The future of women’s running has arrived with the new adidas PureBOOST X
adidashas teamed up with female athletes from around the world to deliver PureBOOST X, a running shoe created for women, by women.
Based on years of testing and research with women everywhere, adidas has created a sleek, form-fitting running shoe built to meet the relentless energy of their active lifestyle. While most running shoes are adaptations of male shoes, PureBOOST X ($130) was designed with only the female athlete in mind resulting in a high performance meets high fashion running shoe for women.
The petite, adaptive silhouette of PureBOOST X wraps the foot in style and rests it on a full length bed of thousands of energy infused BOOST™ foam capsules. The BOOST midsole provides energy in every step that will make running the best part of keeping fit.
“The most common feedback we received during our years of working with female athletes was the desire for a running shoe with looks to keep up with the energy of its performance,” said Jennifer Thomas, Senior Director for Global Brands, Running. “PureBOOST X is a product of innovation and style working in perfect harmony to meet the demands of today’s versatile female athlete.”
The adidas PureBOOST X in action
PureBOOST X features a new floating arch that provides a completely fresh look and feel. The adaptive stretch mesh of the floating arch wraps underneath the midfoot to make the foot look smaller while delivering a supportive sensation you can feel through every run.
The stretch mesh upper, floating arch and lock down lacing system provides a personalized fit that hugs the foot from heel to toe. The stretch web outsole is designed to allow for flex at any point enabling the foot to maintain its natural motion.
From lacing up through cooling down or making a statement with style, PureBOOST X feels exhilarating and looks amazing the moment you put it on.
adidas PureBOOST X retails for $130 CAD and will be available on adidas.ca and in stores from February 3.
Bouncing Back After an Injury at the Gym
There’s nothing much fun about suffering an injury at the gym. It’s natural that you’ll want to bounce back as quickly as possible.
Stop When the Pain Starts
As soon as you start to feel an abnormal pain in a particular part of your body, you should stop exercising. The old cliche of working out is is that there’s no gain without pain. But that kind of attitude is not at all helpful when it comes to keeping your body in good shape. In fact, it can cause you a lot of damage. You need to get to know your body over time. Sometimes, you will feel the burn, and it usually won’t be an injury. If you keep at it, you will learn when your body is hurt and when it is just tired. These small differences are very important to recognise.
Put Ice on the Injury and Rest
The next thing to do is to get ice on the area of your body that hurts. Do this as quickly as you possibly can because it might help to limit the size of the problem. It helps by reducing the level of inflammation and swelling that often occurs after an injury in the gym. Never begin your treatment with a heat pack; ice should always be what you start with. Get your hands on some ice packs and then use them as much as you can. This will at least keep your injury under control until you can get advice from a medical expert.
Follow All Medical Advice You Receive
If the initial rest and the ice haven’t fixed your problem for you, you will need to seek some medical attention. This will allow you to get to the bottom of the issue if you’re not sure what’s wrong. Most people who work out a lot know their bodies inside out. So, if you’re not sure what’s going on, it’s a sign that something needs to be done. When you get the advice from a doctor, make sure you listen to it. Don’t be tempted to think that you know better than the doctor because you probably don’t. If they tell you to not do any physical activity for a couple of months, you need to do that, however frustrating it might be.
Prevent the Injury Recurring When You Go Back to Normal
When you are finally coming to the end of your recovery, you will need to think about how you can return. This is one of the most important stages of the process, and it definitely should not be rushed. If you rush, the injury will recur, and you will be left on the sidelines for even longer, and that’s not what you want, is it? Make sure you get the all-clear from your doctor before you hit the gym again. And then make sure that you warm up very carefully and don’t overdo it to begin with. Ease yourself back into your old routine over a period of a couple of months. This is the most sensible approach to take.
How To Keep On Track With Your New Year's Fitness Goals
OK, so just over a week ago, a lot of you might have made yourself some new year’s resolutions. And, by now, you may already have given up on them. If so, worry not. There’s still time to get yourself back on track without too much damage - and these tips should help.
We all have different reasons for getting fitter and healthier, and all of them are emotional. It might be so that you can fit into your old jeans again, or it could be because you are tackling a charity marathon and want to do your best. Whatever your personal reasons, always keep them in mind - especially during tough workouts, or after a busy day. All you have to do is turn up, push yourself to your limits, and you will soon catch that dangling carrot.
Read everything
Read about people hitting their fitness goals, and you will want to keep going yourself. I’d like to think there is more than enough inspiration on this blog, but there are hundreds of others. Fitness Edge is a new one I have recently found, but there are plenty more. Read up on everyone’s success stories, and picture yourself in their shoes. If you can understand the possibilities, then making it happen will be much easier for you.
Go faster
‘I don’t have enough time’ is an excuse I hear a lot from people when it comes to breaking their fitness goals. Well, if you are short on time, just work harder in the time you have. You can get more out of a high-intensity workout over twenty minutes than you can from an hour long jog anyway. So, push yourself faster and harder, for shorter periods of time, and you will see results.
Plan your week better
Another big reason people don’t achieve their fitness goals is through lack of planning. We’re all busy, but if you want results, you have to make time. Plan your week or month long in advance, and identify times when you will workout. Don’t miss them - for anything. Treat them like you would an appointment with the doctor or even part of your working day. Once you get used to it, it will feel like it is part of your life. But, you can’t get to that stage without including your workouts in your calendar or diary.
Get a support network
OK, so getting a support network means two things. The first one is obvious. You just hang out with people that understand what you’re doing and give you help and encouragement. But the second one involves keeping yourself away from those that don’t understand. You know who I’m talking about - it’s the guys that doubt you. It’s the people that enjoy a drink a little more than the next person, and encourage you to tag along. It can be tough to keep good friends at arm’s length, but it won’t be forever. Once you have got past a certain point, you mind will be a lot stronger to deal with these issues. And, when it comes to drinking, you can always have one of these.
Hope this has helped - let me know how you are getting on!
Massage Track and Neck Track - Review
Firstly the products were invited by a man named Eric (47) who has a rare illness (mercury and lead poisoning) which among many other nuisances causes tightness in the muscles and connective tissues. He created the patent pendingBody Track™ and Neck Track™ for relief when he was really depressed and desperate. He now uses them every day and on occasion several times during the course of the day.
For almost a year I (Alicia Bell of Train It Right) have been using the balls and the track for relief of tight/sore muscles from working out. They are great trigger point release balls and using them with the tracks helps keep them from slipping out of alignment and I am able to get them exactly where I want them placed. They come with a variety of light, medium and hard balls depending on your sensitivity or tightness. I highly recommend getting these if you are active in sports, the gym or suffer from any ailments such as what Eric has. We often all do the workout component of fitness and neglect the nutrition and recovery which are just as important. Thank you eric for helping me be able to focus more on the recovery component by creating this easy to use and great functional product!
Tech blog did a great video review that you should check out:
For more product information or how you can get your own set all of the info is listed on the Massage Track website:
These LIFTING STRAPS By Rip Toned come in a pair of cotton padded weightlifting straps for both men and women. I was recently sent them to try for free. I actually have only used lifting gloves or grip pads throughout my long history of fitness and training. I never had the opportunity to use straps before. I was a bit nervous but they were easy to use and very sturdy. I definitely was not disappointed and was very impressed. Why have I never used straps before?!?!?
A little bit about why these were a good product for me: I had a motorcycle accident last May which left me with 7 stitches in my hand and reduced grip strength. I am strong but I have been unable to hold the weight that I know I am capable of lifting to lift it. I quickly put the straps to use and I have to tell you these straps have helped me lift heavier than I was able to before.
I also like that they give you a Product Guarantee. They are actually the ONLY Weightlifting Straps Backed by a Lifetime No-Hassle Free Replacement Guarantee.
Why use lifting straps? According to their website "Quality no slip weight lifting wrist straps allow the confidence, safety and leverage critical to achieving your body’s peak performance and health we all so desperately seek."
This straps are great for a variety of reasons:
- Lifting Straps overcome a weak grip allowing you to lift more weight while building your ideal body
- RipToned lifting straps provide an element of safety to your exercise when losing your grip could cause injury
- Great quality material for long lasting use
- Rip Toned workout wrist straps will not stretch giving you complete peace of mind
- Provides solid grip without slipping for maximum lifting power
- Top notch stitching and product workmanship
- Durable cotton material with thicker than most neoprene padding
- Comfortable one size fits most design
- Washable for easy care
Get yours here you won't be disappointed if you lift heavy and/or have difficulty gripping when you lift.
Thanks Rip Toned these straps will forever be in my training bag!
Did you know that you don’t necessarily have to pick up a weight to get a good workout in? Using your bodyweight can be just as tough and rewarding. Here are some of the best bodyweight exercises for your body parts:
Chest/Triceps
Very little needs to be said on this matter; everyone knows that the push-up is a great bodyweight exercise for your chest. The great thing about push-ups is that there’s room for alterations. You can drop your knees down if you’re unable to do a normal push-up. You can do clapping push-ups if you find normal ones too easy. You could even try one handed ones if you’re arong enough.
Also, you can alter the angle of your body to target different parts of the chest. Put your feet on a bench and do incline push-ups to target more of your upper chest.
Or, if you bring your hands in close and do a push-up, you’ll be targeting your triceps more. This is actually one of the best tricep exercises you can do.
Shoulders
For shoulders, you can do a variation of a push-up. It’s called the pike push up and starts off in the classic downward facing dog yoga pose. You then let your forehead drop close to the floor then push back upwards. It can be tricky to get the movement right, but when you do you really feel it in your delts.
Alternatively, you can do a handstand presses if you’re experienced and strong enough. Do your handstand up against a wall for safety and stability.
One of the best exercises you can do for your back is the pull-up. It’s a simple movement that involves grabbing a bar overhead and pulling yourself up off the ground.
Of course, pull-ups are a hard exercise to do, and not everyone can do them. If you can’t do a pull-up, or don’t have any way to do on in the home, do an inverted row instead. This is a much easier exercise to do, and you can alter the difficulty based on where you place your legs. If you’re in the gym, you just need access to a squat rack or smith machine to do this.
Biceps
Bodyweight exercises for the biceps are similar to the back. The best one is called a chin up. It’s like a pull up only you grab the bar with an underhand grip. Plus, you should focus on using your biceps to curl your chin up over the bar.
Likewise, you can do inverted chin curls, which are similar to the inverted row. But, you grab with the underhand grip and use your arms to curl your body up. This is an absolute killer, and your biceps will soon feel pumped.
Legs
The best bodyweight exercise for legs is squats. Doing loads of squat variations is a great idea to build leg strength without needing weights. You can do jump squats for an extra challenge, or one legged squat if you feel up to the challenge.
Another favourite bodyweight exercise is the lunge. There are many lunge variations that are fantastic for strengthening legs and building muscle.
One of the most common questions that people often ask me is “how can I take my training to the next level?” and it’s a very valid concern. After all, it’s only natural that you want your hard work to produce the best results.
There’s no quick answer to this one, but you can get more from your workouts by taking heed of these tips below. Try them out now, and you should soon see far greater results in the gym and the mirror.
Mix Up Your Training Regime
If you’re finding that your routines aren’t getting the desired results, it could be down to two things. Firstly, you might not be working hard enough. Alternatively, it might be a case of your body become acclimatized to the current strategies.
Shocking the body into overdrive by mixing up your routines is one of the best upgrades you can make. Try hitting a high-intensity interval training program to drive your results to the next level. Meanwhile, attempting new sporting activities should keep exercise fun.
Making this change will make your workouts more exciting while the increased results will make them more fulfilling. You couldn’t ask for much more.
Improve Your Nutrition
Your training is crucial to gaining the best results. But every gym-goer should be aware that diet forms the foundation for everything you achieve.
While employing a positive diet will serve you well, you should also consider muscle building supplements. Adding these to your daily ritual won’t just give your body a natural boost. It will also help provide extra motivation to work out as regularly as your schedule allows.
Your body is a machine, and it won’t perform unless you give it the right fuel. Take care of this vital aspect, and you should be just fine.
Compared to other forms of leisurely activity, working out is pretty cheap. A monthly gym membership costs less than one night out down clubbing while clothing is pretty reasonably priced too. However, there’s no reason that you can’t treat yourself by embracing the latest technology and gadgets.
Running belts and other products can help push your workouts to the next level. Meanwhile, investing in these items should serve as a slight guilt trip that will encourage you to stay on track too.
Furthermore, there are plenty of mobile phone Apps to aid your workouts. Even if it’s only a music streaming service, you should embrace these facilities with open arms.
Team Up With A Buddy
One of the biggest struggles that many gym-goers face is motivation. Let’s face it, fitting exercise around a hectic schedule or work can be difficult. If you’ve found yourself taking one too many off days, it might be time to team up with a friend.
Working out with a friend brings many benefits and should help keep you on track. Better still, the social aspects will probably make working out more fun. Once you start to see this as a social event, as well as building a better body, you should find yourself skipping days on a far less frequent basis.
Ultimately, if you dedicate more hours to exercise, you’ll see better results. It’s as simple as that.
Have you ever gone to a health food store, drug store or supplement shop in hopes of finding supplements, foods and information that will help you reach your goals? Have you ever gotten there and felt overwhelmed with mass amounts of products, foods and bottles? We all have had that experience. I know I have in the past and my current clients get this feeling all the time. Its hard when you are new to the healthy lifestyle to know what you should or should not be taking. I have had little to no help from the staff at these places.
As a personal trainer I know I want my clients to take good clean, tested and high quality products. I often give them a list of options and they still end up emailing, face booking or texting me from the store because the person behind the counter is telling them something different that I did. And most often times the information is wrong. I want to send my clients to a well established business but also where the staff is knowable, helpful and not just trying to sell you the most expensive product so that they can make a better commission.
According to their site "At Peaches & Green, we want our customers to feel confident that every product they purchase has been thoroughly reviewed for its integrity and efficacy. As one of the leading boutique health food stores in Toronto, we carry a wide variety of nutritional supplements, botanical remedies, and homeopathics. We also have a carefully selected assortment of therapeutic skin & body care, as well as delicious whole foods chosen especially for those with food sensitivities and dietary restrictions.
We support suppliers and manufacturers in our industry who are leaders in product innovation and research. Like us, they share a commitment to protecting our environment, and promoting the health of the individuals in the communities we work and live in. Visit our Products page for a complete list of the brands available. Peaches & Green is a proud Health First Network Member store - learn more about Canada's leading independent health & wellness retailers here."
I discovered Peaches and Green a few weeks ago when I was contacted to go in and experience the shop for myself. I said yes and made my way east where they are located on 1561 Bayview Avenue in Toronto. Peaches & Green is a specialty health food store in Toronto dedicated to supporting individuals on their path to wellness through natural health products and education. Located in the heart of Leaside, we have been the top destination for natural health and wellness products for over 25 years. I was greeted immediately by a smiling woman named Elizabeth and then George the owner. They were smiling and friendly from the start. Its always nice to have a warm welcome. They told me about the history of the store, the types of products that they carry and they really seemed to have a passion and desire to help give people good knowledge and help them get towards their goals. George was so intelligent about the products and the science behind them. I also discovered he knows a lot of Toronto health professionals that I know and respect. This is comforting and just really shows what 25 years of experience can provide.
After speaking with both George and Elizabeth and getting to experience the store first hand I high recommend that you shop for your health food products at Peaches and Green. I left with some new protein, himalayan sea salts and lots of yummy samples. If you go to do you health food shopping at Peaches and Green you won't feel lost and you will leave confident that you have got the products that you need to help you get to where you want to go!
Thank you Peaches and Green for serving our community so well. I wish you all the success in the world for the next 24 years!
If you have any inquiries or want to check out the store yourself:
info@peachesandgreen.com
Tel : 416 488 6321
Fax : 416 488 7061
Store Hours:
M - F : 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Sat : 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Brass Vixens - Pole Fitness - Toronto
This week I was invited by Brass Vixens Pole Fitness to try out a class. At first I was hesitant because dancing of any kind is not my forte. One of my friends that I was speaking with on the phone said that I would probably be better than I was thinking I would be. So I decided what did I have to lose? I accepted the invitation and see what Brass Vixens was all bout.
From the moment I accepted signing up on their site was easy! Once I had a profile name I could browse through all of their locations and classes. The problem was that I have a very busy schedule. But guess what they had classes at all different times of day across all of their locations. I found a 12pm class that was perfect for me to attend at their location on Yonge Street. The class was beginner pole. I even received a friendly reminder of my class that I booked. Which is great since I do so many things in a day. I really like their booking feature and this was just icing on the cake!
I arrived at the address and was a little confused because the building read Seductions (and adult entertainment store). I walked in and asked where Brass Vixens was and the women was super nice and told me they were located on the 3rd floor. It would have been nice to know when I received my booking confirmation that this is where it was located. But it was easy to find non the less.
I was created with a friendly smile at the front desk by "Lady Kori" she was very friendly and totally made me comfortable. She took the time to show me the changing room, washroom and explain where to put my bags. I sat and waited patiently for the class to start and it started promptly at 12pm. It was a full class and some people had to share a pole.
Let me just say this: I LOVED EVERY ONE OF THE SONGS ON HER PLAYLIST! Music makes a workout for me so thank you Kori for an awesome play list. Since it was beginner pole we had what I thought was an extended warm up but she made it fun and sexy without it being over the top. All the moves were fun and her choreography flowed so well the whole class. The only thing I did not enjoy that much but I think everyone else did was the free style at the end of the class. She turned on a song and told us to free style. Since this was my first class I only knew what she did in the class so I was a bit so so about the freestyle. I just practiced what I learned while what seemed like everyone else did more advanced moves and really knew how to move. I just felt a bit out of place but it was still fun! I did not get a chance to take photos due to the privacy of the other attendees and there was another class directly after mine so I couldn't take any after either.
After my session I even got an email asking for my class review and to provide feedback. Great for business! I also got a Welcome to Brass Visens email saying that they hoped I enjoyed my class yesterday! After I filled out the feedback I earled "5 points." I assume this is a rewards program that they have. What a great incentive.
Overall I absolutely loved my experience at http://brassvixens.com and I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a good experience. Don't be scared or intimidated and just go in and have fun with it. Kori is a great instructor and I would definitely attend another class of hers! Thank you Brass Vixens for such a wonderful first pole experience. If you are in the Toronto area check them out!
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