Fitness

June 7, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Exercise Band Workout

During the week I like to train in the gym but on the weekend if it’s nice outside I’d rather not be indoors. Instead I grab some of my favorite exercise equipment and head to the park to workout. Some of my favorite toys to use outside are TRX cables, a Skip-Rope and an Exercise-band. Today’s workout focuses on using an exercise band. Hopefully this post will help you realize that you don’t always need a fancy gym or a ton of equipment to get a great workout in. Get creative and have fun with the environment around you. You might surprise yourself with how great of...

June 3, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Pilates to Strengthen Your Core

For some people, exercise routines focus on weight loss or building muscle. For others, their mission is to increase strength, improve balance, stamina and flexibility. If the latter is your goal in the gym, then working your body ‘core’ is where you should spend your time. We rely on our bodies for everything: when we get out of bed in the morning, get dressed, go to work, play with the kids, and when we work up a sweat in the weight room. That’s why it’s important to take care of our body every day with regular exercise, nutritious food, lots of...

May 30, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Eliminating Toxins, Fitness, Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

Healthy Glow Hemp Protein Smoothie

Hemp could win an academy award for being an excellent source of plant based protein. This quality alone has made hemp protein a desirable addition to vegan and raw food diets but you certainly don't have to follow a specific diet to enjoy the benefits of this plant powerhouse! In addition to protein and fiber (which are needed for good digestion and blood sugar balance) hemp provides both omega 6 and omega 3 essential fatty acids which are needed for a healthy heart and nervous system, glowing skin, happy hormones, weight loss and much more. Your body cannot produce these fats...

May 22, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Unconventional Core Training: Effective Exercises for Your Core

Core training is more than thousands of crunches and side bends. The other role of your stomach muscles is for stabilization of your spine. Your core muscles will contract to prevent any unwanted bending which will help prevent injury. Some of these exercises may be outside of the norm of your normal core training. Use some of these exercises to add into your routine. You also get the added benefit of working multiple muscle groups. Needless to say, you won’t have to worry about doing any crunches. 1. Single arm dumb bell (DB) bench press How to perform it: Lie down on your...

March 5, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Dirty Dozen Workout

This month I wanted to share a workout that you can do almost anywhere. You’ll just need a bit of space to do the workout and possibly a yoga mat and some light weights depending on the exercises you choose. I call this workout "The Dirty Dozen Workout" Pick 12 exercises and do 12 reps of each exercise. Move from one exercise to the next with very little break in between the exercises, then take a break at the end of the 12 movements. Repeat the Dirty Dozen circuit 3-4 times depending on your fitness level. If you do single arm or single leg movements...

February 14, 2014 In Emotional Health, Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Mental Benefits of Exercise

The Mental Benefits of Exercise From improving your heart health to toning your tush, we all know about the numerous physical and aesthetic rewards of working out. Yet many of us don't realize that exercise can play a very important role in mental health also. In recent years, mounting research has showed the effects of exercise on cognition, memory, mood, self-confidence, stress levels and overall happiness. Here are the top five mental health benefits of exercise. Takes Your Stress Away Prolonged or intense stress can have a very damaging effect on both the body and mind. It has been linked as one of the...

February 4, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

6 Exercises You Should Be Able to Do: Part 2

Here are a couple more exercises that should be no problem at all if we have adequate flexibility and strength. If you have difficulty with either of these - you simply cannot do them or you have pain, perhaps these can be goals for your fitness/movement program, and as you improve, marvel how they make life’s activities easier. If you missed Part 1 of “6 movements we should all be able to easily do”, click here. Watch the videos, but please use your common sense with respect to trying the exercises. Hire someone to help you learn to do these movements properly...

January 14, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

Health Poll: Do you measure being healthy by your weight?

In North American pop culture, we associate shame and lack of self control with extra flesh. Yet, quite simply that’s all that extra weight is. More flesh. The fact is that a body will respond to factors in life regardless of self-control. If you have an injury and can no longer maintain physical activity, weight gain is possible. If you switch lifestyles from more activity to sitting down at work for 7 hours a day, and you still have the same caloric intake, you may put extra weight. If you have the same routine, but shack up with a new...

October 16, 2013 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Neck and Back Pain: Avoiding Forward Head Syndrome

Forward head posture can be the root cause of all kinds of problems in the body, including headaches, jaw pain, neck pain and shoulder pain, and back pain. It makes good sense that the body works best if all the blocks are stacked up properly. Pelvis right over the legs instead of in front or behind, ribs over the pelvis instead of tilting backwards, and head over the ribs so the ear is lined up over the shoulder. Seems obvious, but most of us don’t seem to live there regularly. Our professions often mean that we are spending a lot of...

August 26, 2013 In Fitness, News, Running, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Dynamic Stretching for Recreational Runners

Alright folks, the running season is coming up. With your local 10km charity runs, full or half marathons and recreational running clubs quickly approaching, it's time to hit the pavement and lace up those running shoes! I am a strong believer in having both a pre and post exercise stretching routine. Stretching prepares the body for physical exertion and sports performance. There are two styles of stretching: Dynamic Stretching or Static Stretching. Dynamic Stretching increases range of movement, blood and oxygen flow to soft tissues prior to exertion and has been proven to reduce the risk of injury. Static Stretching used to be...