It’s that time of year yet again when we declare that this is the year we are going to do something drastic – whether it be to lose weight, get fit, quit smoking or quit drinking - most New Year’s resolutions revolve around our health. Our intentions are great and we usually start off very focused and motivated however, after a few weeks we start to waver and before we know it, our old habits are back in full force. “They” say it takes 3 weeks to form a habit, but if you ask anybody who has attempted numerous diets and fitness regimes they would probably disagree. Months of dedicated workouts can fall by the wayside with just one week of missed activity. So what are we to do, and how are we to do it? How do people get fit and stay fit? We’ve heard it many times before, but it never hurts to hear it again.

Find an activity you like to do. If you don’t know where to begin, try out a facility where there are numerous options to choose from and offers trial periods or short term memberships. If you’re fearful and embarrassed, drag a friend along. It’s far less intimidating when you have somebody by your side.

Ask yourself every morning, “How can I move my body today?” It doesn’t have to be a sweaty, intense regime. Sometimes just rolling off the couch and doing a few push-ups is enough to get you started. When you find yourself walking to the kitchen for yet another snack, try walking lunges around the house a few times before you indulge yourself.

Schedule your workouts into your day timer before you make any other appointments, whether it’s first thing in the morning before you go to work, after you drop the kids off at school, on your lunch hour, after work, or even after dinner. Keep these appointments just as you would any other appointment. Better yet, have a workout buddy to whom you are accountable.

Really confused? Hire a personal trainer to help you develop a program that is specific to your needs. Cost an issue? You may be surprised at how affordable a few sessions can be. Again, accountability is the key.

Invest in a few simple tools, such as an exercise DVD, stability ball or resistance band. If a fitness facility is just not for you, start at home. You may find that as your fitness level increases, so does your self-esteem. Some people start a program by walking in the dark so that they are not seen, and progress from there.

Try using an activity journal. Remind yourself, in writing, why you are doing this. Maybe it’s to lose weight, reduce your risk for heart attack or stroke, strengthen bones, sleep more soundly, lessen your intake of medication, ward off depression...the benefits are endless.

Start small. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Remember, you are not alone. Many have walked your path and are in front of you and many are following. All you have to do is stay on the path and you will be pushed or pulled, depending where you are on the path.

Have you ever thought "I really want to get in shape before I join a gym”? You’re not alone. ‘Gymophobia’ is one of the biggest reasons for people not exercising. From an outsider's point of view the gym seems like some underground organization that they have no business being a part of. To many, joining a gym means working out beside some buff fitness addict, enrolling in a college course to learn how to operate the high tech polished equipment, and enlisting in the army by participating in boot camp classes. Joining a gym can be very intimidating. But starting today can change your outlook on life. The things that seem so scary, like a membership to the gym, should become realities. The benefits of regular workouts will help shape and mold your physical features as well as your mental outlook. The initial hesitation for trying something new is very understandable. Asking yourself ‘did I dress right...what kind of torture am I going to be put through...how silly will I look in front of all these people’ is very normal. There is always that fear embedded into the fabric of our being that makes us reluctant not to excel at something the first time. However, there is no reason to avoid becoming active because of being embarrassed to go to the gym! Keep in mind that everybody has been in the same spot. The people that go to the gym everyday had to start somewhere. Here are a few tips that will help you get over your fears and get healthy:

Partner up! Sometimes all you need is a little support from friends and family. Many gyms offer guest passes for first time visitors. Find a friend that is a current visitor and tag along. You'll feel much better if you have someone by your side that can push you and build your self confidence.

Sign up for an orientation. Most gyms offer a free orientation with a trainer to show you how to use the equipment safely and effectively. You will quickly learn that those high tech machines don’t require night school to learn how to use them!

Do what makes you feel comfortable. Choosing machines that make you feel comfortable will keep your motivation up and you'll forget all about the mental hurdle you had for so long.

Join group fitness classes. The majority of gyms offer classes that don’t use machines. These workouts will give you just as much exercise and they are very fun to participate in. Classes may include pilates, yoga, bellyfit, boxing, sculpt and a variety of step classes. These classes are typically an hour long and include a warm up session, the main core of the class, and then a cool down session so that your body can relax as the program draws to an end. These classes feature motivational music, and the atmosphere is definitely positive and fun. If you are new to group fitness look for classes that are for beginners such Learn to Step, or Beginner Sculpt.

Be social. It certainly helps to know that you'll meet a variety of people at the fitness center. You will end up making several ‘gym buddies’ making it fun to all work out together. Besides, you and your new friends can go socialize afterward, or perhaps shop for new workout clothes. The purpose here is to get you past the obstacles that keep you from joining in the first place.

There is no reason to deny your body the exercise it needs. You are there for the opportunity to change your life and become a much more sculpted person, inside and out. It takes a special person to take a risk at changing themselves for the better. Join a gym today!

Jenn Naiman, Group Fitness Director

Did you know that at any given time, one out of every four Canadians is on a diet? The Cabbage Soup Diet, the Blood Diet, the Atkins Diet, Body for Life, the G.I Diet, the Macrobiotic Diet, the Rice Diet – the list goes on and on...and on and on...and on and on. Why do we diet? To be slim, to be ‘healthier’, to be happier and to be more attractive is what is heard most by health care professionals and personal trainers.

First, slimness is temporary. Over the long run, 95% of dieters regain the weight, so they diet again, with similar results. This is called diet cycling and it can lead to damaging your metabolism permanently. Second, some diets are downright unhealthy! Health is not about having a slim body, it is about having the energy to deal with life and reach our goals. Third, 95% of dieters fail. Does failure make you happy? Your body and mind don’t run well when you restrict calories. Dieting makes you moodier, irritable, and makes you obsessed with food. This feels like failure, but in fact it is a physiological response and has nothing to do with willpower. Last, do you want your boy/girl friends to like you for your body or for yourself? We live in a society where people are so desperate to find the diet, the quick fix that will take weight off fast with little to no exercise. Oh – if life were that easy!! Here is the skinny on what really happens when we diet.

Skipping meals or drastically reducing calories lowers metabolism so we store fat more easily from fewer calories. Cutting out starchy foods will leave you feeling tired and moody and you could end up eating higher fat and sugary foods to satisfy yourself. Cutting out meat may run the risk of iron deficiency leading to fatigue. Fasting will decrease muscle mass which lowers metabolism, resulting in fat gain. Just as your car runs best on a certain type of fuel, so does the human body. The body requires more than 50 different nutrients each day. The following are the six key essential nutrients required to perform day to day functions: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and water - each playing a different role. Carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy, or fuel, for activity while proteins are the building blocks of body tissue. Fats are also a major source of energy and are needed to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. An excess of any of the previous will be stored in the body as fat. Vitamins are essential for maintenance of body function such as growth and repair where as minerals are important in the regulation and storage of water and are essential in the conduction of nerve pulses, heart beat and muscle contraction. The last of the essential nutrients is water. Water, arguably could be the most important nutrient of all. It is vital to life and serves as a medium and body temperature regulator, assists with digestion and eliminates wastes. All six of these essential nutrients can be consumed through a healthy, well balanced diet.

It is simple: there is no substitute for eating well and exercising regularly. If you are ready to change your lifestyle but are unsure where to start visit the Health Canada website to view the Canada Food Guide, and contact a personal trainer to help meet your health and fitness goals.

Canada Food Guide

Jenn Naiman, Group Fitness Director

As humans, we perform a wide range of movement activities, such as walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, climbing and lunging. All of these activities involve smooth, rhythmic motions coordinated from the nervous and muscular systems. Functional training is more than just a buzzword used in the fitness industry it is a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life. In other words, it is training that enhances the working relationship between the nervous and muscular system.

We often think of strength in terms of the actual force-producing capacity of a muscle or group of muscles. However, the brain, which controls muscular movement, thinks in terms of whole motions, not individual muscles. In turn, exercises that isolate joints and muscles are training muscles, not movements, which result in less functional improvement. For example, squats will have a greater "transfer effect" on improving an individual's ability to rise from a sofa than knee extensions. Functional training helps the average person develop strength that carries over into daily activities such as pulling open a heavy door, hiking up a rocky trail, starting a lawn mower, carrying a child, unloading heavy packages from the trunk of a car, or reaching up and pulling down a bulky box from an overhead shelf.

Just as athletes train for their specific sport, we need to train for ours: the sport of life. How? A great place to start is with a stability ball. Since stability balls are unstable you must constantly adjust your balance. This will help to improve your balance, your body’s awareness of where it is in space, and your flexibility. A great way to become familiar with stability ball training is to hire a personal trainer or join a group fitness class that uses this equipment. Trainers and instructors love stability balls for the following reasons: it is easy to use (it doubles as a weight bench or a chair) it adds intensity by engaging more muscle groups it targets a variety of goals like improving muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, stability, and the ratio of fat mass versus fat free mass it can be used anywhere! So, get on the ball and train for the sport of life.

Jenn Naiman, Group Fitness Director