your back, tear a rotator cuff muscle, or even hurt another person. 
I learned how to use machines by reading the instructions and by reading up on what I was trying to do. But kettle bells don't come with instructions. If you're tempted, get a personal trainer or take a class, but don't think you can learn it on YouTube. You Can't!

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Quick and Dirty

Spring is really here!  I can tell because it's been raining hard for 12 hours and the cat is giving me that 'can't you fix this?' whine.
When the weather gets nicer, though, we may not want to curl up with said cat, or spend much time at all indoors. So make your workouts quick. I find that a shorter, intense workout not only gets the work done faster, but it seems to shock the body into growth. Olympic lifts like the clean and jerk have me huffing and puffing, sore all over, and the workout is done in half an hour!
Or use a kettlebell. One of my favourite fast fat burning tools, a few sets of giant swings with a kettlebell and you've worked your whole body.
So get in there! And get outta there!
Enjoy the summer - when it gets here, that its!

Thursday 3 April 2014

Workout Fun

I train a 12 year old girl. Some people thinks that's crazy, but I love working with  her. Because she's too young for traditional weight training, I've had to come up with creative routines. We bounce on the BOSU, skip rope, run suicides and, best of all, we do 'the dogsled'. I put a giant rubber band (meant to used for assisted pull-ups) around her waist, I sit on a towel, and I make her drag me across the floor. Then I drag her. We laugh like crazy, and her mother thinks it's hilarious. But my point is that it's FUN.
Working out doesn't have to be weights. It doesn't have to be tedious. The human body is designed for movement, and I find great pleasure in exploring my capabilities, going beyond what I thought were my limits. It feels good to move, and if you can find something enjoyable, you'll stick with it. Like swimming. It's cardio, it's strength, and it's zero impact.
Find something that feels good and do it. It will keep you young and healthy, and your body will thank you for it.

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Share the Love

I'm going to get hippy-dippy - brace yourselves!
About a year ago, I discovered my purpose in life, and that is to lift other people up. To make people happy, and feel important, and like themselves more. I think that is everyone's purpose, and perhaps the reason do many of us are insatisfied is that we live in a society where the abundance mentality has been forgotten. There is enough for everyone. Unhealthy competition just pits us against each other.
It can be hard - I won't lie. But when I send someone home after a session feeling better about themselves, it's all worth it. It's so much easier to share love than spread hate.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Love Your Work

I wanted to expand on yesterday's post and touch on the subject of work. Most of us have no choice, but since becoming a personal trainer, I have learned how important it is to love what you do. It's good for the soul.
Furthermore, a job in which you help people is incredibly gratifying. In 17 years of working in bars and restaurants, I never had the amazing sense of helping to improve lives the way I do now.
It sounds glib, but if you have a job you hate, you MUST find something else. It will be worth the effort; I promise!