TIPS FOR SETTING GOALS

Now that Christmas is over and the New Year is quickly approaching, you know that you're going to want to be working off the christmas dinners and set new health and fitness goals to prepare your body for the summer months.  You must make goals to help you achieve the body and lifestyle you are wanting. Along the way you need to stay true to your goals and realize/accept that you will have pitfalls, but these pitfalls are normal, you just need to stay persistent, and you will succeed. 

• Set Realistic Goals  
• set micro goals along the way that will help you get to your long term goals
• micro goals should be small achievable goals that will eventually lead you to achieving your long term goal
• Set Realistic Time Frames 
• set a realistic time frame for short term goals that will help you get to your long term goals
• realistic time frame for a person who has never run before but wants to run a marathon would look like this
• 6 months run 5K, 12months run 10K, 18months run 1st 1/2 marathon, 2 years run 1st Marathon
• you want your time frame to be spread out so that the goals are achievable and will minimize the risk of injury
• Measurable
• make sure that your goals are objective and easily measurable
• this means that you must really dissect your goals to find out how you can measure them
• if you want to be healthier what does this entitle
• lower cholesterol
• lower blood pressure
• increased endurance
• increased strength
• increased flexibility
• bigger biceps
• less body fat
• what are you trying to achieve and how can you measure all the variables
• Journal
• you want to have a journal to record all progress, the peaks and valleys
• if your goal is weight loss, track your water, food, sleep and stress
• if your goal is strength track your weight room achievements and work outs
• your 3 reps max is a good way to see overall improvement in strength gains
• if your goal is running track your progress of runs; time, distance, how you felt
• Accountability
• get a friend involved with you to keep each other on track
• getting a close friend to join you in your journey to better health even if its just to tell them about your progress will help you stay on track 
• find a friend that will encourage and keep you motivated

If you follow the above steps and maintain your three D's (Discipline, Determination, Dedication) you will achieve your goals successfully. Be patient and realize that permanent change takes time and will have its ups and downs.

Top 5 On the Go Snacks

Planning ahead will help you stay ahead with your health and fitness goals especially when it comes to nutrition.  The night before, or the morning of, your busy day set aside a few minutes to prepare your snacks. This way you know that you will be getting the nutrients you need and not set yourself up for failure by heading to the snack table filled with confectionaries or heading to the corner store to grab a chocolate bar or bag of chips.

1. Organic Celery with Organic Nut Butter
2. Organic Apple with Organic Nut Butter (my favourite is when Honey Crisp is season)
3. Raw Nut/Seed Mix (my favourite is pumpkin seed, almond and walnut)
4. Hard Boiled Eggs
5. Organic Salt and Pepper Beef Jerky

You can also try to make your own beef jerky. See link below to learn the steps:

How to Make Your Own Beef Jerky

Overcome Plateau's By Only Changing Tempo's

You've been going at the same work out for a while, and it worked awesome at first. However, over the last couple of weeks you've noticed that your lifts haven't increased and your body has remained stagnant. A simple way to help you overcome this plateau effect is to change your tempo.  If you have been doing the standard 2.1.2.1 tempo for your lift, lower your weight and increase your TUT (time under tension).  Try a tempo of 5.1.2.1.  Tempo figures represent time and action of movement eccentric to concentric:

• The 1st number represents five seconds of the downward movement (eccentric).
• The 2nd number represents the pause at the bottom of the movement
• The 3rd number represents the upward movement (concentric). 
• The 4th number represents the pause at the top or resetting of the rep. 

A good rep range would be 6-10 reps with a set range of 3-5.  This is dependent on the length of work out and exercises you are doing.

Changing your tempo will make you feel like you have a whole new program. All you have done is introduce a different stimulus to your body by causing it to be under tension for longer. Perform the 5.1.2.1 tempo with what ever exercises you feel you have plateau'd on and perform for 3-4 weeks. It's a great way to have a change in program without having to learn new whole exercises.  Give it a try and when you go back to your normal routine, after 3-4 weeks, see if you are now able to lift a little heavier.

Note this tempo is not meant for power lifts such as olympic lifts (ie. clean, power clean, clean and jerk . This should be used for your isolation lifts and compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bent over rows, bench press etc.  

Contact a Health Professional before beginning any exercise. 

5 Easy Nutrition/Lifestyle Tips to Keep Off the Holiday Pounds

1. Moderate Your Alcohol Intake

We all know that consuming alcohol this year is especially satisfying, so it would be completely unrealistic to cut it out entirely with all those excellent holiday parties to attend, and having that special peppermint baileys coffee to keep you warm on these cold nights.  

The key here is to keep alcohol down by not allowing yourself to binge drink. Try to limit your intake to 1-2 glasses of wine or 1-2 beer or 2-3 ounces of spirits or liquors 1-2 days / week. This will make sure that you are not over consuming alcohol, which could easily raise blood sugar levels & insulin secretion, to help keep that muffin top away for the holidays.

2. Eat High Quality Protein and Fat 

If you do plan on drinking, be sure not to start the evening with a drink before you eat. Alcohol on an empty stomach will cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, causing you to feel hungry faster which will in turn make you want to eat more. There is a reason why restaurants want a drink at your table within the first 2 minutes of you being seated. They know that the more you drink, the more you eat,  and the more you eat and drink the more profits the restaurant makes. So not only can eating before you drink help keep the calorie count down, it could also keep a little more cash in your wallet.    

Try eating high quality protein, organic, grass fed if possible, and fat (note: organic butter, coconut oil, avocado and raw almonds are great choices) before you begin drinking. This will help stabilize your blood sugar more effectively when you begin to have your 1 or 2 drinks for the evening.  Eating before you drink wall also give you a feeling of satiety which will in turn prevent you from consuming extra unwanted calories.

3. Avoid Those Sugary Holiday Dessert and Dessert Drinks

Those delicious holiday desserts and dessert drinks are full of unwanted sugar and empty calories and your fat cells are just anticipating the chance to 'plumpin' right back up while you enjoy in those fat loving sugars.  

If you must have a dessert or a dessert coffee try sharing one with a friend, or just have a bite or two to satisfy your sweet tooth and be done with the rest. *See below for a great recipe on a delicious Christmas Pudding. 

4. Don't Over Eat

With all those delicious home-made dinners and nights out coming during the holiday season, it is easy to gorge till your belly is about to burst. Learning the art of eating till your satisfied will greatly help you from over eating. Satisfying your hunger means eating enough that if you wanted to go for a 5K jog or a moderate weight room work out, you could do so comfortably. If you have gotten to the point where you need to loosen that top button or have to wear your stretchy pants you have grossly over eaten. You are not a bear fattening up to go through a 4 month hibernation.  

Learning to eat till your satisfied will help you keep the calorie count down on a daily basis. 

5. Water, Water, Water

The majority of your fluid intake should be from plain water or herbal tea (nothing added). Making sure that most of your fluid during the day comes from these sources means you will keep your calorie count much lower as well as keep you well hydrated and give you a felling of satiety.  If you have ever been hungry and weren't able to satisfy your hunger no matter how much you ate, there is a good chance you are/were dehydrated.  The brains mechanism for thirst and hunger can be very similar, so attempt to drink a large glass of water (500mL) 15 minutes before you decide to go after that sweet desert or large meal, it might just save you a lot of calories.



*Check out this healthy delicious recipe to help quench that sweet tooth. 

Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe

The Hotel Room Work Out

You're busy and on the road, travelling from one hotel to the next.  You have been sitting in meetings all day, your body is tired, and unmotivated when you finally return to the hotel. So before you head for a drink or sit in front of the TV for the rest of the night, motivate yourself to do some basic exercises that require only your body weight.  In 20 minutes you can get your blood pumping through your body and you will begin to feel energized and re-motivated. 

If you don't like exercising at night try this work out first thing in the morning to give yourself a jumpstart, begin the day feeling energized, and clear headed to make it through the meetings. 

Follow this routine and complete 2-5 sets in a circuit format. Rest 60-90 sec after each set and take no more than 15 sec between each exercise. Remember that form matters more than the number of reps completed. Only complete exercises to form failure not a specific number.  

1. Squat to 1/4 Squat

• reps 10-15

• tempo 2.1.2.1

• 1 rep includes full squat and the 1/4 squat

2. Push Ups 

• reps 8-15 reps

• tempo 2.0.1.0

3. Squat Hops to Soft Landing

• reps 8-12 reps

• tempo 2.x.x.0

4. Push Ups Narrow Arms 

• reps 8-15

• tempo 2.0.1.0

5. Plank Position with Torso Rotation

• reps 5-10 each side

• tempo 2.0.2.0

6. Side Plank Holds

• reps 2-4x each side

• tempo 15-30sec holds

7. Horse Stance Dynamic 

• reps 10-15 each side

• tempo 1.1.1.1

8. Prone Cobra

• reps 5-9 total

• tempo 10sec hold, 5sec relax

*A NOTE ON TEMPO

Tempo is in seconds. 2.1.2.1. The first number means it should take you 2 seconds on the downward or eccentric part of the movement as in the dropping of a squat.  The second number represents the pause at the bottom of the movement, so how long you hold at the bottom of the squat isometrically.  The third number represent the upward or concentric part of the movement, and the fourth number represents the pause at the top of the movement or the reset position. So a 2.1.2.1 tempo for a squat should take you 2 seconds to drop into the squat, 1 sec count pause at the bottom, 2 seconds to come back up in the squat and then a 1 sec reset at the top before you perform your next rep. 

Squat to 1/4 Squat

Start with feet shoulder width apart and toes facing straight forward or slightly pointed outward.  Drop into a full squat (past 90 degrees) then come up 1/4 distance or just above 90 degrees then drop back into full squat then stand all the way up.

Push Ups

Start in a plank position from your hands with neutral spine (hip, shoulders are in a straight line, head in neutral as well).  Drop down and make sure to get a full range of motion, dropping the torso past a 90 degree elbow bend. If this is too difficult do it from your knees.

Squat Hops to Soft Landing

Start in same position as squat above.  Then you are going to drop down into a squat to 90 degrees and then hop, just high enough that your toes come off the floor. When landing you want to make as little noise as possible and end in the 90 degree to 1/4 squat position making sure that your legs are doing the absorbing. Link the hops together with the squat for best results.

Push Ups Narrow Arms

Start in plank position from your hands with neutral spine (hip, shoulders are in a straight line, head in neutral as well).  This time your elbows will be close to your sides as if you are squeezing a piece of paper between your arm and side. Drop down and make sure to get a full range of motion, dropping the torso past a 90 degree elbow bend. If this is too difficult do it from your knees.

Plank Position with Torso Rotation

Start in a plank position with forearms on the floor with elbows lined up directly under your shoulders.   Make sure the head and spine are in neutral.  From here go into a slightly wider foot base than normal, being sure to stack the heels over the toes.  Then you are going to rotate over one shoulder and extend the opposite arm until the fingers point up to the sky.  Try your best to get your shoulders stacked. Also as you rotate attempt to keep the heels stacked over the toes.  If this is too difficult do it from your knees.

Side Plank Holds

Lie on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder and your legs extended straight so you have a straight line from your ear, through shoulder, hip, knee and ankle.  Once you are lined up press your side up to the sky keeping your alignment.  Once their look straight forward and hold.  You can extend the top arm to the sky as well.  If this is too difficult bend the knees to 90 degrees.

Horse Stance Dynamic

Begin on hands and knees. Be sure to keep the hips stacked over the knees, and shoulders stacked over the wrists.  Keep elbows pointed straight back towards the thighs through entire exercise.  Make sure you are in a neutral spine with belly button drawn toward spine.  Extend opposite arm and leg so that they both go into full extension. Then bring them back towards your centre trying to touch your elbow to your knee. Keep your hips and shoulders horizontal to the ground.  Do one side at a time.

Prone Cobra

Lie face down with arms at side palms on floor, with toes together and heels apart, lift head, torso and arms off floor as high as you can, keep chest open by externally rotating at the shoulder so palms face outward, and keep head in neutral don’t flex neck backwards, keep glutes (butt) relaxed so that toes stay together on floor and heels maintain separation from each other.