Fitness

August 24, 2012 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Lessons from the Vancouver Grouse Grind

This morning I did the Grouse Grind. If you live in Vancouver, and possibly if you’ve visited Vancouver, you know about the Grouse Grind. Maybe you’ve made the climb. I find the Grind to be somewhat of a meditation for me. Yes, it’s challenging, but step after step after step, breath after breath after breath, becomes alternately a good thinking time and meditation for me. Here’s what I learned today. Lessons on the Grind as lessons in health and in life: 1. The hardest part of many journeys is making that first step.  I had planned to do the Grouse Grind many...

June 4, 2012 In Ask The Expert: Health & Fitness Advice, Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Powerful Benefits of Plyometric Training

Summer months are near and the warm weather brings exercise participants out into the sunshine, surf, and sand. If you are pressed on time and interested in changing up your workout regimen to reap the results of a complete body transformation for improving fitness levels, exercise experts weight in on the benefits of plyometric training, as well as the risks to prevent injury, and examples of exercises that can be done anywhere sans expensive gym memberships. "Plyometric exercise is a conditioning format that is designed to improve muscular force and power through quick, powerful movements. When done correctly, over time it...

March 2, 2012 In Fitness, News, Running, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Tips For Running Your First Marathon

The 2011 Chicago Marathon along with the New York City race marked the start of the marathon season with more than 80,000 runners between the two races attempting to complete the 26.2-mile or 42.195 kilometers marathon distance, according to Huffington Post. Whether you are a walker or a runner, if you are interested in participating and completing a marathon, with the proper training and nutrition you will be able to finish the race. The first step is selecting the marathon in which you wish to participate. If this is your first marathon race, whether you are interested in walking it or...

February 1, 2012 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Burpee: An Endangered Exercise?

There are many exercises designed to work your whole body: dead lifts, back squats and over-head squats, etc…. All of them are great exercises and each of them make you work extremely hard and can develop your body. But you need a gym to go to or equipment at your home to do these. What do you do if you can’t get to the gym or afford the equipment? Stop working out? I do not think so. There has to be an exercise that you can do that works the whole body, includes cardio, strength and core work, portable and be...

January 16, 2012 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Basic Beginner’s Workout with Resistance Bands

This article will provide suggestions for resistance band basic exercises. This simple resistance band workout can be done in the comfort of your home--remember, this or any sample exercise program cannot be implemented correctly without first talking with your doctor to make sure you are cleared to begin a new exercise program. Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio (walking in place, elliptical trainer, etc.) Beginners: Perform each exercise for 1 set of 15 repetitions, resting when you need to, using enough weight that you can only complete the desired number of repetitions (15). Do this workout 2-3 times...

October 3, 2011 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

A Personal Trainer’s Guide to Exercise Design

The benefits of exercise are heard everywhere.  Lose fat, gain muscle, improve cardio, look good, feel good, improve sports performance and so on are all reasons as to why people workout.  Many of us will go to the gym with the best intentions but arrive and stare at the large building like a deer in headlights.  For others, they want to get started but don’t know where to start.  How do good coaches help their clients to reach their goals?  Consider the following guide to help you along your journey. 1. Know what your goal is. This seems like a simple concept. ...

September 14, 2011 In Ask The Expert: Health & Fitness Advice, Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Elbow pain causes, symptoms and treatment

Ask The Expert is a health & fitness advice column. If you have a question for one of our Fitness Goop experts, please email [email protected].   Lately, I have had a few people ask about pain that has developed on either the inside or the outside of the elbow. Their symptoms were pretty common such as tenderness on the inside or outside of the elbow and pain during any grasping, pulling or pushing of objects such as the following: Shaking hands Writing Lifting objects Holding objects Steering a car etc. Depending on the location, those people were suffering from either Golfer’s Elbow or Tennis Elbow.  Golfer’s Elbow (also known...

August 24, 2011 In Fitness, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Lisa Virtue

Fruitarian athletes are thriving and breaking records

It’s a challenge keeping up with vegetarianism these days; there’s ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, vegan and pesca-vegan. To add to these options, we also have fruitarianism. Like the title suggests, followers of this diet eat fruit. Some fruitarians eat a fruit only diet, while most also enjoy plenty of leafy greens, some vegetables and small quantities of nuts and seeds. Take note: tomato, peppers, cucumber, zucchini, avocado, okra and eggplant are all botanically fruits! It is also implied that the food be consumed raw. Thus the terms: fruitarian, raw foodist, and raw vegan are sometimes used interchangeably. To mainstream western society, this...

August 19, 2011 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Journey into grace with Anusara yoga

In 2007 a profound betrayal and subsequent loss of my best friend plunged me into the darkest years of my life. Despite my anguish, I somehow mustered up the strength to make the bold (or arguably stupid!) decision of moving across country to Los Angeles, in part to fight for love, only to find myself rejected and abandoned, jobless, friendless, and completely alone. The years that followed can only adequately be described as a truly “dark night of the soul”. After almost a year of endless tears, sleepless nights and an inability to eat much of substance, almost as an act...

August 1, 2011 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Supplements, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Building Muscle Without Supplements? Part One

The supplement business is a multi-billion dollar business. From your local vitamin shop to your local grocery stores, there is at least one isle that contains some sort of supplement. All of these pills and powders help to promise lean looking muscle, a longer lasting “pump”, weight loss or weight gain. Some may work while others will not and cause adverse side effects. Many people can cash in on the supplement business because of  the fact that the government deregulated the sale of all of vitamins and pills you see over the counter today. Because of this deregulation, anyone can...