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Showing posts from December, 2010

Kate's Guide to Getting the Correct Sports Bra!

I wear an unusual size and it took me years to unlock the secrets to bra fitting (and finding!) I suffered for years in improperly fitting bras, and during exercise I would wear 2 or 3 just to get the support I needed.  E very woman needs support while performing sports; not having proper support means that there is extra stress put on the back during various activities. Even low-impact exercise s done without the support of a sports bra can result in strain on the upper back and shoulders that can result in pain or worse- injuries that may develop over time. Sports bras affect a woman’s posture. Exercising without support can result in slouching to prevent painful bouncing which throws the back and hips out of alignment and impedes form, leading to potential injury. The most common mistakes are when women wear a bra that is too small in the cup and too loose around the body for example a 38e instead of a 36f. Note: When you go down a band size, go up a cup! Step 1: T

1000 Reps Time Challenge

I did another BodyRock workout today, a time challenge with 10 rounds of set reps of 2 exercises: High Knees (I did this without jump rope) Weighted Squat (I used a 5kg medicine ball which is about 11lbs) Here is the workout as posted: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/12/21/exercise-challenge-drowning-in-your-own-sweat/ What I love about Zuzana's workouts is that they totally KICK my ass in a surprising way! Seriously after Round 2 of this looking at my time I thought I might not make the 10 full rounds, and set a goal to complete, and then have a sub 30:00. I had to rest between every round! These are hard! Here is my time count per round (I stopped the watch for about 2:00 between rounds!) I really made a push towards the end to get in under 30:00 TOTAL TIME: 27:45 Damn! See the pictures- fugly but functional I was working hard for these 1000 reps!I took these myself so bad angles and lighting and stuff, unlike Z's glamorous images so......   Can you beat me with m

New Website & BodyRock TV Articles

I have been MIA building a website to launch for momentum into 2011. It is part of my "big push" master plan which, according to my wellness approach, applies to every area of my life- from workouts, nutrition, family, business.... I declare 2011 the Year of the Hard Body in every way! I just surfed onto my website dashboard to see that I have over 2000 webpage views, mostly referred from this blog and BodyRock TV ! Amazing! If you wouldn't mind taking a moment to complete my website feedback form when you are there I would greatly appreciate it! Further to, I have emailed with Zuzana from BodyRock about contribuing pre & postnatal information for adapting her workouts. I have written 2 articles "Prenatal BodyRocking" and "Postnatal BodyRocking" which I hope will appear on her website soon! I am gaining momentum heading into 2011! I have a modified raw food 7 day cleanse planned, as well as new fitness goals for myself. 2010 was the Year of t

Family Fitness Inspires New Interests!

Recently I have taken on 2 new activities that are a direct result of my daughter's pursuit of fitness. She was interested in rock climbing so we went and not surprisingly I love it too! We go 2x week now, and although I can't always climb (I have the baby on my own a lot of the time) I have learned to tie the follow figure eight knot:      and I am planning a belay lesson. I am loving it! On my search for a facility I found myself at the Oakville YMCA . Wow what a great place! To try out the pool I went swimming lanes one evening and I have rekindled my love of length swimming that I had in my youth. This has helped to inspire me to train for a Summer Try-a-Tri .  I am so excited to have new interests that involve my entire family!

Happy Yule!

Hello and Happy Yule! I just finished my workout and I feel great. Honestly I feel like I could have given another 10% but I was working hard and am likely just being post workout hard on myself- it's easy to be critical when you aren't burning! I did a Body Rock workout today but I modified it a little bit. Here is the workout as it was posted: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/12/20/major-hot-abs-workout/ Here are my modifications: - I did side jumps without a rope (my indoor ceilings are low) - I used a medicine ball instead of a sandbag - I used 2 chairs instead of a dip station I rested 2:00 for every 6:00 of intervals (I needed it!) Here are my scores, can you beat me? Side Jumps 138/151/142 Dive Bombers with weighted 1 leg half squat 4.5/5/4 I SUCK AT THESE! BLAH! Airborne Kicks 25/26/27 Side Jumps 138/138/147 Airborne Kicks 27/23/27 +1000 reps. I love it :) You know I am rep obsessed. Doesn't it feel extra good to see a big number in the tally? :

Shout Out & New Website

This is a shout out to Zuzana and Freddy from BodyRock TV who have developed such an amazing community of fitness enthusiasts on their website. They profile "BodyRockers" who follow Zuzana's workouts from all over the world, and they were kind enough to post my submission! Body Rock Team Canada- Kate I have written before that I consider Zuzana one of my personal trainers and although I have never met her in person she inspires me daily! Support BodyRock TV and spread the word. Further to, I have spent the most part of the past 3 days developing a new Website for my personal training services. I have not sent the link to anyone yet (not even my husband) so any blog readers get the "privilege" of the first look! There is a website feedback form and a survey on the Interactives page so please take a moment to complete them if you can!

Family Fitness is an Exercise but not always your best Workout!

Family fitness is an exercise in wellness. It is an investment in the overall health of your family which includes many aspects of wellness such as physical, emotional and social. I always find that it takes incredible mental effort to get the entire family involved in my workouts. To run with the stroller I have to dress the baby for weather, pack supplies, deal with a helmet, and stop to deal with fussiness. Add to that a dog alongside, navigating a leash, picking up poo, slowing down for pees and sniffs, reigning in to pass other pedestrians (especially those with dogs). Going swimming with the kids is a comparable ordeal of planning, packing and executing. Bike rides are slow and involve playground or library pitstops. It certainly is tremendously more difficult than getting dressed, grabbing my own gear and heading quickly out the door on my own workout schedule. The interruptions involved with family fitness deter the intensity you can achieve with solo training. I certainly can

Ab Rehab- Restrictions Review and what you CAN do!

 I have gone over the restrictions placed on core work. I have also written that once a Diastasis Recti is closed within 2 fingerwidths at every point I give the green light to return to plank position, provided you always wear the Tupler Splint. I want to elaborate on 2 points here: There are many safe core exercises you can do during the ab rehab program that will support your efforts. Personally I found the program so challenging that I had nothing left over for other core exercises, but if you do, here are some options for you: Side Plank/Bridge: Any side plank exercise is safe provided your transverse muscle remains engaged. I like to place my free (upper) hand on my abdomen to make sure they do not press forward. You can perform straight bridge hip lifts, knee flex and kicks, leg raises, side elbow crunches, and you can increase difficulty by bridging from elbow to hand.  Table Position- again, ensuring your transverse remains engaged and you are pushing through the heels an

Whoa Nelly!

Last week I took my 7 year old rock climbing at the YMCA, and I did a little bouldering. I climbed for less than 30 minutes, fairly casually on and off. The next day my calves were screaming. Wow. I was sore. This made me wonder- WTH? Here I am doing regular workouts with 600+ reps and my calves are screaming after a modest climbing session? I recognize that just because a person is fit does not make them able to jump into any sport easily- I understand the concepts of sport specific training- but this somehow screams to me "Plateau!" and I am thrown into re-evaluation. Serendipitously, (say that 10 times quickly lol) it was Seth's 1st birthday on Saturday and I was thrown into a life busy ergo exercise rest 3 day stint, so I had time to think. How can I shake up my routine, to push myself harder and make more progress? Here are some strategies I am implementing this week: On Sunday I did an exercise challenge. On Monday I went to the 24 hour gym for a drop in session o

Ab Rehab! C'mon People!

OK People listen up! I think you are all wonderful and amazing but it is time for an Ab Rehab wakeup call! I now have several of you on Ab Rehab Lite Programs in an attempt to get you back on track. Remember that the goal is to increase by 1 set per day each week, so GET IT DONE! I have met with several of you recently who are 3-6+ months into this program and have had only modest success- maybe a few inches lost, connective tissue strengthening, a fingerwidth maybe 2 of closure. This is because you aren't doing it! Come on! All the investment you have made, the countless sets you have attempted. Make it worth it! Just GET IT DONE and BE DONE WITH IT! I closed 8 fingerwidths in 16 weeks working 90%. Just get it done ladies. Please. Then it's done. LOL. Once you are closed to 2 fingerwidths at all 3 locations you can resume all the fun stuff- planks, push ups, pikes- the real core and upper body positions. Know that you are being HELD BACK with a diastasis rect

Is your Trainer setting you up for Success?

There are many reasons a personal trainer is a tremendous asset to your program. I recently blogged about it. I myself have what I consider 3 "trainers": Samantha , the CEO of Core Expectations who trained me in the Tupler technique- I consider Sam to be my personal ab rehab trainer. She checks me when I see her to help me gauge my progress, and she motivates me with her constant reminders to pay attention to my core and get my ab rehab sets in. Zuzana from Body Rock TV - Although I have never met Zuzana in person, her blog inspires me with creative exercise combinations and routines, as well as exercise and diet challenges to help keep me on track. Myself- I am my own best client :) OK so everyone can agree that trainers have value. The reality is that most people cannot afford to train frequently with a trainer for an extended period of time. I love the clients with whom I meet every 4-6 weeks to monitor progress, and modify the program for appropriate progression. I