Personal Training in Vancouver | Momentum Fitness

Maximize your Weight Loss with Great Grocery Shopping

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:36:00 -0800

Reaching your goals is always tough so we are going to talk about grocery shopping and how your shopping can supplement what you are doing with your personal trainer to help you reach a lot of your goals. There are so many things that you can maximize with great grocery shopping:

•   Weight loss
•   Energy
•   Performance
•   Productivity
•   Saving money
•   Being a last minute star! Whip up a healthy meal with no notice

Join us on March 18th for our Grocery Store Tour to learn more about how to be a great grocery shopper. There are a few key elements to being a great grocery shopper follow these easy steps and you will start to reap some of the benefits I listed above.

1.   Make a plan, take 10 minutes and plan what you want for your evening meals for the next week and write up a list. Check your pantry and fridge to see which of your staples you are running low on and now you are ready to head to the store. Don’t get distracted from your plan or you will end up with those items that you pay too much for and never seem to use. Here are some great grocery lists that you can use, scroll to the bottom to see them.
2.   Don’t shop hungry, I know you have heard it before but I have to say it as we have all done it and paid the price. Temptation is hard to ignore so avoid it by eating before you go shopping. The cookies, chips or other items that call your name won’t have as much power over you.
3.   Keep your staples stocked, we all have items that we use all the time, check out this shopping list that will help you stock your pantry and then allow you to mix and match from the different categories to create a healthy meal quick and easy.
4.   Know your labels, it is amazing what food companies do to market their food and while they can’t lie to you they can obscure the truth with fluff. Make sure you read the actual nutritional label and not what the marketing company got them to write on the front of the package. Health Canada has an interactive nutrition and label quiz for you to learn more about labels or check out the FDA’s nutrition labelling information to get a handle on what you are actually purchasing. Pay special attention to the portion size and the package size.
5.   Understand that grocery stores are designed to get you to stay as long as possible and buy things that you didn’t plan on. Learning a little bit of the psychology that goes into the planning of the stores may help you avoid the traps they have laid for you. Want to learn more come to the tour...

So now you have some tools to be a great grocery shopper, lose weight, increase performance and save time. Are you ready to implement them? If you need a little more help join us next week for our Grocery Store Tour

Eating for Energy

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:57:00 -0800

March is nutrition month and as such we are dedicating our next few blogs to nutrition, working with a personal trainer is 1 piece of the puzzle, how you fuel your body is another critical piece. We are going to start the series off with “Eating for Energy”, how to choose the right foods to give yourself the energy to get through workouts or just the work day.

Green tea extract, caffeine, ginseng, evaporated cane, fructose, ribose or taurine are some of the most common ingredient listed on energy drinks. Why because they all provide one thing; quick bursts or hits of energy for short periods. This does not make them good for you, nor are they part of energy rich diet as marketers for these drinks imply.

So if they aren't healthy what are they then? They are a quick fix or a short term solution or a last ditch effort to a much larger problem. Eating healthy or eating to have energy requires thought and planning, an energy bar or drink is quick and easy, so we trick ourselves into believing the hype. The big problem is that all of these ingredients have negative health effects that outweigh the quick energy boost provided.

How do we sustain an energy rich diet to avoid the need for these quick fixes?
Follow these tips:

• Eat a healthy breakfast. Wake up early enough to eat breakfast. Most of the energy you got from dinner last night is used up by morning. Your blood sugar may be low. If you don't eat, you may feel sluggish or lightheaded while exercising. If you plan to exercise within an hour after breakfast, eat a smaller breakfast or drink something to raise your blood sugar, such as juice with no added sugar.
yummy breakfast!

•   Time your meals based on their size. Eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising. You can eat small meals two to three hours before exercising. Most people can eat snacks right before and during exercise. The key is how you feel. Do what works best for you.
•   Don't skip meals. Skipping meals may cause low blood sugar, which can make you feel weak and lightheaded. If you're short on time before your workout, and your choice is candy or nothing, eat the candy because it can improve your performance, compared with eating nothing. But keep in mind, all candy is high in sugar and low on nutrients, so a snack of yogurt and a banana would be a better choice. Know that for some people, eating something less than an hour before exercise can cause low blood sugar. Find out what works for you.
•   Eat after your workout. To help your muscles recover and to replace their glycogen stores, eat a meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your exercise session if possible. Women, in particular, may need protein after resistance training.

5 energy rich foods to eat instead of a non – healthy quick fix solution:

1.   Oatmeal -Oats are low on the glycemic index, which means your body gets a steady stream of energy instead of a quick and short lived rush.
2.   Bananas -Bananas have easily digested sugars, and plenty of potassium. Potassium is not stored in the body for long, and levels can drop during times of stress or during exercise.
3.   Almonds -Saturated fats (such as those in butter and cheese) can make you lethargic, but the healthy monounsaturated fat found in nuts and seeds provides essential fatty acids that help produce a more energized and alert mental state.
4.   Oranges -Citrus fruits, such as oranges, are loaded with Vitamin C. This is needed to replenish adrenaline stored in the adrenal glands.
5.   Beans -Legumes (such as peas, beans, and lentils) are great for providing protein, fiber, and stabilizing blood sugar. They provide substantial energy.

If you follow these simple habits we know that you will be able to take your workouts with your personal trainer to the next level and still have energy to enjoy yourself after! Remember a small amount of planning can go a long way.

March is Nutrition Month

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:50:00 -0800

As we near the end of February most of us here at MFit are starting to feel the drain of doing so much cardio, especially if you're Nikki and Barry who chose their cardio challenge goal of 2010 minutes this month! But as a plus to all the extra cardio this month many of you may have noticed some extra room in your clothing, and I bet it feels pretty good. But how do we keep the good results coming?

A simple answer could be your diet. And what better time to start making changes then during Nutrition Month! What we put into our bodies is vitally important and has a big impact in how we look and feel. But sometimes all the information our there can be overwhelming. So our personal trainers are here to help. There will be great information booklets that we'll be handing out full of quick facts to help get you on the right track. And on March 18th at 6:30pm we will be having a grocery store tour at the nearby IGA. Join us and learn how to choose the healthy, nutritious options when faced with all that food. Click here for more details on this great outing and be sure to reserve your spot soon.

Also starting in March we will be offering a free trial of online nutrition tracking right through your MFit online (to login look to the left hand side on our website). Log on to track your meals and find out if your diet is up to snuff, get great recommendations to keep your calorie consumption under control, and find out what areas might be missing in your diet. Let your trainer know if you would like to take advantage of this awesome offer and we will set you up.

So if you’ve been feeling like your diet needs an overhaul take full advantage of Nutrition Month here at Momentum Fitness with all of our great offers and outings!

Heart Healthy Foods

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:11:00 -0800

If you are taking part in our cardio challenge this month I bet all the extra activity is increasing your appetite! Along with physical activity, our diet is a key component in keeping a healthy heart. Unfortunately heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world for both men and women. More than 1 in every 4 deaths is due to heart disease. With this high risk of heart disease it is important to treat your heart (and the rest of your body) properly.

Now that you’ve got the cardio part down and you’re getting closer and closer to reaching your goals for February, making subtle changes to your diet will seem like a breeze. A healthy diet starts with balancing all the food groups: meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives, grain products, and fruits and vegetables. If you don’t know how many serving of each group each day visit My Food Guide.

Along with maintaining a well balanced diet, a healthy heart diet should focus on the carbohydrates and fats we intake.

CARBOHYDRATES		FATS
Yes!	No!	Yes!	No!
Unrefined carbohydrates	Highly refined carbohydrates (processed)	Mono and polyunsaturated oils and fats	Saturated and trans fats
Examples: whole grains, colourful fruits and vegetables, legumes and lentils	Examples: honey, jams, jellies, chocolate bars, pop, white bread	Examples: vegetable oils, salmon, nuts, seeds	Examples: deep-fried foods, chips, whipped toppings, hot dogs

This chart was adapted from “Eat Right Ontario”. For more details, visit here.

With another two weeks to go with our cardio challenge, stay fuelled with the right food choices and your heart will certainly be beating a happy rhythm.

Workout with Amanda

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:58:00 -0800

After a wonderful 2 weeks away in Hawaii I came back more motivated than ever to work out and really get fit. Why you ask? I am now an engaged woman! My boyfriend of 6 years, Dave, proposed to me on our first night in Hawaii while we were on the beach watching the sunset. The beautiful picture to the right was taken by tripod when I made Dave get up and take pictures of us with the sunset in the background. When he dropped to one knee I was totally delighted and surprised but now I have the daunting task of getting fit and slim for our wedding in March of next year (2011).

When I first began training here Dylan took all my measurements and calculated that for me to be at my ideal BMI I should weigh roughly 139 lbs. The good news is that with my on and off training with the personal trainers here at Momentum for over 3 years, my weight has more or less stayed at the same level (but strength wise I am much stronger and more toned!). The bad news is I'm about 20 lbs off my ideal weight! So last week my workouts were taken up a notch! Kyle is committed to whipping me into the best shape I've ever been in and after a double training session with Keely on Monday and Friday nights bootcamp I now know what I'm in for. It's going to be tough and gruelling but I've never been more motivated and excited about the outcome than I am now. So be prepared for a new tone to these blogs as they change from “I'm sore, they kicked my butt....” to “I'm sore, they kicked my butt and it was awesome!”

Training with Hypertension

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:48:00 -0800

Lifestyle and genetics are the 2 parts of the puzzle that can cause hypertension, so if you haven’t been working out, on your own or with a personal trainer; than there is a good chance that your blood pressure could be creeping up. Your level of fitness combined with the nutritional choices you make can have a big impact on your blood pressure.

Once you have your blood pressure taken you will be diagnosed as one of the following;

•   Optimal
•   Normal
•   Pre-hypertensive (high normal)
•   Stage 1 hypertension
•   Stage 2 hypertension
•   Stage 3 hypertension

Now what? Your personal trainer is going to need to modify your exercise and advise you on how to best manage your health and fitness in light of this new information. The bad news is that you are not alone, there are over 60 million people in Canada and the US living with hypertension and these are just the diagnosed ones. Now for the good news; exercise is still the number one recommended lifestyle change in the treatment of hypertension number two is diet. Medication is number 3.

Blood pressure chart for non medicated adults aged 18 years and older

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic Blood Pressure (mm Hg)	Diastolic Blood Pressure (mm Hg)
Optimal	< 120	< 80
Normal	120-129	80-84
High Normal or Pre-hypertensive	130-139	85-89
Stage 1 Hypertension	140-159	90-99
Stage 2 Hypertension	160-179	100-109
Stage 3 Hypertension	≥ 180	≥ 110

* Produced from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute publication titled, Sixth
Report of the Joint Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of
High Blood Pressure (JNC VI), Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health,
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH Publication No. 98-4080, November 1997

Before a doctor will start to prescribe medication they will usually categorize your risk into one of three groups A, B or C depending on the stage you are at and the associated risks. They may recommend lifestyle modifications and no drug therapy. Unfortunately people find it easier to take drugs than to modify their lifestyle so drug prescriptions are on the rise.

Drug therapy is a tool to control the disease but it is not a cure, lifestyle choices such as exercise and dietary changes have proven to decrease and even eliminate hypertension in certain individuals. Do you want to be cured or do you want to take medicine for the rest of your life?

Before you start an exercise plan consult your doctor and get a full list of any medications that you are on, then go to a personal trainer and give them the list of medication. This is important because different medications have different effects on heart rate and blood pressure during exercise. All hypertensive people should use a heart rate monitor during exercise and take blood pressure pre workout. For some people you may even need readings during exercise. If your BP is greater than 180 systolic or 100 diastolic do not exercise that day.

Lifestyle Modifications for the hypertensive from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Perform aerobic exercise 7 days a week at 40-70% heart rate zone, this is a 4-7 on a perceived exertion scale of 1-10, for 30 to 60min including a warm up and cool down. This can be an accumulation of activities throughout the day versus being done all at once.
Resistance training should be done between 2-3 days a week using around 8-10 exercises for the whole body and keeping the weights lighter with 12-15 repetitions per set. Emphasis should be on breathing, avoid holding your breath and tight gripping.
Flexibility is recommended for a minimum of 2 days but really should be daily after aerobic activity.
Continual life and stress management reduction is highly recommended so if possible a change in the way or how you work may need to be addressed
Also additional therapies such as meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and other breathing exercises have proven to assist in stress reduction.
The diet of choice for hypertension is the DASH short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and has great success in the reduction and prevention of hypertension. It focuses on a higher amount or fruit and vegetables, low dairy fat foods, low saturated fats, low cholesterol foods and plenty of fish, poultry and whole grains. The red meat eaters can still have a nice steak but should limit how often, the size and choose the leaner cuts of beef.
Lower sodium to 2300mg per day. This can only be done if you start to read the labels of the food you eat. Pre-packaged rice can have over 900mg per serving.
Reduce alcohol intake. Even though it may be a stress reducer it is really bad for the hypertensive especially the one on medications. Alcohol is a blood thiner and so are some of the medicines prescribed to manage hypertension. If the blood is too thin you risk bleed outs if cut and heart has to work harder to move the blood to the working organs. Two drink maximum for men and only one for women or lighter individuals.
Caffeine, as a coffee drinker this one hurts me to say, get rid of it. Just don’t drink it any more, they say one or two cups but the reality is that a cup is 6oz and no one drinks only 6oz so I say ditch it.
Weight loss is huge in the maintenance of blood pressure. Recent studies show that a 10kg (22lbs) loss can reduce systolic pressure by 5-20 mm HG. Easiest way to lose weight is to get regular exercise and eat a healthy balanced diet.

In conclusion your fitness professional can assist you with many of the new challenges that you may now face. But it is up to the individual to make the lifestyle choices and changes to make it permanent. I believe that once you start to make the changes you will see that they are not so bad or life altering as you may think. Also remember you can control and prevent yourself from becoming one of the 60 million that live daily with this silent killer.

Join the Personal Trainers at MFit to get Heart Smart!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:58:00 -0800

February is Heart Month. A fitting month of choice since the Greeks believed that the heart was the seat of the spirit, the Egyptians believed it was the center of intellect and emotions and the Chinese believed that the heart was the center for happiness and February, thanks to Saint Valentine, is regarded as the month of love. The beliefs of the three countries were held by many until 1628 when William Harvey published his theories about the heart and how blood circulates. The thing that I like about William is that he was the first physician that believed the heart was a pump and that each beat moved the blood through the body.

This information is what personal trainers and fitness professionals use today to calculate fitness training zones and to determine how hard you are working during exercise. It all comes down to that single beat of the heart and the movement of blood during our cardio training that gives us the ability to train efficiently and to make improvements in our health.

Every year at Momentum Fitness, our personal training studio, we do a cardio challenge during the month of February. This month is special because Vancouver is hosting the winter Olympics and we have athletes and their families all over the city helping to promote health and fitness. This year we are pushing our clients to train like an athlete and have had our trainers do up training programs for various sports from both the Olympics and Paralympics.

For additional information on how to train effectively we are holding a seminar Thursday Feb 4th from 6:00 – 6:45 on heart rate training, simplifying it for the average person on how to train at the best heart rate zone for you.

For me Heart Month is also a time to remember that everyday a person’s life is changed forever by strokes or heart attacks. Given that over 1 million people have heart attacks every year in North America and that heart disease is still the number one cause of death for both men and women. Organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation collect donations to fund research that can save the lives of millions.

This month my goal is to complete 2010 minutes of cardio that is approximately 72 min a day for the 28 days of February. I also challenge every person to set a goal for this month and to challenge your friends and family to do the same. Contact your local heart organizations to make a donation, you can donate through our page, participate in an event or volunteer your time, all of this will help us in prevention and awareness of the one organ that we definitely need to have. Remember that it all started with a single beat, lub dub, and life is born - let’s keep it beating.

February is Heart Month

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:29:00 -0800

With the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver fast approaching it's easy to forgot that February is heart month. But Momentum Fitness is here to make you sure you don't forget!

Have you heard about the Cardio Challenge? This annual event will challenge you to a healthy heart by pushing you to complete more cardio minutes then you normally do in a month. Simply choose a challenging goal (usually a total amount of minutes) and then spend your time here at Momentum and on your own working towards it. For a donation of $20 you will get unlimited access to our cardio equipment here at Momentum, a tracking sheet to track your progress and you'll be added into a draw to win some fabulous draw prizes at the end of the month! All proceeds go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon and this year we've added a special Olympic twist, all MFit personal trainers will have their own teams of 7 people and we will all compete to see which team will win gold!

Another special MFit event in February is our free Train Heart Smart seminar. Taking place on Thursday February 4th at 6pm this 45 minute seminar will cover many topics like the importance of cardio training, how to calculate your heart rate training zones and how to get the maximum benefit with the time you spend training. Led by our own Barry Duncan this seminar is sure to be full of useful information and a lot of fun for everyone, friends and family are welcome. Seating is limited so be sure to reserve your spot today.

And finally in celebration of heart month we have a special 15% off on all Polar heart rate monitors. If we do not carry the model you'd like we can order it in for you. Or get a free Polar F1 monitor with the purchase of our Intro Package. These offers are valid until the end of February.

We look forward to celebrating the Olympics and heart month with you!

Lose weight not your money!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:02:00 -0800

Getting over the holiday season can be a bit daunting when you are trying to lose weight. You were feeling so good before Christmas and then all the parties, chocolates, pastries, alcohol and turkey dinners and you have to admit (even if only to yourself) that your pants are fitting a little tighter that is comfortable.
Are you ready to get back on track and save some money? Here are 5 healthy lunch recipes that will increase your wallet and decrease your waist!

1. Frugal Leftovers Frittata
A great dish to make sure you are hitting all your food categories, protein, carbs and a little fat to make sure you feel satisfied. A great way to stretch leftovers, if you've had a pasta dish with fresh tomato sauce, or even with a less-expected combination like sausage and roasted butternut squash (with rigatoni), turn the remainder into a frittata by pouring scrambled eggs over it and baking in the oven. Then serve it either with mixed greens or it can be eaten out-of-hand. It's a super-convenient, inexpensive way to stretch one meal into another four to eight.

2 )Inexpensive Egg Salad
If you make it fresh, any childhood memories of not-so-good egg salad will quickly be dispelled, and at $1.97 for three to four servings (before bread comes into play), you can't beat it. Buy day-old rolls, which usually cost about $1.25 for 8 at your local grocery store (around $0.16 each), and then freeze any you won't use right away.

3)Salads!
Just grab your favourite vegetables and greens, chop them up so they are ready to make a quick and easy salad. Add a pre-hardboiled egg, leftover meat from last night's dinner, some smoked tofu, nuts, or whatever you desire. Top it with your favourite dressing and enjoy! My personal favourite is to toast my nuts for my salad it makes it seem so decadent to me.

4) PB&J
Yes you heard me right this is a great sandwich, very cost effective and when made with a wholegrain bread it is a full meal with protein, carbs and fat (and a little sweetness to make you smile). There are so many different nut butters and jams out there you will never run out of combinations, just make sure to go with the wholegrain bread.

5) Hummous, Crackers and Veggies
OK take out your blender, grab a can of check peas, a little lemon juice, tahini (if you have it) and a tiny bit of olive oil and blend away add salt and pepper to taste - you now have a super healthy dip/spread to use instead of the store bought versions that are loaded with fat. Grab some Ryvita crackers or maybe a slice of pumpernickle and slather on the hummous, slice up your favourite veggies and either make an open face sandwich or dip them in the extra hummous!

All of these lunches should be easy to make and easy to take to work so no more excuses it is time to lose the Christmas leftovers.

Other links for more great healthy lunch ideas on a budget:

Variety is the Spice of Life

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0800

Take your personal training to the next level, the benefits of twos have been recorded in history starting with biblical floods and Noah filling the arc with two of everything. There are the sayings like “It takes two to tango” or “There is no ‘I’ in Team” all promote the benefits of groups. So does the rule of twos (groups) apply to your personal training? In short yes.

If your doctor said to you that you need brain surgery to fix your head ache you would want a second or third opinion. So why when it comes to training do we get stuck on one person? I believe the answer lies in the name - personal training, we create personal relationships with our trainers that make us feel more comfortable with them. No one likes change; it is scary and sometimes hard. But sometimes change can also bring amazing things that you didn’t know were possible.

Over the 12 years I have been training and running Momentum I have had more clients work with multiple trainers tell how great things are going then the ones that work with a single trainer. Trainers much like clients can get in a rut and sometimes need a second set of eyes to make sure that the program and exercises are on track with the clients’ goals. Also different trainers can bring a different perspective to the same problem thus increasing your success.

I am turning the big four O in February and I decided that I need a big audacious goal to go with this milestone in my life, to complete an Ironman race in my 40th year. I am registered for Florida Ironman this November. To achieve my goal - complete an Ironman, I will need to:

Get a swim coach
Join a run group
Attend riding clinics
Hire a trainer/coach to assist with my over all training plan

So I could end up using three to four people specializing in different areas over the year. The benefit to me is that I will have multiple eyes evaluating me and any weaknesses and strengths that I have. This ultimately will make my training better and the likelihood of injury lower. Let’s face it this is what we all want success without injury.

Here at Momentum we encourage all of our clients to try the different trainers and programs we offer. This is not to confuse them but to motivate them in different ways to achieve success. Over the months of January and February we are offering a special on top of our trainer satisfaction guarantee as an incentive for all of you to try a new trainer or 2 or 3 and take your fitness to the next level. After all “Two heads are better than one”.

Photo credit by kimbospacenut

Workout with Amanda

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:36:00 -0800

This week I trained with Anthony. As a professional Ironman, I found the idea of working out with Anthony extremely intimidating. I mean the guy trains hours and hours a day for fun! During bike month last June, we did a group bike ride from Momentum Fitness, around Stanley Park and back and Anthony came with us but ran the whole way. Being quite competitive Anthony turned it into a race and, to me, it seemed like he practically sprinted the whole thing. He even beat us back to MFit! Though to be fair he did cut through Stanley Park while we biked all the way around.

So I've always avoided training with Anthony when at all possible. But now I realize that, that was a mistake. As with all MFit trainers Anthony put me through a great workout. The fun thing about my workout with him was we did all these exercises I'd never really done before. He and Barry decided that I needed to work on getting stronger so I got to do fun things like a one arm clean and press. I felt like I was training to be a strong man or something, a couple months of training with Anthony and you'll see me pulling tractors down 8th Ave! He was also just fun to train with and we talked a lot about my upcoming trip to Hawaii. So this will be my last post for 2 weeks while I'm off to enjoy some fun and relaxation. But I know that I can't get too lazy because as soon as I come home I'll have all the MFit personal trainers here to get me back on track and I don't want to lose all that I've gained in my training with them so far.

New Year Nutrition

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:21:00 -0800

The New Year is fast approaching and the internet is full of great articles and blogs about making and keeping New Years resolutions so this time we wanted to re post a great article that Nina Hirvi, a registered diatican, wrote for us a couple years ago.

With the New Year coming up many people are starting to make their eating right plans, but most resolutions last about 1 month. The question that has to be asked is how can I not fall of the wagon?

Since most people do not set goals to fail we have put together four simple tips so you can achieve success. These tips can be implemented to keep you on track or even to get started, because it is never too late to get started and a good plan should always be updated.

While some people set attainable goals for themselves, many of us set ourselves up for failure by expecting too much too soon. Some things to consider when planning changes to your lifestyle:

Be realistic: It is important to set goals that are achievable, there is nothing worse than setting your expectations too high, then failing. To vow you will never eat chocolate again is not realistic for someone who loves chocolate. Allow yourself indulgences once in a while, and don’t feel guilty about it
We don’t talk about “ideal weight” anymore. You can best to judge your weight change by how your clothes fit and how your body feels – not by the numbers on the scale.
Adding more healthy foods to your diet is more important than denying yourself the occasional treat. Pledge to eat more fruits/veg and less fat.
Losing 10% of your body weight (if overweight) has the most significant impact on health (blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels) so don’t take weight charts as gospel.
Be specific and write it down: Set a goal and then break it down into 3-5 behaviours. Take weight loss for example. What are 5 behaviours that will help move you towards your goal? One would be eating more slowly. When a person eats slowly they usually eat less. Another example might be to eat a little more during the day, or have a consistent afternoon snack – helping to curb the appetite come dinner time, allowing you to eat less. Yet another is to walk for 30 minutes every 2nd day.
Focus on what you SHOULD do, not what you SHOULDN'T do.
Ask yourself why? (what are your motivators): When those freshly baked cookies come out of the oven you’ll need some reasons NOT to eat 5 of them. Why is it important for you to make changes to your health? Write your answers down. Some examples might be: lack of energy, digestive problems or even chronic health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.
Expect success: If you don’t think you can do it you won’t. Once you start to achieve your goals, reward yourself with positive reinforcements like trips to the massage therapist or that new book that you’ve been wanting. Try to break the habit of treats that are food-related.

Nina Hirvi
Registered Diatician

Click here to check out more articles written by Nina, Barry, Nikki and other MFit trainers

Wishing you all a fit a healthy New Year from all of us at MFit!

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Exercise

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:02:00 -0800

Wintertime in Vancouver usually consists of bad weather. It's cold, rainy, the sun rarely shines and for about 3% of Canadians this all contributes to seasonal affective disorder or SAD. SAD is a type of depression that usually occurs in the fall and winter months annually. We've all had a case of the winter blue's from time to time but if you find that at the same time year after year you are feeling tired, oversleep, have a lack of energy, overeat, have trouble concentrating and tend to withdraw from friends and family you may suffer from SAD.

SAD can be treated with light therapy, medication and, as with many forms of depression, exercise is a proven way to help alleviate some of the symptoms of SAD. Although it may seem like the last thing you want to do it is very important to get out there and get at least the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Something as easy as walking around your neighbourhood could make a huge difference and physical activity outside will not only get you exercising but the fresh air will help as well. In the winter there are many enjoyable outdoor activities to participate in like snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding and skating.

And if you don't like the cold Momentum Fitness is always here to make sure you get exercising! Join us next week for free Better than Bootcamp classes, Monday December 28th 6:15am to 7am or Wednesday December 30th 6:15pm to 7pm. It's a great workout for anyone so feel free to invite friends and family as well.

Happy Holidays from MFit!

Workout with Amanda

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:28:00 -0800

This week I had my training session with Cassandra and as always it was great. I've probably only trained with her a few times since I've been here but she's been one of my favourite trainers from the beginning. Cassandra designed my very first workout program and I enjoyed it so much that I actually did it twice a week for at least 3 or 4 months before feeling like I needed to change things up. It was even my fall back program when I didn't feel like doing my current one. It was fun and quick and I always felt like I had a great workout every time.

What I liked most about my training with Cassandra this week was our reunion. Yeah I see her everyday but it's not the same as having her kick my butt! Some of the exercises she devises for me I would never have thought I could actually do but somehow I pulled them off, and according to her I even did them well. One warning would be that she likes to do a lot of core work so be prepared to feel your abs for days after the workout. Which is actually kind of fun because I never realized how much abs are involved in almost everything you do, but when they're sore you sure know when you're using them!

Workout with Amanda

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:55:00 -0800

This week I trained with Jon and it was really tough! Back when I had the motivation to workout on my own I used to get programs designed by different MFit personal trainers and Jon believes it was his program that turned me off of working out. Now it is true that shortly after Jon made me a program I stopped working out on my own all together but it was not due to his program. I had been slowly losing the motivation to do much of anything and thought that getting a new and exciting program would revitalize me but it turned out that what I really needed was to shake up my routine entirely and do something different. Since I started working out with the various personal trainers here at Momentum I’ve found my motivation has come back and I’m actually enjoying my workouts again!

The greatest thing about working out with Jon is his energy. If you’ve ever seen Brad Pitt’s character in Burn After Reading you have an idea of what Jon is like… well the dancing around the gym anyway, Jon is slightly brighter. You would think that his energy would get annoying while he’s working you into the ground with his exhausting exercises but surprisingly it cheers you up. Just when you think you’re not going to make it and you might collapse, Jon’s energy and motivating words pick you up and help you finish that last little bit. When you finish your workout you might not immediately feel amazing but once you realize you’ve survived a session with Jon you will feel invincible!

Train your Trainer and Double your Donation!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:14:00 -0800

Want to make your personal trainer workout? OK admit it that at points during your workout with your personal trainer you have wanted to turn the tables and make them do the exercises that you hate! Now is your chance, our annual “Train the Trainer” fundraiser is only 10 days away and we need your help. In return you can join us for a great time complete with food, drinks, laughs and some surprises! When? Dec 19th from 2:30 - 4:30 pm at Momentum Fitness.

We are raising money for Room to Read an organization dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. Thanks to all of you we have been able to donate over $12,000 to this amazing charity in the previous 2 years.

Room to Read was picked by the Financial Times as their annual charity so all donations between now and mid January will be matched dollar for dollar up to 1 million dollars! So for every $1 that you donate Room to Read will receive $2 – how great is that!

Now we know that there are lots of reasons that you might not be able to get involved here are some of the reasons that we have heard and what we have done to help you feel comfortable getting involved!

I won’t be in town

No problem we will have referees running the event that will make sure that all the trainers do the exercises that were assigned to them

I don’t want to hurt my trainer

Trust me you won’t hurt the trainers, this is a great cause and they WANT to do what they can to make a difference

I don’t know what to do

Think of your least favourite exercises and make the trainer do them or check out the videos below
If you need help Amanda or the other trainers are more than happy to help you figure out what to do!

I hope this has given you some great ideas of what you can do with your personal trainer at our fun and exciting Train the Trainer event. Please let us know if you want to get involved, talk with your trainer or drop us an email. Remember everyone is welcome at the event. Join us for Snacks and laughs on Saturday December 19th from 2:30 -4:30.

Workout with Amanda week 7

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:04:00 -0800

This week my training session was with Sharon. And working out with Sharon has always intimidated me. She's a great, friendly, good humored person but when it comes to personal training she is also a let's get down to business kind of trainer. She'll joke around and laugh throughout your workout but she also has this presence about her that lets you know she's in charge and you'll do what she says and you will like it! Which can be scary for someone like me who likes to whine and waste time complaining. But as it turns out a trainer like her is exactly what I need, and it wasn't scary at all.

I have trained with Sharon before so I knew I was going to get a good, hard workout but I didn't know I was going to enjoy it so much. I think it's because Sharon made me feel so good about myself that it made my whole day that much better. The last time Sharon trained me was back in February and this time after almost every exercise she would tell me how great I did. She let me know that I have really improved since February and was so genuinely impressed and happy with all the gains that I made, it made me feel great. Sometimes I find that when the trainers keep making my workouts harder and harder I never feel like I'm making any gains so it was nice to be told that I had improved and was in fact stronger and fitter, even if I didn't really feel like I was. Plus it made me even more motivated to continue with my adventures in personal training.

Survive the Holiday Feasts

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:38:00 -0800

The holidays are a time for friends, family, but most importantly, FOOD! In fact, the average North American consumes between 5000 and 6000 calories at ONE holiday meal! Who could resist all the comforting mashed potatoes, turkey and pie when it is just sitting on the table taunting you to come back for seconds, thirds, fourths…

Here are some helpful tips for surviving the buffet of unhealthy choices this holiday season:

Have smaller portions – Try using a small plate, that way you won’t feel obligated to eat everything, and you will reduce the calories you intake.
Choose healthy starters and desserts – try the soup over the mini-quiches and other greasy appetizers, and skip the pudding for a nice meringue or fruit and yogurt bowl.
Take a break – Give your first helping a chance to reach your stomach before going for seconds!
If you’re cooking, use low calorie ingredients! – Use more fruits, low-fat, and low-sugar ingredients. Add more whole grains to biscuits!
Go easy on the alcohol – A large glass of beer or wine contains about 200 calories.
Exercise – Take a nice walk to help your body digest the copious amounts of food you just ingested, and start burning those excess calories.

Want to see how much extra exercise those delicious holiday feasts are going to cost you? Go to the holiday feast walking calculator! If I eat what I plan to eat, I will only need to walk 30 miles to break even. Thank goodness for the cardio challenge in February…

Good luck! Happy holidays!

Workout with Amanda week 6

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:47:00 -0800

This week I trained with Hannah. She is another one of those small female personal trainers that like to kick your butt. Knowing this I mentioned to her while I was warming up that the last couple morning workouts I've done have left me feeling a bit nauseous halfway through. To which she replied “okay then we'll take it a little easy this morning and see how it goes”. But halfway through my workout I remember thinking “this is taking it easy”! Even though she pushed me hard I never once felt sick so we must have been doing something right.

What I liked most about training with Hannah was the whole package. Her workout program was great and so is her personality! She guided me through the exercises expertly and the whole workout seemed to flow effortlessly (on her part anyway, I was putting in a lot of effort!). And she's so nice and sweet that when she cheers you on and encourages you to get those last few reps in you really want to do it for her. She also had me do these upper back exercises that looked extremely easy but once I started to do them my back burned!! A day later and I can still feel the muscles between my shoulder blades. I'm thinking that Hannah should also branch into massage therapy, she'd have a booming business just from her personal training clients.

Drink Wine with your Personal Trainer!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:50:00 -0800

As personal trainers we sometime forget the most important reasons for exercise, to live a long and joyful life. We can sometimes push people into the realm of believing in order to be healthy you have to abstain from the things that provide that joy in life that we all inspire to achieve. Life should be about balance. So at Momentum Fitness we try to encourage our clients to remember that their hard work is so they can do the things they want and to have some fun once in a while but maintain that balance.

Every year we offer different events that help to strike this balance. November 21st we held a wine and cheese tasting at our fitness center. This summer a group of personal trainers and clients participated in an event put on by Slow Food Vancouver, this is part of a global organization that promotes local food providers in your region. It was at this event that I met the proprietor of Mt. Lehman winery in Abbotsford, tasted some fantastic wine and decided that our wine tasting should be local wines this year. Next was finding a good pairing for the wine and nothing is better than great cheese. Local cheese merchant Mt. Pleasant Cheese was a great way to maintain our local theme.

What’s healthy about wine?

Wine:

Has long been known to have health benefits it is the amounts that get mixed up sometimes. I have read that a glass a day is good but have also found research that says up to a bottle a day -must be a French researcher. Wine contains flavanoids and resveratrol that act as antioxidants and help prevent molecules called free radicals from doing cell damage. Resveratrol has also been shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation and potentially improve cardiovascular health lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. Red wine has higher levels of these two nutrients and red wines produced in cooler climates have the highest levels, so a local wine from Mt Lehman is a great option.

How do I keep it all balanced?

Exercise:

Like how a good cheese will go with a good wine; we can also pair exercises that help to minimize the negative effects of these delights. To do this we look at the two negatives that come with wine and cheese consumption. For cheese it is obvious, fat is the big issue with cheese. Wine is a bit harder for people to understand because alcohol is made up of empty calories. But what does that mean? Well simply put the calories from wine cannot be used by the body so they tend to be stored instead and the storage area for the body is, fat. To balance the after effects of a wine and cheese event you want to choose cardio based activity that will burn some calories and speed up that slowed down metabolism. You have two choices here either high intensity cardio for 30 minutes at a 75-80% of your heart rate maximum (HRM) or a lower longer cardio for 60 minutes or more at a 50-60% HRM.

Over consumption of any alcohol has a negative effect on the body and wine does have alcohol in it. Some of the big problems with over consumption are:

High triglycerides which are linked to diabetes
Increased risk of breast cancer due to increased estrogen levels
Migraines, red wine is a higher contributor
Weight gain, one glass of wine is about 120 calories so a bottle is close to 500 calories.

So even with all the touted health benefits of wine we always want to strike that balance and keep a little edge to the healthy side of things. Here are a few things for you to keep in mind:

Keep consumption low at one time and balance the wine with exercise either the day of (before you drink not after) or the next day.
Choose organic wine with lower alcohol content
Reds have a greater health benefit but be careful of those migraines
Organic wine tends to have a lower incident of migraines
If possible assist the environment by staying local
Most important eat, drink, exercise and be happy and healthy for life.