Victoria Wellness Professionals

One of the comments that comes up time and time again, is the question of “where do I find the time?” Time to plan meals, time to shop, time to prepare and cook. It is one I have often had to think about myself. For example if you have the barbecue going for dinner, then throw on a week’s supply of chicken breasts to cook – cook, freeze in individual bags and you have chicken ready for lunches, dinners or snacks. And to go along with being prepared is actually knowing why, what and how. In order to prepare you need to have a goal.

There is a reason few people reach their goals and make their dreams come true.

Know what that reason is?

It’s because they actually HAVE goals written down. The vast majority of people on this planet do not.

And not only do people that achieve goals actually set goals, they also create a a plan to make sure they make things happen.

So where does that leave you?

Do you keep telling yourself you are going to “lose some weight?” Or do you have specific goals and a plan to reach them?

Do you have a plan for what you’re going to eat each day so you’re not tempted to fill up on fast food? Do you have a deadline for when you’re going to reach your goal?

Here’s another one: you KNOW you need to be eating breakfast every day. Do you have nutritious food in the house you PLAN on eating each morning? Eating well, losing or even maintaining a healthy weight takes planning.

If not have you looked into taking advantage of a delicious meal replacement shake like Prograde Lean?

Check out Prograde Lean

This is YOUR life. Whether you want your body to look better naked, you want to improve your health, you want to have more energy, or whatever your goal is, you MUST have written goals and a plan to achieve them.

Till next time,
Narina

Uncategorized goal planning, Health Links, meal replacement, narina prokosch, prograde, protein shakes, weight loss

Oh no, not the foam! These words are heard quite frequently at our training studio. Just what is the the purpose of the foam rollers and why do I need to do it every workout?

Foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release. In other words a form of self massage.

First off, lets cover a little physiology. Our muscle fibers contain what are called golgi tendons. These little organs are located at the muscle-tendon junctions and sense tension in the muscle. If there is a risk of injury, the golgi tendons (GTO) will stimulate muscle fibres to relax.

With foam rolling, we can simulate muscle tension which will cause the GTO to relax the muscle. This will help to keep the muscles pliable and allow them to work through a full range of motion. That is why we prefer to do foam rolling at the beginning of every work and during the workout if any muscle cramps occur.

Along with helping to relax the muscles to allow stretching and ROM work, the foam roller also helps to break down tissue adhesions and scar tissue. The break down of adhesions and scar tissue is
important in order to allow muscles freedom of movement.

There are just a couple of considerations to think about with foam rolling. You should not roll on recently injured or bruised areas. Also any circulation issues (varicose veins) should not be rolled
on. Individuals with fibromyalgia should foam roll only under the supervision of a fitness professional as this may cause an excaberation of symptoms. Also, any bony areas and joints should be avoided.

Positioning on the foam is important. You will want to ensure you maintain proper alignment of supporting muscles and joints. Generally, the amount of time necessary to spend foam rolling is
determined by the tissue quality. As a rule between one to three minutes may be required on a particular area; less if not tight, more if it is.

Foam rollers are not the only means of doing self myofascial release. If the area is small or hard to get a with large foam rollers, medicine balls or massage sticks may be used.

Foam rollers can help by reducing pain and tension in the muscles and therefore help to restore normal muscle length and balance. This will all help to provide optimum joint motion which will lead
to better performance.

Be one with the foam roller and your muscles will thank you!

Narina

Uncategorized foam rollers, massage, muscle pain, myofascial release, range of motion

As I sit down to write this, I have just finished an early morning workout. Going into the gym as early as I do and spend so much time at daily requires a committment on my part. Committment to ensuring that each required workout gets done. It would be very easy for me to just take the day off, and believe me there are some days when I would like to do just that.

I work a long week, usually averaging 70-80 hours a week. I own a private fitness studio, and along with a team of trainers, are responsible for guiding our loyale cliente through their own workouts each day. Most days Monday thru Friday, I arrive at the gym around 4:30 am in order to get a workout in before the gym opens for the day.

Going into the gym so early is a committement I have made to myself. It raises the question: – How Committed Are You?

Are you committed to making your workouts happen?

Are you committed to setting the time aside to take care of you?

Are you committed to a healthy nutrition plan?

If you can answer yes to each of these, then I applaud you and congratulate you on putting your health and wellness as a priority.

If you are struggling with any of the above questions, then it may be time for you to seek help from a fitness professional to assist you in setting up a realistic program that will make committing to a fitness regime achievable.

At our studio, one of the challenges in accepting a new client is working with them to fit their exercise program into an already hectic schedule. If you are struggling to find time and make it happen, reach out for help and support. It is easier than you think.

Narina

Uncategorized exercise, fitness program, narina prokosch, personal training

This morning I was sitting in front of my computer struggling to come up with a catchy title for this. I was thinking – yet again – about stressing the importance of breakfast to you.

So as I sat there trying to be clever I mumbled out loud, “Breakfast is boring.”

And there you have it. That’s exactly how I came up with this title. But do NOT take this message lightly.

You see, I know you’re heard it a million times before. “You have to eat breakfast.” And I know it’s not a super sexy message. But do you have any idea how many people I meet as a fitness professional that DO NOT eat breakfast? A lot. And do you have any idea how many of those people that don’t eat breakfast are overweight? Pretty much all of them.

Look, I’m not crazy. I know you don’t have much time in the morning. And I know many of you just aren’t all that hungry right after you wake up.

So let’s look at this another way. You get up each morning and go to work every day because you want a roof over your head and food on the table, right? Day after day after day you go to work because you want the RESULT of that effort.

Well, IF you want to burn fat, feel better and have more energy you WILL eat breakfast every morning. Period. End of discussion.

Some things are boring. Some things just have to be done to get the result you want. For those of you that want to burn fat all day long, breakfast is just one of those things.

Till next time,
Narina

PS – Prograde Lean http://victoriawellness.getprograde.com is a DELICIOUS chocolate meal replacement shake that I recommend. It’s the perfect solution to breakfast.

Uncategorized breakfast, meal replacements, narina prokosch, nutrition, Prograde Nutrition

Today’s diets with all our processed and fast foods have created a deficiency in EFA’s or Essential Fatty Acids. Those fats are DHA and EPA. Scientific research is showing that consuming sufficient
quantities of DHA and EPA can help prevent certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, depression and more.

Essential Fatty Acids cannot be manufactured in the body so we are required to get them through our diet. EFAs are essential for normal health and metabolism.

I have tried numerous brands over the years; all types of fish oils but have been unable to find any that did not cause me reflux or burping and that horrid taste of fish! For those of you that know me the taste of anything fishy is just about the worst taste possible.

Finally I have found a product that I can take that doesn’t cause me fish burps or taste. That product is Prograde EFA Icon.

If you are looking for a great source of EFA’s and antioxidants, I encourage you to try Prograde EFA Icon at: http://victoriawellness.getprograde.com

Give it a try and say good bye to fish burps forever!

Narina

Uncategorized EFA Icon, Essential Fatty acids, fish oils, nutrition, Prograde Nutrition

Here is quiz #2. This quiz asks questions regarding anaerobic exercise. Have fun. Any questions please add in the comment section below and I will be sure to answer for you.

Narina

Uncategorized anaerobic exercise

Hi!

Craig Ballantyne has gone a little crazy, and is declaring this
weekend to be Ballantyne’s Day (I think he needs to learn how to
spell).

Anyways, to celebrate, he’s giving you TWO free workouts and 25% off
his landmark NO-crunch Turbulence Training for Abs workouts. Plus,
you’ll get 3 months free into the TT Member’s site for even more
workouts and you’ll be able to ask him your personal workout and
diet questions.

Check out his “I Love My Abs” Ballantyne’s Day sale: right here.

But hurry, the sale ends on Friday, February 13th, BEFORE Valentine’s
Day (see, I told you he was crazy!).

Say yes to burning belly fat and getting six pack abs,

Narina

PS – Don’t miss his article on the 5 biggest ab training myths, just go here.

Uncategorized burning belly fat, Craig Ballantyne, six pack abs, turbulence training, workouts

I often come across articles on other web sites and sometimes in the newspaper advising people on what to look for in a personal trainer or a fitness facility. And I often ask myself, “Just what makes a good Personal Trainer”. Well, I think it could mean a number of things and I am sure you would get a few common threads expressed. You would think knowledge would be a top priority in most peoples’ minds. I agree that knowledge is important and a thorough knowledge of anatomy/physiology, exercise technique, teaching methods all are crucial in the development of a good personal trainer.

But, in my opinion I think the technical aspects of personal training – the anatomy, proper squat and deadlift form, even methods of teaching can all be learned given a desire to do so and time. Read more…

Uncategorized caring attitude, customer service, narina prokosch, referrals, Victoria Wellness, weight lifting

There is a reason few people reach their goals and make their dreams come true.

Know what that reason is?

It’s because they actually HAVE goals written down. The vast majority of people on this planet do not.

And not only do people that achieve goals actually set goals, they also create a a plan to make sure they make things happen.

So where does that leave you?

Do you keep telling yourself you are going to “lose some weight?” Or do you have specific goals and a plan to reach them?

Do you have a plan for what you’re going to eat each day so you’re not tempted to fill up on fast food? Do you have a deadline for when you’re going to reach your goal?

Here’s another one: you KNOW you need to be eating breakfast every day. Do you have nutritious food in the house you PLAN on eating each morning?

If not have you looked into taking advantage of a delicious meal replacement shake like Prograde Lean?

http://victoriawellness.getprograde.com

This is YOUR life. Whether you want your body to look better naked, you want to improve your health, you want to have more energy, or whatever your goal is, you MUST have written goals and a plan to achieve them.

Yours in health,

Narina

PS – Fail to plan, plan to fail. Life is easy when you plan for it to be.

Uncategorized goals, nutrition, prograde, supplements, weight loss

We all live very hectic lives these days. Just trying to find time to get all our tasks done can be stressful in itself. Exercise should never become a stressor in your life. Exercise is meant to de-stress and calm; allowing the mind to relax and the body the work. I have always found a good weight lifting workout a great way to “relax” the mind; work the body and allow all the chores of the day to disappear for an hour.

One of the challenges of todays hectic lifestyles is to find a time to workout and being able to fit your exercise session into an already very busy day. The easiest is to try and fit your exercises into your daily route; meaning either before work or after work. Lunch hours are also a great time to fit in a quick workout and this can be as simple as putting on your runners and going for a power walk.

For me and my lifestyle it is a challenge when to fit my workout in when our gym is running full tilt 12 hours each day. I know for me personally I am not going to workout in the evening. I don’t and never have liked evening workouts. My prime time to workout is around 10 am or 4 pm. Since neither of those times work for me and my job requirements, I needed to look at an alternative. So for me, it is before my work day starts. I know I am not going to do it after work, no matter how noble my intentions are. So, just get it done first thing in the morning!

So today was a leg/arm day for me. And for 5:30 am workout this is what I did:

Frontal (side) lunges supersetted with EZ Curls
Rope Bulgarian Lunges supersetted with EZ Curls (sore elbow so no dumbbell curls for me right now)
Bar Squats supersetted with EZ Tricep Extensions
Romanian Deadlifts supersetted with Tricep Pushdowns

4 sets of each that took me just over 35 minutes to do. Fast and furious.

So, if you are having challenges getting in your workout time let’s talk. There are a lot of options to getting your exercise program included into your daily life. Remember, workouts do not need to be 1 hour, cardio sessions do not need to be 20-30 minutes at a time. Exercise has a cumulative effect, so don’t let time be your enemy.

Narina

Uncategorized cardio, cario, exercise, squats, weight lifting, workout