Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!


 I want to give thanks to all of my friends, clients and supporters! Without you  could not be living my dreams! I am just getting started on this journey and I am glad to have you all along for the ride!xoxo Alicia
For anyone interested in coaching - I have limited spots available for prep, off-season and transformation left. So if you are serious about your goals. 

Contact me NOW

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Sign Up HERE


Not interested in coaching but still want to support me and my sport....click HERE!

Health Coaches Pave the Way for a Brighter Future for Health Care

By Joshua Rosenthal

As policy makers continue to debate the future of healthcare in America, there is an often overlooked, yet important, part of our healthcare system. Think about the healthiest habits you  have. Do you enjoy getting outside to walk on your lunch break, drink mostly water during the day, or cook healthy meals every night?

How did you develop these healthy habits?

Chances are, you developed these healthy tendencies over time, with guidance and support from friends, family, colleagues, coaches, and anyone else who encouraged you and held you accountable.

Getting and staying healthy isn’t rocket science. Most of us know we need to exercise more, eat whole foods, and manage our stress better. The challenge is in making those healthy habits stick. While we like to think we can do the right thing because the experts say we should, science tells a different story.

Ongoing research at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California and the Mayo Clinic have found that people are much more likely to adopt and maintain healthy habits when they work with a peer or coach as opposed to a doctor or another expert. (1) (2)

Health Coaches are perfectly poised to be that peer or coach for people looking for a partner to help them adopt and maintain healthier habits. Why? Health Coaches are trained in changing behaviors, holding people accountable and  frequently have a lot in common with their clients. These similarities (like culture, language, experiences, and values) help to develop trust and a unique mentor/student bond that can bring about total life transformation and lasting change.

Health Coaches are the future of preventative health care; in fact, as one of the fastest-growing professions, there are now approximately 35,000 self-identified practitioners nationally and the Department of Labor projects a 21 percent increase for health and wellness professionals focused on preventative health - faster than all other occupations.

The bottom-line: In an age of rising health care costs and uncertainty, Health Coaches have the ability to reduce over all health care costs while employing thousands of Americans with well-paying jobs.

Medical professionals are crucial for helping those in need, but they don’t always have the time or resources to help people find and build healthy habitsThere is a huge demand for a new kind of health advocate who can help fill a void in our current healthcare system.

According to David Thom, M.D., Ph.D. Research Director for the UCSF Department of Family & Community Medicine, “When patients are managed by their doctor, we often do so in four or five 15-minute visits a year, and in between those visits we have little to no contact with the patient. To think that is optimal is naïve. It’s amazing that we’ve gotten along so long without using Health Coaches, and we haven’t even realized all the benefits yet.” (3)

Within the current healthcare model, attempts to reduce lifestyle-related chronic disease and costs have proven to be financially unsustainable due to a system that rewards hospitalizations and invasive procedures.  Thankfully, more employers, hospitals, and insurance companies understand that an investment in Health Coaches have real and lasting impacts on our collective wellness.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that there is “a broader shift within the healthcare industry toward keeping people well instead of simply treating them when they’re sick.” And that, “although wellness coaching is a relatively new field, some recent research suggests that it does work.” (4)

Our nation’s health and wellness is not suffering because we don’t know what to do; it’s that we need allies and advocates in the form of Health Coaches to assist and hold us accountable along the way. The work of Health Coaches has been quietly improving the health and wellness of many for over 25 years. It is time to recognize their efforts and empower their growth; our nation’s health depends on it.

We also need the support of Congress to ensure that our community can continue to offer preventive health care options for millions of Americans. Allowing consumers the flexibility in using their Health Savings Accounts (HSA) for Health Coaches will incentivize wellness.  The recent, bipartisan introduction of the Health and Wellness Coach Resolutions in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate is a signal that our policymakers support the important work of Health Coaches.(5)  More importantly, it also illustrates that our policymakers from both parties clearly understand and agree with the new research and a growing movement embracing a holistic approach to wellness with food and lifestyle as the new prescription of choice and Health Coaches as the guides.

It is the mission of Health Coaches to play a crucial role in improving health and happiness, and through that process, create a ripple effect that transforms the world. It is imperative that our nation’s lawmakers continue to seek out opportunities to support the important benefits Health Coaches are providing citizens around the country and helping daily to ensure the health of the American public.

Rosenthal, MScEd. is the visionary founder and director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), which has trained over 100,000 students in 100 countries for over 25 years.

(1) Study: Making the Most of Health Coaches in Primary Care

(2) Study finds wellness coaching benefits last over time

(3) Health Coaches Help FPs Improve Chronic Disease Management

(4) Wall Street Journal, Trying to Break Unhealthy Habits? There’s a Coach for That

(5) U.S. House of Representatives – House Resolution 121. 

 

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About The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition was founded in 1992 by Joshua Rosenthal. What started as a small classroom of passionate students in a live setting is now the world’s largest nutrition school and most well renowned Health Coach Training Program.  Through an innovative, one-year online course built specifically for the adult learner, Integrative Nutrition’s holistic program teaches Health Coaching and business skills, personal development philosophy, and over 100 dietary theories with lectures by the world’s leading physicians, researchers, doctors, and nutrition experts. Integrative Nutrition is more than a school; they are a movement whose program is changing the landscape of health and wellness around the world, training over 60,000 students and graduates in 124 countries. 

14 Weeks Out - Not Every Day Is Perfect

As you guys know I am in Prep for OPA provincials. I compete in figure competitions. My photos show a strong physique but it takes a lot to get there both mentally and physically.

Lately I have been feeling more stressed than ever with life things. I have a lot on my mind. So I wanted to sit down and write to all my competitor friends, fans and any one else who is interested about how everyday is not perfect. Especially on prep.

On prep you often times have good days and bad days (I mean really bad days). Days where you're tired, hungry, upset, stressed or maybe all of those at once. And then if you are a woman and its that time of the month things seem 1000x worse.

You can't let those bad days throw you off track. You can't let those bad days, slip ups, mistakes or things that are out of your control dictate the rest of your day, week, month or prep. You have to be better than them. You need to learn to move on, move past them and make the rest of whatever is left worth it. Give it your all. Your 110%.

Every prep is a learning experience. A chance to gain knowledge, learn, grow and figure out what works well for you. And if you are lucky you will have a support system. That one person, group of people or even your coach that will listen, understand and support. You need to have at least one person on your side, rooting for you, in your corner and who can empathize what you are going through. Let it out, vent, cry but do not keep those emotions inside. Thats when more stress and problems occur. This will lead to elevated cortisol, hinder your progress and ultimately hinder your prep.

Let go of the people or person who holds you back. The ones who aren't on your side or in your corner rooting for you. Prep is a time to be selfish, put yourself first and do whatever it takes to get you to your goal. Its ok to go through emotions. There is nothing wrong with you. It's a normal part of prep when you are pushing your body to the limit. You are not alone. I have been there and so have many other competitors.

You got this!

 

A competitors biggest struggle in 2017

As a lot of you know who follow me know that I compete in Figure and also do competition prep coaching. I wanted to talk about Competitors Biggest Struggles today because I was having a conversation with one of my clients. She is a first time competitor and was telling me about the things she has been doing leading up to her competition. And I gave her a lot of advice however, it was a double edged sword. Because I too was guilty of all the things she was telling me about. And as much as I know better and try to teach better I too still fall into the trap of these struggles.

Comparing myself to other competitors on social media

Firstly INSTAGRAM and other forms of social media are not real life. So many girls I know with huge followings look so muscular, lean, and show ready in the photos they post. However thats not the case in real life. On social media they can  curate their posts, manipulate angles, lighting and posing. So when you see them in real life you realize that you spent hours worrying about them and stressing yourself out (which raises cortisol) for nothing. And in the end they actually aren't your competition. Why? Because in this giant world of fitness competition you should only be competing against yourself. Mentally, physically and emotionally the battles during competition prep should only be with yourself. To beat your previous best, to become the best version of yourself and to overcome your obstacles on your journey.

You can't get those hours back worrying about others. In those hours you should have been focusing on yourself, your mind state, your training, your diet and what you can do it better yourself. How you can be the best version of you.

Curiosity killed the cat. Although I know I shouldn't be doing this myself as a competitor and a coach that tries to tell my athletes not to do it. I look, I creep, I compare. I worry. And unfortunately I don't know anyone who actually doesn't look. Im sure some will say that they don't. But I can almost guarantee you that they do. We all look. Especially women.

Is it the society we have grown up in, to compare ourselves, to be jealous, to want what others have? Or is it that we are all just nosey and social media has taught us to be creeps? I don't think that social media is going to change any time soon. Its quick, its entertaining, its stimulating. I unfortunately can't stay off of social media during prep like some competitors do because It is one of my avenues for advertising my business, content creating and influencer marketing.

I simply have to have a stronger mindset. No one is going to influence me. I am my own competition. No one will work harder than me. And I do not care what anyone else is doing.

Mantra = Mindset

And I know you can do it too. So good luck to all of you competitors for this 2017 season! Don't fall into the social media trap of comparisons. You vs You instead. Enjoy social media for what it is worth but stop worrying and comparing yourself to others!

JABRA INTRODUCES WORLD'S FIRST WIRELESS HEADSET WITH CROSS TRAINING 

COACHING AND MUSIC

Jabra Sport Coach Wireless Earbuds and Sport Life App (CNW Group/Jabra)
Jabra Sport Coach Wireless Earbuds and Sport Life App (CNW Group/Jabra)

 

Jabra Sport Coach Wireless offers an integrated motion sensor and companion Sport Life app to provide real-time in-ear audio coaching

Toronto, ON For fans of burpees, lunges, squats and planks who want the added motivation of individual coaching while listening to music, the world's first wireless cross-training audio solution has arrived! The Jabra Sport Coach Wireless earbuds combine personalized in-ear coaching with premium Dolby sound to get the most out of cross training workouts. The launch of the Sport Coach extends Jabra's sport audio product line, and follows the award-winning Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless earbuds that introduced in-ear heart rate monitoring for the very first time. 

 

Key features of the new Jabra Sport Coach Wireless headset optimized for cross training include:

  • Best music experience with premium Dolby® sound quality
  • Integrated motion sensor and advanced Sport Life app provide real-time in-ear audio coaching
  • Secure fit, lightweight and compact design
  • Extends Jabra's sports audio product range, pioneered by the award-winning Sport Pulse™ wireless earbuds for runners
Developed to meet the needs of cross training enthusiasts, the Jabra Sport Coach Wireless creates customized workouts based on over 40 different exercises - either time or repetition-based training - via the Sport Life companion app. The app lets users plan, track, and analyze cross training workouts, choosing exercises from beginner to advanced, with in-the-moment, personalized in-ear audio coaching. To ensure you achieve optimal performance and your overall fitness goals, the integrated TrackFitTM motion sensor provides advanced tracking of pace, distance, step count, cadence and calories to make every workout count.

 

"For sports, we are committed to delivering innovative audio solutions designed to enhance the training experience for fitness enthusiasts," says Jabra CEO René Svendsen-Tune. "We started by specifically targeting runners, and now we are taking the next step by delivering a solution optimized for cross trainers. We see clear possibilities for in-ear audio solutions combined with biometrics." 

 

Jabra Sport Coach Wireless will be available in July for $169.99 at select Best Buy Canada stores, www.bestbuy.ca and www.jabra.ca.

 

Download photos of Jabra Sport Coach™ Wireless here

 

Watch the video for Jabra Sport Coach Wireless here 

 

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www.jabra.ca

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About Jabra 

Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) - listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 900 people worldwide and in 2012 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,355 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of hands-free communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra's consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality.

© 2013 GN Netcom A/S. All rights reserved. Jabra® is a registered trademark of GN Netcom A/S. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners. (Design and specifications subject to change without notice) 

Proud to announce that I have been selected as a 2015 @rbcrun4thekids ambassador. Follow me as I raise awareness on my passion for running and youth mental health. Give them a follow and register for a 5km, 7km and 15km run! #toronto #rbc #rbcrun4thekids #running #ambassador

Click the link below for more information:

http://support.rbcrunforthekids.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=RFTK15_home

Ambassador-Badge

Train It Right's very own Alicia Bell had the opportunity to model for Precision Nutrition. The nutrition certification that Alicia has and uses in her nutrition consultations with her clients. It is the best certification for coaches and the best program for client's looking to take their nutrition to the next level. Check out a screen shot of the page!

Alicia Bell - Precision Nutritionist

My Experience At A Toronto Nike NTC Class

Nike NTC - Toronto

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I love Nike. I love the NTC app and I see on twitter and Instagram all these great events that they have. It seems as though most of the NTC events are in the states. America has tons of amazing trainers that are Nike NTC trainers or affiliates but here in Canada. I only know of one Nike Trainer. I have no idea how they selected her or why. I've inquired to every outlet or anyone involved in Nike that I can get in contact with on how to apply, how to audition or how to become an influencer in Canada but no one can give me an answer. Or I get short turned with they're figuring out how to identify influencers. I just want to be part of a community  of like minded trainers that genuinely care and do a good job at motivating people. I feel that having a Nike NTC trainer role is a great outlet to do just that. My passion is helping athletes and clients achieve goals and keeping them motivated.

So finally A few weeks ago I saw a post on Facebook about the Toronto Nike NTC classes. They posted a link showing you when the next classes were and gave a link to sign up. I sent a bunch of my clients e-mails and asked if they wanted to go. YAY Nike NTC events! A few of my clients were available and said yes. So we all registered. Leading up to the event I did not receive a reminder e-mail or any other sort of notification. Fine. Not a big deal since I put everything in my agenda.

Even though I was in an accident on May 29th I am limited to the things that I can do with both my hand and my knee. I am great at  knowing my limitations and being able to modify exercises so I decided I would still participate (this was my first time working out since the accident), so I decided to still go.

Upon arrival at the Academy of Lions (where the event was held) there were signs for Nike NTC. I walked into the store front area of the gym and no one greater me, told me to register or had me fill  out a waiver (which needs to be done or I could sue for injury and liability). I then noticed some girls coming in and signing in at the front desk. I signed in. No one spoke to me with any direction or information on where to wait. So I sat and observed. Then we saw a small sign on the entrance of the changing rooms that said Nike NTC register at front desk. A little late but there it was. About 10 minutes later the front desk guy from the gym comes up and asks myself and my client if we were new to the NTC class. We said yes and he said ok I will need to get you to sign a waiver. He left and came back to the group again with no waivers for us.

At this point the instructor came and said "ok guys lets run to the park like we always do." NO INTRODUCTION, NO QUESTIONS, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE WAS NEW, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE HAD ANY INJURIES, NOTHING! So we proceed to go to the park. Halfway through the warmup the instructor finally acknowledge that I had a knee injury and gave me one alternate to the exercise we were doing. OK THANKS! I proceeded to modify every other exercise given in the circuit training MYSELF. The workouts lasted approximately 35 minutes then a 10 minute stretch. Yes I worked up a sweat but it probably was because of the sun.

My experience with that particular NIKE NTC class at The Academy of Lions was sub par. The instructor was fit, but must be comfortable in her role. A simple welcome to NTC class would have been great and a bit of her background. A greeting at the club upon arrival would have been nice and a waiver presented to me would have been great. I wouldn't recommend this particular Saturday morning NTC class for very beginner exerciser. Very little exercise correction was offered, I don't think it was conducted safely and the instructors enthusiasm was less than stellar. Exercises were done on pavement (bad for joints, knees etc).

Overall I would rate the circuit style NTC bootcamp a 3/10. Now don't get me wrong. Im sure not all the classes are like this in Toronto or all the instructors are like this but I was very disappointed with my experience. Let me know if you have done a Nike NTC class and how your experience was in the comments below.

 

 

 

Did You See Train It Right in Impact Magazine's March/April Issue?

Alicia was asked to write an article about 5k and 10k training that included core speed.  Did you pick up a copy?
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For some strange reason, range of motion in the fitness world seems to be completely misunderstood with trainers having their clients only do partial range movements saying its full range (partial does not mean full) and trainees performing these ranges. So with this in mind I will quickly explain what Range of Motion or ROM actually is in a human movement setting:

WHAT IT IS

Range of motion (ROM) is as its name suggest, the range to which a body part can move properly in space while attached to another. Typically what this means is how many degrees of flexion or extension a joint can go thru. Here are 3 prime examples of full ROM:


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  • Squats: While maintaining a flat/neutral back position, bending at the knees, hips and ankles one lowers their buttocks until the hamstring covers the calf while the feet remain flat on the ground.
  • Bench Press (any barbell variation): Keeping the shoulders and glutes on the bench, one bends their elbows and shoulder joint lowering the bar until it is in contact with the chest
  • Pull/Chin-up: Starting from a full hang (elbows are not flexed), pull the body up by bending the elbow and shoulder until the chin has passed the bar and until the forearm and bicep have made contact.

So what does this mean?

First take a look at any joint in the human body, the joint has a range of motion that it was designed to be able to go thru whether under additional external resistance or not. Many people will advocate that full ROM training will damage the joint and these people are what I like to call……..WRONG!

By training the joints thru their entire range of motion, this will actually make the joint healthier than continuous partial range training.............


To read the full article please visit: http://rislingperformance.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/what-is-range-of-motion/