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Articles Written By The Staff
Make your fitness resolutions stick, 5 tips to simple fitness
Seasonal Effects of Nutrition
Winter Golf Conditioning
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"The Loft" in the Media
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Make your fitness resolutions stick
5 tips to simple fitness
By, Nadia Behnan, Certified Personal Trainer CPTN
Dec 29th 2006
Once again, it is time to tackle New Year resolutions, and many of us are promising that this year, we will get fit! Unfortunately, according to the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals, studies have shown that 50 per cent of new exercisers will quit their new healthier lifestyle within the first 6 to 8 weeks!
So how do you avoid becoming a statistic? Here are 5 tips that are sure to help keep you on track.
1. Moderation is KEY!
I always tell my clients if you want to have some cake, have a slice, just don't have the whole cake! One slice once in a while is not going to break the scale! But if you deny yourself that little pleasure, you may end up binging later! So allow yourself a little taste of the things you love. In moderation!
2. Do it for you and you alone.
If you decide to embark on a quest to improve your health and fitness, make sure are doing it for yourself first, not a partner, parent(s) or friend(s). If this is truly something you want and you are ready and willing to commit time, energy and money, there is little that will get in your way of seeing some great results.
3. Don't be a slave to the scale!
Let me elaborate on that a little. Weigh yourself once when you first start an exercise program, and then every 4-6 weeks thereafter (no sooner) so you can asses your positive progress. Weighing yourself any sooner can not only be discouraging (because it is too soon to see real fat loss) but also deceiving, as muscle weighs more than fat, and you may think that you are putting on weight, but in fact, you are putting on muscle weight, which you need to burn fat.
4. Just do it!
Exercise is really not complicated. Any time you elevate your heart rate, warm up you muscles and increase your breathing rate, you are exercising. For some that may mean a fast walk, going for regular hikes or riding their bike to work, while for others it may mean going to the gym, doing a boxing class or lifting some weights under the direction of a personal trainer. Whichever way you want to do it is fine. Just remember not to think about it too much, and to just do it! You will feel so much better about yourself afterwards!
5. Don't be afraid to ask for help!
Regardless of fitness levels, beginners, avid exercisers, or body builders, everyone can gain and benefit from the help of a personal trainer. Whether you want to learn a new routine, take your current one to the next level or you have reached a plateau and can't get past it, the best investment you can make for your yourself is to work with someone who is an expert in that field and who will personalize a routine to meet all of your needs and fitness goals.
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Seasonal Effects of Nutrition
By: Barbara Parisotto, RD
Nutritionist at The Workout Loft January 2007
It's that time of year again, when days are shorter and colder. For many of us that means spending less time outside and bundling up when we are outside. What's the concern? Vitamin D, important for calcium and phosphorus absorption, maintaining healthy bones and teeth and preventing osteoporosis, mostly derives from sunlight. During the summer months most Canadians get their share of vitamin D from skin exposure to the sun. What about September through May?
Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure; hands, face and arms, two to three times a week is recommended. Important to keep in mind is that sunscreen will prevent vitamin D production. How else can we achieve our vitamin D requirements if sun exposure is unlikely?
Adults 30-50 years of age require 200IU of vitamin D daily and 50-70 years of age require 400IU. Food sources of vitamin D include: liver, cod, herring, salmon, sardines, milk, fortified soy or rice beverages, eggs, butter or margarine. The recommendations can be achieved by drinking 2-4 glasses of milk or fortified beverage a day or eating 100g canned salmon or 100g of herring. If these types of foods make up a small part of your intake you may consider supplementing your diet. Many multivitamin or calcium supplements contain vitamin D so be sure to read the label.
Speak with Barbara Parisotto, RD for the following concerns:Weight management, weight Loss, prevention of diabetes, cancer, heart disease,
healthy meal planning, blood pressure management, cholesterol management,
sport nutrition, prenatal nutrition
and food Allergies.
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WINTER GOLF CONDITIONING
By Nadia Behnan, Golf Conditioning Specialist CPTN
Owner of The Workout Loft
The biggest misconceptions a lot of golfers have about golf conditioning, is that it is something that should be done during the golf season, to improve their game immediately. Well, it is actually the opposite. Golf conditioning is even more beneficial when it is started during the “off season” to prepare the body for the stresses it will endure during the golf season. When in fact, it takes 4-6 weeks of consistent and repetitive activity to best condition the body! Especially with a sport like golf which mostly favors one side of the body, creating in the long term what we refer to as muscular imbalances, which often lead to injuries and forced rest. So how do we avoid golf injuries? With Golf Conditioning!
What is Golf Conditioning? Golf Conditioning or Golf fitness refers to performing exercises that are designed specifically to improve muscles groups and parts of the body most required when golfing. A good golf conditioning program includes exercises that increase the core stability, increase muscular strength, improve flexibility, balance and coordination.
The “off season” is the best time to condition because it gives the golfer plenty of time to work on any physical limitations and muscular weaknesses, and to train the muscles to become more flexible, stronger and better coordinated. And a well developed program should not only focus on taking care of improving the obvious needs of golf, but should also include exercises that target specific muscular imbalances, lack of range of motion, cardiovascular endurance, and a little weight loss if necessary.
A “golf specific” fitness routine can be started any time of the year, and is most beneficial when it is performed all year around and re-designed every 60-90 days to keep the body motivated and challenged. But don’t be intimidated by the long-term commitment it takes to optimize physical conditioning and improve your game. A Golf Conditioning Specialist can design a program for you based on the equipment you have at your disposal and time you have available to dedicate to improving your most important golf equipment: your body.
The Workout Loft offers and extensive range of golf conditioning services, from golf specific personal training with one of Toronto's only Golf Conditioning Specialist, to Massage Therapy and Nutritional Counseling.
For information on Golf Fitness packages, click here! |
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| Have one cheat day per week! But don't go overboard.
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"I love how my body has been transformed, and look forward to learning how I can further challenge myself." Sharon D.
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