Victoria Wellness Professionals

Today’s blog post comes from Bruce Elkin of Victoria, B.C. Bruce is a Personal Life Coach, Career Coach and Life Design Coach. If you have or are struggling with setting goals and even what goal setting means, please go to the link below. This is an excellent article. Please read.

Goal Setting That Stretches You, and Draws Out the Best You Have to Give!

“People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals, that is goals that do not inspire them.” — Anthony Robbins

I imagine that, for many would-be goal-setters, coming to a coach seems a bit like a frustrated dieter breaking down, and signing up for Jenny Craig. Over the years, both have tried many approaches: read books, listened to tapes and CDs, and watched countless videos. But the pattern is often the same.

http://hubpages.com/hub/7-Reasons-Most-Goal-Setting-Does-Not-Work–And-What-To-Do-About-It

Till next time,
Narina

Bruce Elkin’s Blog:
http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com/

Uncategorized achieve goals, goal setting, realistic goals., set goals

Saturday morning at the gym. I have decided I have going to do a heavy sled workout today. I try to rotate sled workouts between lighter weights and sprinting; or load it up and just get down and dirty with a heavy load. Today, the down and dirty workout won out and I was using only my big push sled (not the rope pull sled).

This particular workout scheme came from an awesome group at Elite Fitness; www.Elitefts.com Here goes:

The workout consists of 10 sets. Each set is equivalent to 30 yards of sled pushing. Every second set you will add some weight. Rest periods are as needed and you will certainly not rest as long with the earllier, lighter sets. This is what my workout consisted of (after a good warmup of course).

Set #1 and 2 = 175 lbs
Set #3 and 4 = 200 lbs
Set #5 and 6 = 220 lbs
Set #7 and 8 = 241 lbs
Set #9 and 10 = 263 lbs
Set #11 and 12 = 290 lbs

Great workout. Good burn for the legs! Please feel free to leave your comments. What did your workout consist of today?

Uncategorized exercise, gym workouts, leg workout, sled workout, strength training, weight training

Back in the nineties Fast Food companies tried to change. They tried coming out with lighter and lower fat versions of their sandwiches and tacos and everything else.

Know what happened?

The “healthier” versions on their menus failed miserably. And I mean miserably. They were all pulled and replaced by newer options that were bigger, fattier and more calorie laden than ever before.

Seriously, they stopped pulling punches and did what any smart business should: They gave people what they wanted. And in the case of Fast Food companies that meant adding as much mayo, bacon, cheese and beef as they possibly could.

That’s when we started seeing the Triple Burgers and Mega Burgers and tacos wrapped in melted cheese stuck to yet another taco.And people were more than happy to gobble them all right up.

I believe, fortunately, that we’ve come to a point where people have realized that it’s all just too much. To some extent people are waking up and realizing that they cannot afford to get sick. They cannot afford to eat garbage all the time. They are understanding it WILL catch up to them.

Kentucky Fried Chicken has been in the news lately because they are trying a new Kentucky GRILLED Chicken. Supposedly it tastes as good as their fried version.

Now I don’t know if it does or doesn’t. And to be honest, I don’t much care. You see, the fact of the matter is when people go to Fast Food restaurants and order something “healthier” like grilled chicken they typically off set it by eating every french fry in sight. Or drinking a 64oz cola.

There are better choices to be made. And if you plan your day you won’t be in a position where you have to gobble a meal down at KFC, McDonald’s or Burger King.

Things like:

Low fat cottage cheese
Hard boiled eggs
Fresh fruit and veggies
Raw almonds

You could also go with Prograde Cravers or Prograde Lean. Cravers are the best tasting healthy snack bar on the planet and Lean is their delicious chocolate meal replacement shake. (In the PS under my signature you’ll find out all he details on a BIG sale Prograde is having! Oh, and hurry because it ends tomorrow night.)

Look, the bottom line is simple: A little bit of planning and some smart food choices go a long way to getting that flat stomach you’re looking for.

Yours in health,
Narina

PS – Here’s what you need to know about Prograde Nutrition’s Second Birthday Sale:

- You save 10.2% off ALL of their products. They’re all on sale this week.
- The sale ends this Friday, April 24th at 11:59pm EST.
- Just enter the coupon code below during checkout on their site:

xxtwozz

(yes, the letters are all lower case)

– If you purchase any of their Combo Packs or Smart Ship options the coupon code only applies to the FIRST purchase.
- The coupon can’t be combined with any other Prograde offers.
- Prograde Nutrition products cannot be found in stores anywhere. Only online here: http://victoriawellness.getprograde.com

I cannot recommend Prograde enough. Their products are top-notch and they only create research based products backed by science.

Uncategorized Prograde Cravers, Prograde Lean, Prograde Nutrition

I’ve got big, big news for you. My friends at Prograde Nutrition are having a birthday sale to celebrate their company turning two years old.

I’ll get to the details in a second. But first, I wanted to tell you that Prograde is a company that I place my complete trust in. I know the people that run the company. And I know how good the products are. They are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and they are a McAfee secure website.

Bottom line: Prograde does business the right way.

So if you’ve been thinking about trying any – or all – of their killer products, now is the time.

Here’s what you need to know about their Second Birthday Sale:

- You save 10.2% off ALL of their products. They’re all on sale this week.

- The sale ends this Friday, April 24th at 11:59pm EST.

- Just enter the coupon code below during checkout on their site:

xxtwozz

(yes, the letters are all lower case)

– If you purchase any of their Combo Packs or Smart Ship options the coupon code only applies to the FIRST purchase.

- The coupon can’t be combined with any other Prograde offers.

- Prograde Nutrition products cannot be found in stores anywhere. Only online here: http://victoriawellness.getprograde.com

Again, I cannot recommend Prograde enough. Their products are top-notch and they only create research based products backed by science.

Till next time,
Narina

PS – Remember, the sale only runs through this Friday. So get on over to http://victoriawellness..getprograde.com and load up on powerful Prograde products now and save 10.2%

Uncategorized nutrition products, Prograde Nutrition, supplements

A recent meeting with a prospective client reminded me of why I opened a private fitness studio. I have been weight lifting for almost 30 years now. I learned about working out in the days before chrome dumbbells and fancy machines. So for all the years I trained I was very comfortable in the public realm sweating it out with all the bodybuilders and general fitness buffs.

But one of the issues that always bothered me was how many women attempted to enter the gyms to workout, only to be frustrated after a very short time and leave. There was usually a “trainer”
available to show them around, write up a quick program and then leave them on their own to figure it out. But no one really seemed to care whether they stayed or not. Nobody took an interest in
whether they were doing their exercises correctly or even at all.

A recent social outing with a friend brought to light that nothing has really changed much in the public facilities. My friend, for the first time had taken an active step toward improving her health. She was excited about embarking on a fitness program and was enthusiastic to get started. A ladies only fitness club was a 5 minute walk from home. This couldn’t be more convenient. Upon the first visit, she was greeted with enthusiasm by the owner and staff. She felt encouraged to begin her program and great care was taken to explain how the club worked. She was told they would motivate and support her, even call her at home if she missed a workout! This was exactly what she was looking for. Someone who cared and who would take the time to teach and motivate. Naturally, she signed up right away. How could she not? It all sounded so great!

So, with hope and expectation of a supportive environment she ventured into the world of strength training. The gym was comprised of a circuit of machines, all hydraulic. There was music playing and you rotated through the circuit in time with the music. She was shown briefly how each machine worked and then left on her own. Being a medical professional, she is very aware of her own
limitations due to knee injuries. This was important since the staff were not particularly concerned.

So, as the first two weeks roll by, interest starts to wane as personal attention from the staff is non existent. The owner was frequently sitting at the counter eating, while clients attempted to work out. As my friend lost interest and eventually missed workouts, the promised call to her home if she missed a workout did not occur and so the story repeats itself as it has in so many public gyms before.

That constant stream of women attempting to improve their health, only to be met with indifference from the facility staff, is what prompted me to think there must be a better way. Hence, Victoria
Wellness private fitness studio was born. I have always attempted to provide a supportive and motivating environment for all clients, both women and men. Yes, hard work is necessary and sweating does happen, but this can all be done under the watchful eyes of caring and knowledgeable trainers.

If you are thinking of starting a fitness program, first you need to decide. Which is better for you – public or private, caring or indifference? I know which I would prefer.

Narina

Uncategorized exercise, motivation, private fitness studio, public gyms, support, Victoria Wellness Professionals, weight training, workouts

If you are training are your own either at home or at a public gym, you are probably familiar with sets and reps. You hear it often referred to as 3 sets of 10 repetitions. And, as trainers we often will use the same language with our clients. We will often give instructions as to how may repetitions we are going to do. But, just what are reps and sets. What do they mean other than a bunch of numbers, and is there a purpose to changing the rep scheme? All good questions and this article will attempt to explain the science behind the jargon.

In any weight training program and any exercise program for that matter, you are looking to make changes. Maybe tone up muscles, maybe bulk up or gain muscle mass, or just the opposite and you may want to shed some pounds. For any of these to happen successfully, you must create a scenerio in which physiological changes will occur. Now, we go on for for chapters about all the physiology around muscle gain or weight loss, but for the purpose of this we are only discussing reps and their part of the puzzle. Read more…

Uncategorized concentric, eccentric, exercise, neuromuscular efficiency, repetitions, sets, weight training

Exercise intensity is often a misunderstood concept. How hard should I be working out, or how hard do I need to work out to see benefits. If you are unaccustomed to exercise, even a moderate amount of intensity will be of benefit. But if you looking to make noticeable changes to your body, lose weight and increase muscle tone, then exercise intensity is important. In fact, not only is it important, but along with necessary nutritional changes, it could be the deciding factor in the equation. What I am talking about is referred to as the “afterburn” or EPOC. EPOC stands for excess postexercise oxygen consumption.

EPOC, or this sustained oxygen consumption was originally referred to as an oxygen debt and was first hypothesized by A. V. Hill and H. Lupton in 1922.

A brief overview of EPOC is provided by Dr. Len Kravitz, PhD., Associate Professor of Exercise Science, The University of New Mexico.

www.drlenkravitz.com

“During EPOC the body is restoring iteself to its pre-exercise state, and thus is consuming oxygen at an elevated rate. This means that energy is also being expended at an elevated rate. The following occurs during EPOC:

1. Replenishment of Energy Resources: Replenishment occurs for the immediate source of energy, known as the phosphagen system, which is comprised of creatine phosphate and ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

2. Re-oxygenation of Blood and Restoration of Circulatory Hormones: During exercise metabolism, large amounts of oxygen are used to break down food substrates for energy. Therefore, the body continues to expend energy after exercise to re-oxygenate the blood.

3. Decrease in Body Temperature: As energy is liberated from the exercising muscle tissues of the body, heat is produced. Thus, during EPOC, the body must expend energy to return to the normal core body temperature.

4. Return to Normal Ventilation and Heart Rate: Energy expenditure is greatly elevated as the body rapidly returns to a normal breathing rate. Heart rate is also returning to a pre-exercise rate.

Because the body continues to expend energy after exercise, EPOC plays a supplemental role in an exercise program for weight management.”

Studies have shown that resistance training elevates EPOC for upwards of 24-48 hours after training. Steady state cardio does not elevate EPOC much, so once your cardio session is done, you are done buring calories. In order to elevate EPOC, you must be working at an intensity high enough to create this oxygen debt.

So we know now, that creating EPOC will have positive benefits in our weight loss program. The key is what do we have to do in our workout sessions to create EPOC and appreciate the afterburn
effect. There are several ways this can be done:

1. Increase the Demand of Each Exercise – Choose exercises that use many muscles or multi joint exercises. For example you get more bang for your buck doing squats that arm curls. Choosing “big” exercises such as squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, step ups will incorporate the whole body. No isolating muscle groups. In fact the more you can group exercises together, the higher the intensity. Again, instead of doing just a squat, perform a squat with a dumbbell curl to an overhead press. Or perform a romanian deadlift to a row, or a romanian deadlift with a calf raise to a shoulder shrug. There are endless varieties of exercises that can be grouped together to take the intensity to the next level. Several exercises can be grouped together into a “complex” and performed with minimal rest.

2. Increase the Demand of Each Workou – It is not only each exercise that you need to think about, but the whole workout. How the exercises are grouped together. How the rest periods are incorporated into the workout. Decreasing the rest periods and increasing the metabolic demand of each exercise will take your workout to the next level and you won’t be just feeling the effects of the afterburn, but you’ll be sizzling!

3. Perform High Intense Interval Training - Cardio workouts also need to be looked at. As mentioned above, there is little place for steady state cardio except in the very early stages of a conditioning program. Once an aerobic base is built, cardio workouts should consist of high intense intervals. This can be achieved by using hill sprints on a treadmill, kettlebell swings or sled training. All these workouts will put a huge metabolic demand on the body and create EPOC.

So, take a look at your workouts. Are you working out intensely enough to burn those calories for hours afterward? A good productive workout should have you breathing hard and sweating! Making changes to your physique takes hard work; there are no short cuts or easy roads to follow. But, making sure your time in the gym is metabolically demanding, will go a long way to giving you the body you want.

Narina

Uncategorized EPOC, exercise, intensity, interval training, workouts

The fundamental health benefits of fitness walking are many. Metabolically, it helps control weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. A brisk walk can burn up to 100 calories per mile or 300 calories per hour.

Walking improves cardiovascular fitness. As an aerobic exercise, walking gets the heart rate beating faster to transport oxygen- rich blood from the lungs to the muscles. The heart and lungs work more efficient with a regular walking regimen, reducing blood pressure and the resting heart rate.
Walking is an important element of medical rehabilitation. A regular walking regimen facilitates recovery from many ailments, including heart attack. For people with poor circulation to the arms and legs, walking can increase the size and improve the efficiency of the tiny vessels that supply blood for cellular respiration.

Not only physically but also psychologically, fitness walking generates an overall feeling of well-being, and can relieve depression, anxiety, and stress by producing endorphins, the body’s natural “pick-me-up” drug.

Proper Fitness Walking Technique

To avoid injuries and to receive the most benefits from your workouts, proper form is essential.

Follow these 8 steps to walk to better health!

1. Stand tall with your shoulders back and down, and chest up.
2. Keep your head up with your chin parallel to the ground.
3. Keep your abdominal muscles contracted.
4. Squeeze your derriere tight while striding.
5. Strike your heel on the ground first, roll through the ball of the foot, and push off with the toes.
6. Swing arms at 90 degrees, pulling back with the elbows.
7. Allow your hips to rotate slightly.
8. Use rhythmic breathing from the diaphragm.

Proper Shoe Fitting

The ideal walking shoe should be stable from side to side, well cushioned, and it should enable you to walk smoothly. Many running shoes fit these criteria’s, however there are specialized shoes designed for walking. Most walking shoes tend to be less cushioned, not as bulky as a cross-trainer, and lighter than a running shoe.

Shoes should always fit well in the store. Do not cut corners on purchasing proper shoes. This is your sport. Do as much as you can to give your body the best equipment possible. Visit the shoe store late in the afternoon, when your feet are slightly swollen (this is when you’ll likely be walking anyway). Wear the same socks to the store that you will wear while walking. Try on at least four or five pairs of shoes. Put on and lace both shoes of each pair and walk around for a minute or two.

Avoiding Injuries

The key to avoiding injuries is a proper training regime. After every workout there is a minimum recovery time of 24 hours. .

Some common ailments that contribute to injuries are:

1. Improper footwear
2. Over training
3. Insufficient warm-up, and lack of a stretching program.
4. Muscular imbalances
5. Shin splints – caused by working muscles that only get worked through walking.

The Importance of Stretching

Stretching is another key to having a well-rounded workout program. Stretching prevents muscular injuries by increasing the flexibility of muscles, thereby preventing muscular stiffness. Also, by incorporating stretching into your fitness program, your range of motion in the muscles increases.

Till next time,
Narina

Uncategorized exercise, fitness, walking