A Sobering Report Card About Our Kids

It was all over the news this morning.  Canada scores a D- in the overall activity levels of children.  A tie with the United States, Australia and Ireland.  It was just a few months ago that the American Heart Association released a report stating, “Excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood. Perhaps one of the most sobering statements regarding the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic came from former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who characterized the threat as follows:

“Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

So what can we do about it??

I would suggest that this is a two part answer.  Part one is being active and part two is better nutrition.  Today I’ll address activity.  According to the recent report card, “Our country values efficiency – doing more in less time – which may be at direct odds with promoting children’s health. Canadian parents look to structured activities and schools to get their kids moving.”

Unfortunately, many of those activities aren’t as active as one may think.  How many minutes of vigorous activity does a kid get during game time or during practices?  Add it up the next time you are out at the soccer field or baseball diamond.  I bet you’ll be surprised.

An alternative that I am trying with my kids and their friends is with small groups for 30 minutes with a trainer.  They are doing it twice per week and we are seeing some serious results.  They look forward to every session and leave with a smile.  It’s 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity that involves components of strength, balance, flexibility and stability.  In a group setting it is affordable and fun.  As a bonus, if the parent is a member, I throw in a free membership for the kids as long as they are enrolled in the group training sessions.

If you are interested, shoot me an e-mail.  I’d be happy to arrange a no charge consultation and demo class.

To read a copy of the Report Card, just click here.

Andy Luukkonen Owner, Body Fit Health Club www.bodyfit.ca 905-852-6175

“Stronger for Longer” – 5 Age Related Benefits of Resistance Training and WHY it&#

By Carole Anne Elliott

Anyone over the age of 40 should read this blog and hopefully understand why it is SO important to be fit as you age!  The reality is that we can, to a great extent, influence how we age by the choices we make in our daily lifestyle.

What we eat, how we move and the lifestyle choices we make contribute to slowly or quickly we age.

Fact:

10,000 North Americans are turning 65 every day and will continue to do so for the next 17 years.

Fact:

62% of the Canadian population is now overweight or obese.

As a personal trainer, I have seen a huge spike in requests from the “older” population to assist with nutrition / training needs. I have learned over the years through my own education and training experience is that individual “program design” is essential and that age groups are inherently different with their needs. The workouts you see in magazines are models, and often you can’t even see how much weight they are lifting. They are not specific to just anyone….Just like snowflakes, no two people are alike! 

Everyone needs Aerobic exercise – a minimal accumulation of 4 hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercise each week.  4 hours ?  Doesn’t seem like much does it??  BUT that’s the minimum!  I am telling you now….you CANNOT get away with NO cardio and a bad diet!  It catches up with you!

“Functional Exercise” is the new “go-to” for many people that are over 40.  These are people that generally “hate” exercise and don’t want to go to a gym but still want to “turn back the clock”.  Functional exercise has been used to describe exercises and programs that mimic everyday activities like lifting/bending.  These movements require co-ordination of muscle groups and joints of two or more limbs of the body.  Pushing, pulling, bending, squatting, lunging and twisting are all incorporated in everyday programs you can use to keep “limber”.   And the important thing is “they are fun!”

Functional Exercise is life enhancing, convenient, time and cost effective.  All you need is your own body weight, a repertoire of movements and movement patterns to functionally train your mind and body.  Learn to use your body as your tool for great health! 

The use of small equipment like dumbbell’s, resistance bands, stability balls, kettle bells and a mat add variety and challenge and there are literally hundreds of different exercises you can do! 

Regular exercise and how it relates to your everyday health is vitally important to preserve your brain, heart and lean muscle, hormones, bone density metabolism, and body composition.

FIVE AGE RELATED BENEFITS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING

1. Triggers a temporary boost in the hormone testosterone, a hormone necessary to protect bones and maintain muscle mass.  The natural aging process in addition to high stress levels, may lower testosterone levels in both men and women.

2. Supports a healthy heart muscle and helps lower risk of all heart and health related diseases including heart disease.  Heart disease remains the #1 disease that results in early death.

3. Reduces the stress response that is responsible for the dangerous weight gain around the belly and, boosts levels of “happy endorphins and hormones that improve mood and general well-being.

4. Preserves lean muscle tissue which is the key to managing metabolism and body weight, promoting tissue repair and serving as building blocks for the hormones that help  regulate your biochemistry.

5. Helps to preserve immune heath.  Ever notice some people seem to be immune to colds, flus etc.?   Guess why?  They have strong immune systems due to healthy lifestyle. Your immune system weakens with age and improper lifestyle.  The environment is also a stress on our immune system.   Keeping strong keeps you healthy!

You CAN begin at any age!  It’s never too late!  What are YOU waiting for?  Pass up that next donut and fries and fruity cocktail.  Take control of your health and live longer today!

‘Peace, Love and Fitness’

The Real Secret to Losing Those 20 Pounds! By Eric Noyes

As a fitness coach, I get asked many questions about nutrition, weight lifting, cardio training, and about all of the crazy myths we all hear about but are rarely ever true. Most of us read about working out and eating right on the internet, in magazines, and from our favourite T.V. doctors, but is the information we’re reading about really helping us? Often times, we hear about these magical solutions to our fitness goals, and we spend years making critical mistakes that may be avoided by consulting a fitness professional who is not just providing a cookie cutter answer to all of our questions. Well here I have compiled a very short list of some of the most popular questions I get asked by people, and some of the myth surrounding them.

Q1) What is the best exercise for getting rid of belly fat?

This is a fairly straight-forward question to answer. To reduce belly fat, we must reduce our total body fat percentage. Most people spend years doing crazy abdominal exercises thinking that if they feel the burn in that area of the body, it must be burning the fat. We don’t get to choose where we put the weight on so we can’t pick and choose where the weight comes off.

Q2) If I do weight training, am I going to look like a bodybuilder?

For women who get scared of using free weights, there is no reason to be scared!!! Women often make the mental connection of weight training and looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The only way anyone builds muscle is with the hormone Testosterone in their system. The majority of women have extremely low levels of this hormone, just like men have extremely low levels of Estrogen. The benefit of weight training for women is to get a toned physique. Women want to tone up, but often times will refuse to do resistance training out of fear of bulking up. This is a common mistake many people are spending years making.

AND FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE REASON YOU CLICKED ON THIS ARTICLE!!

Q3) What’s the secret to losing those 20 pounds?

The answer to this question is very simple my friends………… The secret is progression consistency and dedication. Most of you probably think that is extremely obvious, but it’s true. Let me take a moment here and define what each of these mean. Progression: you must be progressing your workout program to meet your goal. Too many people get caught in the habit of doing the same routine day in and day out, year in and year out. You must constantly be changing your routine every few weeks to keep progressing to your overall goal. Consistency: Fitness must become a part of your life if you want to really reach your goal and maintain it. Just buying the gym membership doesn’t make the weight go away. I’ve seen many people show up to the gym for two months with the same routine and then I don’t see them for six months. Once you become accountable to your goal, you will start seeing real change. Dedication: doing things that will help you get to your goal and not hinder your ability to reach it. Your goal must mean something to you. Losing those 20 pounds isn’t going to be important to everyone, but it must be important to you. We always have a deeper reason for wanting to achieve the goals we do. Maybe to look better for our significant other, to play with our kids, or to do those things in life you’ve always wanted to do but have never been physically able to do. Whatever your reason is, reaching your goal will give you the confidence to do things you never thought were possible. So now that you all have the secret, it’s time to take action and reach those goals you’ve always wanted to reach. Now you don’t have to waste any more time with all of these myths because I’ve cleared up some of those here in this article for you.

If you would like to learn more about how working with a coach can help you reach your goals, please contact Eric at eric@bodyfit.ca