Tag: workout

Losing Weight After 50

June 26, 2019

It may seem like as you get older, losing weight gets increasingly difficult. It’s easy to blame our age or slower metabolisms as to why we aren’t looking or feeling as good as we want. Well unfortunately this is no longer a good excuse. Even though your metabolism may have slowed down, your weight gain is mostly due to being less active and having muscle loss. Fortunately, these are two things we can do something about.

Do we have the time and energy to work out as much as we did when we were in our 20s? Ummm no. Those were the days when we didn’t have kids, weren’t in the thick of our careers and had much more free time.

But now that we are in our 40s and 50s, we have to make our health a priority. We have to carve out time and pay attention. We have to set goals and get to work.

Here are a few things to do to help you be successful in achieving your fitness or weight loss goals:

  1. Set more than one goal. Don’t just set a goal based on the scale. Set goals to include a fitness component (example: jogging non-stop for 20 minutes) anda nutrition component (example: drinking 6 cups of water a day). Setting a variety of goals will help you feel more frequent success and positivity and help to keep you staying on track.
  2. Talk to the professionals. First of all, consult your doctor to ensure you are healthy enough to start an exercise program or if you have any specific issues that need to be considered such as IBS, Diabetes, or injuries (current or past). Make sure you are honest with all professionals you consult about your issues as this will ensure you are safe and programs are tailored to you. Some people you may want to consider hiring either for a one time or multiple sessions include personal trainers and dieticians/nutritionists. Let’s face it, if we were experts in these areas we wouldn’t be needing to get some help here. These pros can make the process much more enjoyable and increase your likelihood of success.
  3. Get moving – more often. Seems pretty basic but it’s a big move. Take the stairs, walk around on your coffee break, plan a coffee walk with a friend rather than sitting and sipping. These will all help to increase your metabolism.
  4. Workout. A few things about working out:
    a. Do something fun – whether it’s a dance class or swimming, find something that you enjoy doing – it will make all the difference.
    b. Buddy Up – whether it’s a friend or family member you meet for your workouts or a group fitness class, getting your sweat on with others makes you more likely to stick with it as you are accountable to others.
    c. Add weight lifting to your routine. This is especially important as we get older. Not only does this help with maintaining muscle to aid in keeping our weight gain at bay, it also helps with balance.
  5. Nutrition is so important! This is probably going to make the biggest impact on your weight loss. A few things (other than talking with a certified dietician/nutritionist) to consider:
    a. Be mindful about what you are eating, how much and when. It’s easy to scarf down an entire bag of chips subconsciously while watching Netflix!
    b. Increase your protein intake. Getting enough high-quality protein in your diet is not only important for weight loss but also critical for stopping or reversing age-related muscle loss. Some examples include lean meats, protein shakes, beans and legumes.
    c. Drink lots of water – try to have this be your more frequent drink of choice!
    d. Eat whole, nutrient dense foods – vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, poultry, fish, legumes, and whole grains, are packed with nutrients essential for maintaining a healthy body weight, such as fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
    e. Cook more at home and eat out less. Know what you’re eating. Eating out often usually means eating high fat, sugar and salt and highly processed foods. This will likely save you money too!
  6. Sleep! Not getting enough quality sleep may harm your weight loss efforts. Many studies have shown that not getting enough sleep increases the likelihood of obesity and may hinder weight loss efforts.
  7. Finally, be patient. Just because you start on a path to a better, fitter, healthier you, doesn’t mean it is going to happen quickly. It takes time. But it WILL happen. Just be patient.

Just because you haven’t made yourself a priority in the past, doesn’t mean it has to stay this way. You are worth the effort.

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Canadian Female Athletes ROCK!

October 18, 2016

morning-row-rianne

Like an aftershock from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, our Manitoban women rowers are killing it!  

I, like most sport-minded women in this great country, were overwhelmed with pride by the achievements of our Canadian women at the recent Olympic Games.  What made me even more excited was all of the media covered (although sometimes gender-biased) of the female athletes. So now that the flame has gone out in Rio, I’m trying to continue to shed light on some amazing recent success of female athletes in our own backyard.

For the first time in Canadian rowing history, Manitoba athletes won the Canadian Rowing National Champion trophy, which equates to the Manitoba Rowing Association having the highest percentage of athletes to achieve world gold medal standards. The National Rowing Championships took place in Burnaby, British Columbia September 22 – 25, 2016.

What is so incredible is that this success comes from our “female” athletes.  What’s even more amazing is that the two most decorated athletes have been rowing for less than a year! To me, this shows two things: an overall “physically literate” athlete can have success in nearly any sport and the coaching in the Manitoba program is second to none.   

At only 18 years old and rowing less than a year, Emma Gray took home Women’s Open single scull Silver Medal and a Gold medal in the Women’s U23 and Women’s Junior categories. Rianne Boekhorst, 22 years, who has only been rowing for remarkable 7 months, placed 13th!

Placing 7th was the pair of Casie and Kaelyn Gauthier, 23 and 24 years. This placement was higher than two international crews in the Women’s Open pair.

In the National Canadian Cup, Manitoba won the silver medal and was only .50 seconds short of the gold!

All of the above results are the best Manitoba has ever achieved. In such, this shows that the Manitoba Rowing Association program and structure, led by Head Coach Antony Patterson, is the most efficient in the country. 

Patterson is beyond proud and excited about this success. “To shed some light of the greatness of this achievement by Manitoba Rowers… We achieved these incredible results against Olympic and world gold medalists in the most successful summer Olympic Canadian sport in history.  In my 30 years of international coaching I have come to realize the shear gravity of these accomplishments. I am finding it hard to compare this fantastic result to other results. I believe if this isn’t the best result including my 5 Olympics as a coach it would be a very close second.”

Keep up the incredibly inspiring work women!!!

To learn more about these athletes and other Manitoba Rowers and their accomplishments, please read these:

Check out more of the media coverage Fit Communications was able to secure for Manitoba Rowing here!

Best Booty Workouts

October 4, 2016

booty-workout

In the 90’s we wanted no butt. In the 2000’s we wanted a bit more shape. In 2016 it seems that people will go to any lengths to increase the size of their booty. But there is more than just having a great butt than simply aesthetics. It’s actually really important for your body’s overall health and injury prevention. Many North Americans sit all day in front of a computer screen, and when doing so, you turn off your butt muscles. These muscles consist of the glute maximum, glute medius, and glute minimus. There are four major benefits to working out these muscles groups:

  1. Reduced back, knee and hip pain
  2. Increases your body’s overall power to jump, lift, sprint and climb
  3. Can increase your ovulation and stabilize your menstrual cycle
  4. Strong glutes can help ensure proper form during weight training

Now that we know why it is important, here are a few great workout routines you can do anywhere to strengthen all three parts to your glutes:

Workout #1:

Try to do the following routine without a break in between exercises. For added difficulty, add weights:

  • 10 alternating front lunges
  • 20 plie squats
  • 30 sumo squats
  • 30 dead lifts
  • 30 donkey-kicks (left leg)
  • 40 donkey-kick pulses (left leg)
  • 50 pelvic raises
  • 60 pulsing squats
  • 50 pelvic raises
  • 40 donkey-kick pulses (right leg)
  • 30 donkey-kicks (right leg)
  • 30 dead lifts
  • 30 sumo squats
  • 20 plie squats
  • 10 alternating lunges

Workout #2:

Repeat the following routine 2 to 3 times, pending your fitness level. Rest for two minutes in between sets. For added difficulty, try adding weights:

  • 40 alternating back lunges
  • 40 pelvic raises
  • 40 donkey kicks
  • 40 squats
  • 40 jumping lunges (or front lunges)
  • 40 step ups onto a bench

*Source: www.expertrain.com

Workout #3:

Repeat the following routine 2 to 3 times, pending your fitness level. Rest for two minutes in between sets. For added difficulty, try adding weights:

  • 60 pelvic raises
  • 50 donkey kicks (25 each leg)
  • 40 squats (or squat jumps)
  • 30 curtsey lunges (15 each side)
  • 20 deadlifts
  • 10 single leg squats (5 each leg)
  • 1 minute wall sit
  • 30 second lunge holds (30 seconds each side)

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Ten Reasons To LOVE the Gym

May 10, 2016

Every day I wake up and tell myself three things that I am excited about, am looking forward to, or make me happy. This can include the little things like planting my summer garden to having a fun night out with friends to all the great things we are up to with Fit Communications. One thing that constantly comes up in my list is my time at the gym. I crave it. I need it. It makes me so happy to have such a healthy habit part of my life every day. So this week’s blog I thought I would share my Ten Reasons to LOVE the Gym.

  1. Days can be chaotic. I find that no matter what is happening in my day/week/life, heading to the gym for a workout makes it all better. Maybe it’s the endorphin release. Maybe it’s the time away from the choas. All I know is that after an hour doing physical activity, my perspective becomes clear. Everything is going to be alright.
  2. It’s FUN! Whether I am working out on my own or with my favorite gym buddy, it is always a good time. I manage to blast my gangster rap for one hour a day, dance in my head and pump iron. How can an hour be better?
  3. Me time. We all have tremendous obligations – work, kids, family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, pets. You name it, there is usually someone or something needing you. This one hour allows for you to concentrate on just YOU. Making YOU the best you possible.
  4. Sometimes with outer strength, the inner strength appears. Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months where you feel like things might be crumbling? I have. And here is what I know. When I go to the gym and spend an hour on getting my physical self stronger, my mental game becomes sharper. I am more focused. I am stronger. I feel I can take on whatever is coming my way.
  5. Increased energy. I often here people say they just don’t have the energy to workout. The fact is, the more you workout, the more energy you will have. If I miss a few days of the gym, I am sluggish. I have a renewed sense of energy – both physically and mentally – to keep the game on the go.
  6. Getting a hot bod. Let’s be honest. Working out (combined with good nutrition) makes your body look better. Whether you are looking to lose weight, gain muscle, tone up – the gym is where you can do it. You can literally change the shape of your body at the gym. No eating regime can do that. And who doesn’t want to look and feel hot in their body? Everyone has their own self-definition of what that looks or feels like, and as long as you feel great about you, that’s all that counts.
  7. Your health. Your health is up to you. If you want to live a longer, healthier life, being physically active is a key part to this. It has been shown to help with everything from cardio vascular disease to diabetes to cancer prevention. Choose YOU.
  8. Being a role model to those in your life. Do you know how good it feels when someone tells me they go to the gym more or lead a healthier lifestyle because I have motivated them in some way to do so? THAT is worth it all. To have family or friends or sometime complete strangers tell me that I am part of the reason for their motivation to live a healthier lifestyle?? Wow. The ultimate compliment. It is so true that to be inspired is one thing, but to be the inspiration is another. Try and be THAT to your circle.
  9. Being proud of yourself. I really am proud of the fact that I make my health, and therefore my workouts, a priority in my life. It makes me feel really good about myself. That might not be the secret to self esteem for everyone, but I know it helps. When you set your mind to making positive choices for yourself, you feel good about it. The universe has away of rewarding you. Be proud of what you do every day.
  10. A place to bond. I’m definitely not one to chat it up at the gym. But I do find that when I surround myself with like-minded people on a similar mission to me, I am continuously motivated. On any given day I can ask a number of friends or family to workout together. My social media feed is full of people working towards their healthy lifestyle goals. This is a way for us to feel connected. When you connect on a positive level with people, it allows for a continued sense of motivation.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, let us know! We would love to hear your favorite reason for working out in the comments below. Or to read more blogs on sport, follow this link – http://fitcommunications.ca/category/sport/