Almost every year after the holidays people make a "resolution" and most of the time it involves healthier eating and regular gym attendance. There is almost always a spike of personal training sessions, gym memberships, and gym goers. And it almost never lasts.
Today on January 1st 2015 I went to the gym (which I obviously do often). The gym was not very busy at 10:30am. However for the first time I saw quite a few interesting characters. First there was a man in red tie dyed pants and a beanie. His outfit was a bit strange for the gym (but who am I to judge). I respect everyone who makes an effort to be healthy. HOWEVER, mr. dyed pants was bare foot. Trapping through my big box chain gym shoeless. I had to do a double take. Yep there he was walking from the stretching area to the free weights and back barefoot. Not socket, but his gross feet touching places where I sometimes put my hands or body. ARE YOU SERIOUS BUDDY!? OF course I was in the middle of a huge super set so I a) couldn't say anything to him and b) couldn't go tell one of the workers. GROSS! Ugh why why why? Why on earth would anyone do that? And the worst part the whole time Im watching this guy. Maybe 5-10 minutes NO ONE.....and I mean NOBODY said anything to him. Am I seriously the only one who thought it was gross? Unsanitary? Or was everyone else like me and "busy" too busy to care or say anything. It's weird how we can care but still be too wrapped up in what we are doing personally to care to disturb our workout to interject.
Anyway I moved area's and never saw the bare foot wonder guy again. After my workout it was time for my cardio. I headed to the back of the cardio area where the Cyber Arc Trainer that I wanted to use was. About 10 minutes into my workout I hear a loud thud. I look up and some big guy that clearly was either a) not paying attention or b) passed out flew off of his treadmill and on to the ground and smashed his face along the way. Again I though "holy f%&*" but did not stop in my stride at all. No one else around me did either. About 30s later a woman on a treadmill walked up to the guy and asked if he was ok. Helped him turn the machine off, and then helped him to the water fountain. Mind you the front desk was a mere 15-20m away and do you think any of the chit chatty little girls moved from their posts to see if they were ok? NOPE! I wonder if any of them have their first aid or CPR? Probably not. But I was slightly in shock that non of them went to see if this guy was ok or not.
Wellllllllll needless to say I finished my workout and got my first workout of 2015 in! And what an interesting morning at the gym it was today. If this is an indication of what the gym will be like in 2015 I can't wait to watch all of the madness for my own personal entertainment.
If you saw anything at the gym today that was interesting like this comment below. Or tell me a good gym story that you have and want to share!
#trainitright
This 77-Year Old Grand Ma Can Lift More Than You. She is pretty amazing. This just goes to show you that you can be fit at any age. You just have to put in the work! Check out her lifting skills below in the video! You will be amazed! "It's about life. L.I.F.E" and its about "being the best I can be" she says. Lets take her advice!
Train It Right - Get Walking During Your Pregnancy
Train It Right
Fitness is very popular right now, between instagram, twitter, store shelves filled with fitness DVDs for pregnancy that include, cardio, strength training, Zumba, Pilates, and hip hop dancing just to name a few. But when you're pregnant learning new moves of the latest fitness fad is probably not a top priority on your to do list. That’s what makes walking so amazing!
Walking is a great way to stay fit during your pregnancy. Not only is it free but it’s low impact so you can even do it closer to your due date. Just make sure the farther along you are that you have checked with your doctor that you can be active. Unless you are having a high-risk pregnancy you should be fine.
If you walked often before your pregnancy you probably won't need to change your normal walking habits during your first trimester. Small changes may need to be made during the second and the third trimester. However, during all three trimesters if you find yourself unmotivated grab your husband, boyfriend or friend to join you on your walks. Make sure to set specific walking date nights at specific times. That way you don’t skip out on your exercise.
No matter what trimester you are starting your walking at make sure you have walking shoes that support the ankles and arches. If you go to a local running store they can assess your walking gait and get you fitted in the proper shoes. When you walk, keep your eyes up, your hips tucked under your shoulders to avoid a sway in your back. Swing your arms for balance and to intensify your workout. This is also known as power walking.
Make sure to bring drinking water with you to avoid dehydration. Try to avoid walking in the heat. If it is too hot you can get cramps, which are never a good thing for the baby. Try finding shade to walk in or an air conditioning mall to walk in so you can beat the heat.
In every gym when you walk in no doubt you will see men standing in front of the mirrors pumping out set after set of bicep curls focussing primarily on the Biceps brachii (the visible bicep muscle). While this is an obvious and relatively effective way to train the elbow flexor, it leaves out many other undertrained muscles involved in elbow flexion. To give a quick boost to your arm training in the quest for bulging biceps try some of the following:
Reverse Grip - EZ bar curls:
Grab the EZ bar with an overhand grip and the palms on a grip where they will ever so slightly begin to face each other. Now starting with the arms straight curl the bar up and only at the top will your elbows slightly move forward. What this does is work the brachioradialis (a muscle running directly underneath the biceps) and forearm muscles intensely while reducing the work the biceps brachii contributes to the lift. When this muscle grows it pushes the biceps up which gives the appearance of larger arms!
Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls:
Hammer curls are performed by holding the dumbbells with the palms facing one another as if about to use a hammer. This allows the brachialis and brachioradialis to be further targeted as the biceps function of supination will be removed. Performing these seated will allow you to focus directly on the task at hand, flexing the elbows without swaying the upper body to gain momentum. As well this way the nervous system isn't preoccupied with maintaining standing balance and instead is fully devoted to the hammer curl!
Thick grip implements:
The reason that thick grip implements work so well for making the arms bigger in a hurry is that they increase the neural recruitment of the motor units in the forearm while reducing the strain on the wrist. When this occurs the forearms will gain strength and size which will lead to a radiating effect up to the biceps leading to greater weights being able to be lifted and then more micro trauma to the muscles causing hypertrophy. In the event the facility you train at doesn't have any thick implements, you can bypass this issue by purchasing a pair of Fat Gripz which are attachable to most barbells, dumbbells and handles at www.fatgripz.ca, or at many supplement stores.
Fitness model Jamie Eason is ready to train again and posted this on her facebook.
"Just had my final post-partum check up and I got the green light to work out. I've gained quite a few curves. My hips are 3 inches wider and I'm not sure how much more they will shrink? I'm about 8 lbs from my pre-baby weight, which isn't bad but my body composition is considerably different. I've got free weights at home, so it's time to start building up some endurance again. Please wish me luck! "
She looks great for just giving birth! We wish you all the best girl!
The beautiful Evelyn Lozada shows off on her Instagram on her birthday. Ladies she is 37!
My newfound gem for healthy cooking? Coconut oil. If you are a fan of coconut, you will find that this oil adds a light coconut flavour to your food, not to mention the health benefits are abundant! Yes, coconut oil is a saturated fat, which some might say are "bad" but the way that it reacts in the body is GOOD! Here's how it works: coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. Due to the fact that MCTs have a shorter chain it is easy to digest and quickly burned off by the liver for energy but without the spike in insulin. This causes a metabolism boost and uses the coconut oil fat for energy, thus causing you to lean out. I use organic extra virgin coconut oil on practically everything! I sauté my veggies in it and even use it when cooking my eggs in the morning! Here is my favourite dinner recipe using this gem. This dish will pump up your metabolism and give you a healthy dose of your omega-3s!
1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Smear 2 tablespoons coconut oil on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish
3. Place fish on top of the oil, skin side up
4. Place fish in oven for 15 minutes
5. Remove fish from oven and use a spatula to gently peel skin off of salmon
6. Place fish back in oven for an additional 15 minutes
7. Remove fish from oven and squeeze on your lemon
8. Sprinkle on your salt and cayenne pepper evenly
9. Cut into 2 servings and plate
That's it! Such a simple recipe and you can mix it up with different spices and flavours but don't forget the coconut oil! Serve your fish with some nice green veggies and a salad to complete your meal. Enjoy!
We all know that chicken is a lean meat, which is great fuel for the body. But chicken often has a bad rep for being bland and dry! This recipe is a no-fail way to make delicious chicken that comes out juicy and full of flavour! By pretty much making your own pasta sauce, you are taking out the additives that you would find in store bought tomato sauce, such as sugar and excess salt. Also, by throwing in some whole Roma tomatoes, you are reaping the benefits of cooked tomatoes. By cooking the tomatoes, you are boosting the lycopene levels, which is a phytochemical that acts as an antioxidant. Including lycopene in your diet has been correlated with reducing your risk of cancer. With little prep time and all the nutritious benefits, this meal is perfect for a post-workout dinner that won't take the entire evening to make.
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
2 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1 can tomato purée
4 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sriracha (hot sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 fresh basil leaves for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Place chicken and roma tomatoes in a rectangular baking dish
3. Pour 1 can tomato purée evenly on top of chicken
4. Add olive oil, sriracha, salt and pepper on top
5. Place in the oven for 40 minutes or until meat is no longer pink
Once the 40 minutes has passed you will have a ready-to-eat meal with fresh tomato sauce. No artificial colours, flavours, or sugar in this meal! Plate your chicken and tomatoes and sprinkle with basil leaves. Eat and enjoy!
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