Sunday 29 April 2012

Everyone just stay CALM - the bloggg is back on track

It happens - it happens to us all. We fall of the blog train, but when you hear that train a choo-choo-ing you just back on! Where did the blog go? Well - it got covered in the abyss of school/work/fam and friend obligations. But don't worry, stay CALM - even when life gets in the way of your exercise schedule you can fit it in! HOW?!
Let's think about this for a second...what do you ACTUALLY need to exercise?
1) You....
2)....just you.
So what does that mean? YOU CAN EXERCISE ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME.
Let me illustrate with some examples.

Stuck in the library for HOURS? Grab two books and lunge in the book stacks. Everything is on the internet now - likely people don't really need those books as much as you need them to exercise! Feeling like you really need a GREAT work out? Don't just hold those books in your hands - BICEP curl them - YOU HEARD ME.

In the elevator? Stretch it out! STRETCH IT OUT. A little hamstring stretch hurt NOBODY!!! Work that body, work that body, baby you don't hurt nobody. Bend your knee so you are kicking your butt with your foot and grab your foot from behind with your hand. Tilt your pelvis forward and BAM feel that stretch. Best part - you barely take up any room so others can still join you in the elevator. HECK! They may even join you in the stretch.

Waiting in line? Feel like you are wasting time? WE CAN CHANGE THAT. Have something in your hands? Well hold you arms up like you are making a T with your body - hold your arms up and MAINTAIN. Hold it until you get to the front of the line - or you think you might drop the entire can of whatever you have in your hands all over the floor. ARMS UP, CORE ENGAGED and BREATHE!
Got nothing in your hands? Ask the person in front/behind you to hold their items. You can also just hold your arms up with nothing in them - you will feel a burn - I ASSURE YOU.

So there you have it friends - take opportunities to make even the dullest moments effective workout moments. ENJOY! Glad to be back!

SHAKIRA says it best. 


Sunday 11 March 2012

Laughter is Exercise

Sometimes my abs, jaw and cheeks hurt soooo much. Did I lose a wrestling match? No. Did I fall on my face? No. Did I walk into the wall while texting? No (but likely). I had a laughing workout. 
What is a laughing workout - the video below will demonstrate. I STRONGLY suggest you watch the entire thing.
A few great things about a laughing workout:
1) You can do it anywhere (EXCEPT THE LIBRARY).
2) Minimal equipment required.
3) You can do it alone (might get some looks) or as a group.
4) Minimal risk of injury - unless you are a knee slapper.
5) Laughter has many mental health benefits.

So please - if you can't make it out for a workout - do not despair. LAUGH IT OUT - and high kick at the same time if appropriate. 

Enjoy this video. I LOVE THIS LADY!


Sunday 4 March 2012

My FAVORITE couple SWEATING TOGETHER

Not only has this couple worked together for years promoting Health and Physical Activity ALL over Canada, they have crossed cultural boundaries and stuck together to promote their passion of FITNESS while falling in love....

WHO ARE THEY? Oh you KNOW. I know you know.  
HIGH KICK IF YOU KNOW...


HAL JOHNSON & JOANNE MCLEOD 

How did they meet? Apparently at the gym. The couple secretly got married despite the fact that interracial relationships were "not acceptable" in the 1990s and they are still going strong. What is the secret to their marriage? Doesn't take Dr. Phil to figure that one out - their LOVE of FITNESS. 



Needless to say Hal and Joanne have taught as a lot, not just about stretching, doing exercises while traveling or just being Fit and having Fun but also about surrounding yourself with sweaty company. Listen, we can't all date a Hal or Joanne ( IMAGINE IF WE COULD THOUGH!!!), but I know the closest people in my life are people I can sweat with. They love talking about workouts, high kicks and most importantly comparing T-Shirts to see who has more sweat on theirs (I am pretty sure I win every time...). But think about it: next time you're heading for a workout bring a friend or loved one (yes 4-legged creatures count!!!) - make it a social, hilarious, enjoyable affair. 

And as they say - KEEP FIT and HAVE FUN through LOTS and LOTS of sweat!!!

Check out one of my favorite ParticiPACTION videos of all time. This is appropriate as summer is JUST around the corner. Hal and Joanne just KNOW - they have always just known. Check out the outfits - I wish it was the 90s for life. I really do.
SWEAT IT OUT!


Check out this blog for more info about their relationship:
http://www.andreacoutu.com/page/blogone/bodybreak-couples-secret-revealed

Saturday 3 March 2012

Sweating IS Anger Management - for me at least

Feel like you have been treated unfairly at work? Were you in line for WAYYYY TOOO long at the grocery store? Did your cell phone company rip you off AGAIN? The trials and tribulations of living in a Go-Go-GO-No REALLY- GOOOOO society. Life can get stressful, your plate can pile up real fast (and I am not talking about salmon filets here) and you might  feel like your next HIGH KICK won't be to the air - it might be to an object/person. Put any sharp, heavy, shiny objects (unless this is your headband) down and get those RUNNING SHOES ON! Or you can substitute the running shoes for a yoga mat, bathing suit, or bare feet. It is time to SWEAT IT OUT!

Release the stress through each stride on the treadmill, stroke in the pool or kick of the soccer ball. With every sweat drop is a little bit of stress leaving your body. Not only will this prevent you from doing something that may get you in jail, it will have AMAZING mental and physical health benefits. Talk about turning some negative energy into POSITIVE energy.

So please - next time you are mad - don't go to jail, GET SWEATY!!!!


My favorite anger management song is the THEME SONG TO MORTAL COMBAT! Also these dudes are hilarious - IF you are injured don't worry - just watch these hooligans. 

Friday 2 March 2012

Want to feel good? Get thirsty through physical activity and GULP some water!!!

The smooth, thirst-quenching feeling of water guzzling down my throat after a big sweat is by far one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. I don't know about you, but personally it doesn't matter how much I hydrate before or during a workout but by the end the body is YEARNING for water. I said YEARNING.

I love drinking water out of whatever bottle I may have that day (before I lose it and have to get another one). I have spent my fair share of dollar dollar bills on bottles and always end up losing them so I just resort to any of the bottles I have been given as promotional materials. Bottles from conferences, races, wedding or random companies. Next time you are working out check out the array of bottles that fitness goers around you are caring. You can tell a lot by an individual's bottle. Maybe you can even strike up a conversation at the water fountain. Nothing like replenishing your body with H2O while making a new friend.

Enjoy this water-related song. Great for a cool-down.
SWEAT ON SWEATERS!!!!



Thursday 1 March 2012

The many reasons to LOVE the HIGH KICKS

Hello my high kicking friends. As we head into colder temperatures our workout goals may also including BRINGING THE HEAT in addition to staying fit and having fun. I thought I would re-post one of my favourite posts and the inspiration for this blog. 

Happy High Kicking! The HIGH kick is FOR YOU. Not for anyone else. 

Those of you who know me - or have every come to aerobics with me, or HECK - even spent more than 2 hours with me know I LOVE the HIGH KICK. It is quite possibly my favorite body movement in life. Let me explain the High Kick before I go into great detail about why I LOVE it so much.

Basic High Kick

Throughout the High Kick series remember to breathe and enjoy yourself - it always helps to SMILE.

1) Start with both feet together and your hands on your hips.
2) Ensure strong posture by tightening your core, chin up, shoulders down and back.
3) Before you HIGH KICK it is important to understand that you must acknowledge your limits. You kick to your limits - not to the level of the lady, man or child next to you.  
The High Kick is FOR YOU - not for anyone else.
With one SMOOTH and SWIFT motion you kick your right leg up but KEEP your left leg stable, strong and supportive until you reach YOUR LIMIT.
4) Gently place your right foot back in place with your left.
5) Repeat on the left side.

If you are injured or cannot do the high kick for health or mobility reasons HAVE NO FEAR!!!
You can still get the benefits by choosing a part of your body you do want to fling in a CONTROLLED manner and  give that a try. Perhaps your arm? Forearm? Finger?

How good do you feel?

I love the high kick for a variety of reasons. Here are are the top 5:
1) I always feel alive when I High Kick - if I can kick that high I must be living right?
2) The feeling of being able to High Kick higher than previous times is a feeling of accomplishment.
3) High Kicking in a room of strangers at aerobics gives me a feeling of unity achievable in no other manner.
4) Health Benefits of High Kicks: Flexibility in your Hamstrings, Strength in only your core but also your entire lower body. Win -Win!
5) High Kicks can cause for hilarious events (falls) to occur and as long as everyone is okay at the end it can make for some funny stories and laughs.

I invite you to try some high kicks to this fabulous workout tune:

WHAT in the HIGH KICK is this Blog?!?

Hello fellow sweaters (not the kind you put on your body when it's cold - which it is apparently ALL the time here in Ottawa). What is this blog? You know...it's hard to say. But I can tell you what it is NOT: it is not a forum to share recipes (unless protein powder is involved), it is NOT a forum to make fun of Jane Fonda (I love her sooo much), nor is a forum to tell spoil shows such as 90201 or Gossip Girl (I am a few seasons behind).
The most important thing about a blog, in my personal opinion, is that it can make you laugh or enraged or sometimes both BUT this blog will make you want to do ALL of the above and SWEAT - sweat until you bleed (not figuratively but like in "Everybody Dance Now" by Bob Sinclair - see link attached below). So I suggest strongly that you get your running shoes laced up, put on that favorite workout shirt of yours and pick the brightest headband you own before you read this blog. SWEAT IT OUT.