MultiTalented Writers
Back in what seems a lifetime ago, I was a personal trainer and Registered Kinesiologist.
As a personal trainer, I worked with clients of varying goals, from the run-of-the-mill “I want to lose weight,” to specific things like “I need to do more push-ups for the [outdated] military fitness test,” which has since thankfully changed to something more functional.
As a Registered Kinesiologist, I worked with people with chronic health conditions who were sedentary and needed to improve mobility and quality of life, among other things. I developed a progressive exercise program for people with chronic health conditions. This program is still in use at the health centre I developed it for as well as in other health centres in Ontario. The program was also the subject of someone’s Master’s Thesis, which makes me pretty proud :)
All that’s to say that if you’ve come here looking for “the only exercise you should be doing” or “5 exercises to never do,” you’ve come to the wrong place. Unlike most personal trainers nowadays, I’ve never subscribed to all-or-nothing thinking, and I believe diversity of movement is important.
I also believe that people will only be successful in maintaining an active lifestyle if they choose activities that they actually enjoy doing, whether that’s dancing in their living room, climbing a mountain, doing Zumba, or going to a CrossFit gym.
Read on for tips on how you can embrace all movement and lead an active, healthy lifestyle.
Many of us have been stuck at home for four months or more. Those of us who are chronically ill are going to be stuck at home for even longer. This isn’t the most motivating situation for remaining fit, but taking care of our health is really important. There are things you can do to stay active, even if you’re stuck at home. Here are some ideas.
Continue reading “How to Exercise when You’re Stuck at Home”
Trying to get back into a regular exercise routine has been frustrating, to put it mildly. During our RV adventure, I did a fair bit of hiking, but not nearly as much exercise (and not nearly as high-intensity) as in my triathlon days. I’ve given up a lot of the physical activities I love over the last few years, and getting back into exercise hasn’t been an easy journey.
The best kind of exercise isn’t one single activity.
Last year, I decided to go on a journey to the best health of my life. Looking back at 2016, I didn’t do a very good job. As a homeschooling mom of three kids six and under, plus trying to run a business on the side, I ignored my health a little too readily and a little too often. The problem is, while nothing bad happened this year, I know that I can’t continue on this downward spiral.
Continue reading “Why Exercise Should Be Your Top Priority in 2017”
Although I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, there’s no denying that come the last week of December 2016, #resolutions will be everywhere on social media. “Losing weight” and “staying fit” top the charts for the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Yet, very few people who make resolutions of any kind actually see them through to the end of the year. If one of your resolutions is getting fit or exercising more, here are some ways to stay motivated to keep that goal going all year-round. Continue reading “How to stay motivated to exercise in 2017”
Get Fit in 2017!
A lot of people make New Year’s Resolutions to get fit. Unfortunately, a lot of these resolutions end up in a drawer and don’t actually happen. Some folks exercise all through January, a few times in February, and lose steam by March. Others don’t even get started at all.
To make your fittest year ever happen, you need to choose exercises that you actually enjoy—that’s how you’ll get fit. Remember: the most effective exercise is the one you’ll actually do.
If you choose exercises that you can do anywhere, you’re even more likely to stick to getting active. If you need some ideas, here they are 🙂
Continue reading “Get Fit in 2017 – 5 Ways to Achieve Your Fittest Year Ever!”
How many times did you get to the gym this week? None? I totally get it. Life gets busy, and sometimes exercise goes down to the bottom of the priority list. But there are some workouts that make it hard for you to find an excuse, since they can be done anywhere.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been giving you just that—exercises that can be done anywhere, any time, with no equipment.
Here’s the 4th workout in the series. If this is your first time here, don’t forget to check out Workout #1, Workout #2, and Workout #3, since they are meant to be progressive. Start at #1 and move on from there.
How are you doing on your quest to become more active? As I always say, mindful eating is superior to any restrictive diet, and you should concentrate on the amazing things your body can do, rather than on what it looks like.
If you want to get more active, but are not interested in joining a gym, or money is tight, or you don’t have access to equipment, bodyweight training may be for you. If you’ve tried the first bodyweight training workout suggested here, let me know in the comments. I welcome feedback to make this site better for you.
Please keep in mind that the workouts I am posting are meant to be progressive, so it’s best to start with the first workout posted and move on from there.
Bodyweight Workout #2
I’m working on a lifestyle overhaul to achieve the best health of my life. I’m starting with exercise because it’s important, fun, and something I have full control over.
As I said in my last post, life threw a curve-ball at me for the last couple of weeks with the whole family coming down with some sort of nasty virus, and I got a bit backtracked on my timeline (but never on my priorities).
Now that everyone’s on the mend, I can concentrate a bit more intensely on getting ready to take my fitness to the next level. I recently wrote an article about the No 1 way to stay motivated to work out. It explains that for me (and many others), just saying “I want to lose weight” or “I want to look better” doesn’t cut it for actually embracing and maintaining an active lifestyle. For me, falling in love with a sport is what does it.
Continue reading “Race to the Finish: fall in love with a sport”
