Perfect Fit Personal Training- Health and Fitness Blog

Hello out there! I'm currently working on an e-book; stay tuned! One of the sections is on stretching, and of course I'm including some yoga poses in this section. On my search for some of the best poses for flexibility, I came across a neat site I thought I would share. http://www.ekhartyoga.com/blog/category/yoga-poses If you're on the lookout for some poses to start at home, this site has a wealth of information. I hope you have a great and healthy holiday, and that I will see you back in the New Year! All the best for health and happiness, Nicole

The holidays are a perfect time to snuggle up and watch classic Christmas movies with the ones you love. This year, try spicing up your movie watching by including some fitness exercises to keep your waistline trimmed.  Try these tips from Shana Schneider, fitness expert and Founder of  FITWEEK , a fitness company dedicated to helping women turn any week into a fitweek.   Once Thanksgiving is over in the US, the holiday movie marathons begin. There’s everything from the old classics like It’s a Wonderful Life (Mr. Gower has the first line, "I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father."), and Miracle on 34th Street (the original with Maureen O'Hara), to the modern classics like Elf (and who doesn't like chewing on cotton balls?), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss was a genius), and Christmas Vacation (Jelly of the Month Club is the gift that keeps on giving).  These holiday classics are primed for good drinking games, bu

Holidays, you gotta love them! This year can be stress free, right? Here's an article I wrote last Christmas about this very topic, published in Alive magazine. What are you doing to reduce you stress this holiday season?

One of the biggest reasons people gain weight at the holidays: lack of willpower.  But what if it was possible to manipulate your willpower, making you unwavering to the temptations of the season?     Hypnotist Colin Christopher , author of the book Success Through Manipulation: Subconscious Reactions That Will Make or Break You , who helps his patients lose weight through hypnosis, says hypnosis manipulates and strengthens a person’s willpower so much, that he guarantees anyone who uses it can lose weight this time of year when food is in abundance.       That’s not his opinion; the stats back it up.  The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology says that adding hypnosis increased weight loss by an average of 97%, and increased the effectiveness of weight loss post hypnosis by more than 146%. So how does it work? ·          Direct access to the subconscious – Hypnosis allows us direct access to the subconscious, where we can replace negative prog

I love smoothies in the morning, after a workout, or as an afternoon snack. You can throw all sorts of healthy goodness into the  blender, and come out with a delicious and satisfying drink. If you're getting bored of your old smoothie recipe, here are some great ideas from bodybuilding.com I personally love to get some greens in with a handful of raw spinach. Add some mangoes, almond milk, half a banana and maybe some blueberries. What's your go-to smoothie?

If you've tried eating the Mediterranean Diet, you know that you aren't hungry, and you get to eat a variety of foods. I was just researching "anti-inflammatory foods" for an article I'm writing, and I came upon the Mediterranean Diet quite a few times as a way of eating that can help promote overall health and reduce inflammation. Now with more research, I stumbled upon this new information . Even more good reasons for us to eat lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, healthy fats, and all the good things that our body needs! Just say NO to processed foods full of additives and chemicals. Your body doesn't need or want those things. http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/health-headlines/mediterranean-style-diets-found-to-cut-heart-risks-1.1170512  - Mediterranean diet and heart health http://healthletter.mayoclinic.com/editorial/editorial.cfm/i/163/t/Buzzed%20on%20inflammation/ - Mayo Clinic http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/00

If you are like me, you are concerned about working your legs and butt; and what are some of the greatest exercises for this area? Well, the deadlift is certainly one top exercise for your butt and legs. I've seen people doing this exercise in a variety of ways (not all correctly,  unfortunately), and here is a great link that differentiates the Romanian deadlift from the Stiff Legged Deadlift. This is a great exercise to shape your rear end, but if you have back problems, you should be very careful, and take it slow. Bodybuilding.com

I live in Vancouver, Canada, so the chicken that I buy in the grocery store may be different from yours. I'm concerned about being healthy and also buying protein sources that are coming from a reputable company. I don't want my family eating meat that was injected with hormones or antibiotics, and I also don't want to eat an animal that was stuffed in a small cage all of it's life. That's why it's so confusing when you read all of the different terms that are out there for your meat. For example, if a chicken is organic, it doesn't mean that it has access to the outdoors; just that it's fed organic feed and is held to certain organic standards (which vary depending on where you live). Here is an exerpt from " From Farm to Table " which really explains it all: Free Run Free run is different than free range in that chickens do not necessarily need to be raised outside but they are required to be able to move around freely within the b

Chocolate; it can be calorie laden and full of fat. That is, if you're eating the cheap, milk chocolate with very low levels of actual cocoa. I enjoy a little chocolate now and then, and was so excited to find this recipe for chocolate bites! Mmm, they look so yummy. Enjoying a little sweet is a great way to stick with your diet plan; if you never allow yourself to have anything that you like, one day it might backfire... What's your favourite chocolate treat?

I love writing fitness articles, and I especially love it when other people like them enough to publish them in their wonderful magazines! This month I'm lucky to have my article on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) in Alive Magazine . I offer a number of fun and high intensity exercises which you can do at home or at the gym. Do you ever do HIIT training? What's your favorite High Intensity Exercise?

When it comes to the good cholesterol, fitness trumps weight This is an interesting research study that came out in October. I've seen plenty of people that have a few extra pounds on them, but are really fit; being overweight does not mean you are unfit. If people are active, lift weights, do their cardio, but can't lose the weight; they are still benefiting from things like increased bone density, decreased risk of heart disease, and lowered bad cholesterol. So don't lose hope if the scale isn't budging; other things in your body are taking notice of all of you hard work!

Hi there, If you're pregnant, congratulations! Did you know that you can keep exercising safely through your pregnancy (barring any complications of course); and if you were exercising before you were preggers, you can keep on going with what you were enjoying? I loved weight lifting during my pregnancy; of course your body will dictate to you if you need to take it easier or slow down. As you get bigger and your center of gravity shifts, you can't do the same things you were doing 8 months before. Here is a great link to some tips on prenatal exercise. How about ab exercises? Yes, it is still possible, and important to work your core . If you leave out your abs, you will have a hard time stabilizing to pick up your baby once she's born! I'm not suggesting you lie on your back and do crunches; things like the CAT/Cow yoga move, the plank, and the Bird Dog are some great non-invasive ways to work your core. Here is another great way to work your waist

The M word...Metabolism Metabolism can mean many things to you; how fast your burn food, how skinny you are, how fat your are, etc. What metabolism really means is:  Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you're at rest, your body needs energy for all its "hidden" functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.  This info comes directly from the Mayo Clinic . Foods you eat can affect your metabolism differently, for instance, eating protein or carbs causes more calories to be burned during the metabolism process of said macro nutrients.   Here is a quick article with some tips on revving up your metabolism. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/9-tips-to-increase-metabolism.htm   Have a wonderf

This term is becoming very de rigueur of late; who do you know that is on a gluten free diet? Wheat is out, almond flour is in. Eating gluten free is not only about following the trend; over 300,000 Canadians suffer from celiac disease; an autoimmune disease which affects their gastrointestinal system and that is triggered from ingesting gluten. I want to recommend an amazing book on eating gluten free written by a dietician who has done an amazing amount of research and hard work: Gluten Free Eating. In researching for an article I'm writing on eating gluten free, I came across Shelley Case and her amazing book. It really is a must read if you have any questions about gluten, where it can be found, how to avoid it in foods you wouldn't think of, and the list goes on. If you have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, this book is going to be very helpful for you. Do you have a favorite gluten free recipe you'd like to share? Please leave it here in the com

Working as a personal trainer, and also working with rehab clients, I see a LOT of shoulder injuries. Most are related to car accidents and affect the rotator cuff . The muscles of the rotator cuff include: Supraspinatous, Infraspinatous, Teres Minor and the Subscapularis.  Other muscles play a large role in the functioning of the rotator cuff including the Serratous Anterior, Rhomboids and Trapezius. There are a variety of injuries associated with your rotator cuff; they may include: Bursitis Tears Overuse injuries Tendonitis Scapular Winging                      Video of Scapular winging If you feel pain when you use your shoulders, or when you are doing a motion over and over including overhead lifting/pressing/pulling, weakness on lifting or decreased range of motion, you may have a rotator cuff injury. Getting help sooner rather than later is essential; wait to long and you may end up with more problems than you started with. Here are some great exercise

I love Oxygen magazine for their recipes! Most are high in protein, which is great, but they always have something "sweet" to add to your meal. Here's a recipe for one brownie:  http://www.oxygenmag.com/nutrition/sinfully-clean-chocolate-brownie/ Looks good! I haven't made it yet but will definitely try it out soon. Most brownie recipes are high in sugar and fat, but not this one!

A client of mine was chatting to me about nutrition, and asked "Which is healthier, chicken fat or fat from cheese?" Well, chicken fat is animal fat, but technically, so is cheese as it comes from cows milk (we're talking about dairy cheese. 100 grams of chicken meat contains approximately 9 grams of fat , and it's high in l inoleic acid. 100 grams of American cheese (varying types) has 32 grams of fat . There are many types of cheese, some having higher amounts of fat than others. According to :  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3033/The-good-cheese-guide.html ;  Cheddar Per 100g: calories 412, fat 34.4g (saturates 21.7g), calcium 720mg CHEDDAR is one of the highest-fat cheeses, which is bad news considering it's also one of our favourites. However, it is a great supplier of calcium and provides respectable quantities of zinc. Orange Cheddar is simply white Cheddar with added orange colouring. Obviously cheese is not the best c

Brownies...yum. Fattening, sugary and full of white flour! Not these ones... If you are watching your weight and are trying to stay away from wheat, here's the recipe for you! These paleo brownies are moist, delicious, and best of all, high in protein and have NO sugar! Sweetened with a bit of honey and I used cacoa nibs instead of chocolate chips, these will satisfy your "sweet tooth" but not have your body craving sugar as it might following a traditional brownie. Check out this recipe for paleo brownies and tell me what you think! Eating well doesn't have to be boring and stale; you can still enjoy lots of great things in different combinations then you might be used to.

Perseverance and motivation hard at work here! My amazing client of two years just loves lifting heavy, and wanted to keep going on the pulley row. Last week we did 80lbs, then 90 and she wanted to try 100. She just kept going for it. Today she said, let's try 110, how about 120? Eventually she said, let's try 130! She did a set of 12 reps after already doing her other three sets at the above weights. She continues to amaze me with her strength and hard work. She was so pleased with her success! Way to go!

My Favorite exercise...the Burpee! Great to include in a HIIT workout. Skip the 60 minute treadmill session and 50 minutes on the rowing machine after. Long cardio sessions can give you results sure, but shorter INTENSE intervals can get you the SAME results in LESS time spent. Wow, get fit faster in less time? Sounds good. Now if you're like many people I know and see all the time at the gym, you might like reading casually on the bike or stairclimber as you're exercising. Heck, I'm guilty of that too; some days I really want to "relax" while I work out. Great for a cool down, but if you want to torch calories, burn fat and create MORE mitochondria ( the powerhouse of your cells), you want to work out FAST and SHORT and HARD. High Intensity Interval Training will get you the same results in a shorter period of time, according to research studies like the one done at McMaster University. According to the research study: A practical model of HIT i

Running is a great way to get fit and have fun, and what better way to do it than with a 5K? No pressure, less time invested in training, and quick results! Check out a local run happing this summer: Mountain Equipment Co-Op 5K run

Eating Clean, This catch phrase is getting  a lot of lip action lately, and it's no wonder. With many people realizing that processed foods and refined sugars are not the way to go in terms of food choices, they're turning towards the most obvious choice: Clean Eating. What does Clean Eating entail, anyway? Basically, you eat real, whole foods and enjoy the flavours without added sugars, flours, and sauces from a jar that's been sitting on a shelf for months. I just came upon a wonderful website in my quest to send my clients some new recipe ideas, here it is:  http://www.heandsheeatclean.com/p/about-us.html There are tons of great eating clean recipes on this site. Here are another few great recipes I'd love to share with you right now! Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Prep Time:  5 minutes Cook Time:  PT6-8H Total Time:  PT6-8H5M Makes 6-8 servings Ingredients 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 tablesp