Today's Special - 28/11/15

I've seen a lot of posts regarding people's daily workouts on social media recently, and while these posts can be truly inspiring, we shouldn't necessarily be doing a certain workout just because our #wcw or #mcm does it! 

I'm posting today's training to highlight a training principle called SPECIFICITY! What does this mean? Simply put, if you want to get faster, stronger or more efficient in a given sport or movement, you have to work that movement, or parts of it in your training!

Todays session was based on Accessory Work - movements/exercises that will help strengthen my main lifts, decrease bilateral differences in strength and recruitment, and improve my skating! I finished with a little burner to help with conditioning, with low reps of power-based movements (just like the energy system I use in hockey) to avoid overtaxing my system! The big picture here: #alwaysaskwhy! Train in a way that is safe, efficient, and conducive to your goals, not your friends's goals or those of your social medial idol. If you want specific results, use the principles of exercise science to achieve them!

Today's Special - 28/11/15

Warm-Up

• Joint Mobility & Dynamic Movement

Accessory Work 

A1. Goblet Squats

A2. Bent-over Single KB Rows

B1. Single rack KB Lunges

B2. Floor Press

C1. Single leg Glute bridges

C2. Prone Hollow Body Hold  

C3. Hollow back rocks

Finisher

5 Rounds of:

• 5 pistols to box/side
• 5 KB Swings
• 5 toes to Dumbbells

The (F)Empower Project: Meet Mel!

I’m a television host and producer for a Canadian music television show I co-created called BRBR. I’m also the founder, content creator & creative director for MELSAYS.COM, a website I started a few years ago. My goal was to share my passions for travel, wellness, food, fashion and surf with everyone. This website has taught me so much about myself, it’s been such a wonderful journey thus far.

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been playing sports and been active. Growing up, I was the kid that belonged to every sports team and had an activity every night after school. I grew up doing every sport imaginable and as I got older I started focusing my energies more particularly on dancing.

When I moved to Toronto six years ago, I decided to stop dancing. After more than 22 years of dancing, teaching and performing, I felt like I had had enough. That said, being in a new city, I wanted to remain active and with my crazy schedule, the thing that I was drawn to the most was running.

Last summer, I also started doing NTC and working with Nike and it completely reignited my passion for being outdoors and living an active lifestyle. Working in the music industry and having an irregular schedule had thrown off my training game a bit so I was so excited to see that I still had that fire inside of me.

Through training, I also met some amazing new people that really opened my eyes to how amazing living an active life can be.

Being fit and leading a healthy and active lifestyle can mean so many different things to so many people. To me, it’s taking time for myself several times a week to get out and be active. I’ve realized that the more I’m active, the better I can sleep and the less stressed and anxious I feel. It has also made me feel a lot more confident about myself and a lot stronger mentally.

"Being active...has also made me Feel a lot more confident about myself, and a lot stronger mentally."

Photo credit: Mymediaphoto

Though my training regimen tends to change quite often due to the amount of time I spend traveling, I always make it a point to train at least 3x a week, no matter where I am and what I’m doing. Ideally, when I’m home, I run 3x a week and also do 1-2 NTC classes. I also ride my bike every day and on weekends will spend time outdoors. I love surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, hiking, swimming, yoga, etc.

I’ve realized there are many things that keep me motivated to keep training and exercising. The first, is being the daughter of a cancer survivor, I want to put all the chances on my side and lead the healthiest life possible to avoid as many health issues as I can. Second, working out makes me feel good, it makes me feel happy and more relaxed. Even if I sometimes don’t feel like going out or working out initially, the feeling I get afterwards is always worth it. Third, the amazing group of people I’ve met through training, running and partaking in races is a huge motivation. I used to run and train mostly on my own but meeting these incredible people have kept me on my toes and kept me wanting to keep up with all of them.

It makes me so happy to see and be able to work out with so many incredible women. I feel privileged to live somewhere where women come together to work out and stay fit. Through doing so, we also develop incredible friendships and are able to share so many important moments together.

I find that people’s attitudes towards women and fitness are changing. I see the standard of beauty in society also changing. It wasn’t too long ago that really skinny and unhealthy looking women were gracing the covers of magazines. Today, we are finding more and more healthy and fit women on these same covers, on runways and in press in general. It’s nice to see people slowly waking up and realizing that healthy is better than skinny. I hope that attitudes will keep changing and people will embrace a healthier lifestyle above and beyond everything else.

"I think being fit and being a woman is the best thing." 

I feel I’m the best version of myself when I’m leading an active lifestyle and being fit. I love being able to workout, getting down and dirty, getting a good sweat but then also being feminine and enjoying this healthy body.

This past year was definitely an important year because it’s the year I felt the strongest and the healthiest. It was the first year I really set some fitness goals and attained them. I ran my first 10k race, then ran a 15k race, a Spartan Race, etc. The more I did, the more I wanted to do. My next fitness goal is to run my first ever half marathon in 2016 and sign up for more races like the Spartan Race. I love the combination of running and also having an obstacle course. I want to keep being active and in turn be happy!

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Want to read more from Mel? Check out her website at: http://melsays.com

The (F)Empower Project: Meet Saribel!

My name is Saribel Deslauriers. I'm a 31 year old stay at home mother of three. I love being a mother and a wife and my life revolves around my family.

Since I was little, I have always been involved in sports and track and field. I played Handball for over 10 years and being active was always a big part of my life until I moved to Canada, got married and decided to have a family. When I had my first daughter everything changed. Sports and exercise were the least of my worries since I didn't see big changes in my body and I went right back to my regular weight. I never worried or had the time to think about exercise. Being with my daughter and husband trying to experience motherhood was my main priority. 

I had two more beautiful daughters. After my third baby, I started to look in the mirror and didn't like seeing that I was different in body and mind. I didn't do anything to change it, and lacked the drive to do anything about it. It was just easier to be at home, only going out when necessary. One day, I was sitting on the couch snacking on junk food and my oldest daughter came and said "when I grow up, I want to be like you!" That's when it hit me that I wasn't being a good example to my kids. I was lazy, eating junk food constantly and they were seeing that. It was that moment where I decided that I needed to lead by example and started to look for things to do to be active, something that would fit in our family schedule.

I started with zumba at the community centre while my daughters were in Karate, so it was a win-win. I started feeling better, not necessarily seeing any results physically but mentally it did wonders for me. One day, I saw the NTC (Nike Training Club) live classes on a CP24 segment and it looked great. It is high intensity training for a period of no more than 45 mins. At the time, they  had 3 classes during the week at Academy of Lions, including one on Saturday at 12pm. Now the trick was to find a spot... and one day I did! It was the first day of the rest of my fitness life. The NTC trainers understood my limitations and helped me push past them, coaching and guiding me through the challenges of getting back into the active lifestyle. Not only are they great fitness coaches but they're also awesome individuals.

I have been going to NTC three times a week for over a year now and train at home with the NTC app. I have seen improvements in my body where most of the baby fat is gone and I look toned! I honestly have not changed my diet. I eat whatever I want in moderation and also make sure that my portions are not extreme. I have not done any special diets or anything. I believe that you should be able to eat what you want, without feeling guilty or bad, because we only have one life and we should live it the way we want. Everything in moderation is key to me. 

Being a mother is something that has changed me for the better. My kids are my motivation and my husband pushes me to be better too. When I feel like I don't want to go exercise, he reminds me how far I've come and asks me if my excuse for not exercising is good enough? It's hard sometimes to keep myself motivated either because I feel tired, I'm too stressed or it's that time of the month. But when I start exercising I feel better, more energized, and at peace.

Training with NTC has changed me, I regained the confidence I once had. I believe that being active and fit has given me the chance to prove to myself one very important thing:

"If I put my mind to it, there's nothing I can't do."

There's so much that goes with being healthy and portraying yourself the way you want to be seen and not the way society tells you; you don't have to be skinny to be healthy, same as you don't need big muscles to be strong.

So from one mother to another: get up, it can be done! It will be hard sometimes but it will always be worth it in the end. Trust me you will not regret it and baby steps will get you there.

Now, when my daughters say to me "When I grow up, I want to be like you" I feel proud that they see a woman who's trying to be the best mother she can be, who teaches great core values, and builds motivaton and self-esteem by taking care of her mental and physical health.

#TrainTuesday: N+TC In The Park!

Moving to North York last summer made me really sad; it meant I was much farther from my friends, my favourite gym, and some of the best coffee shops Toronto has to offer. However, after spending almost a year exploring my new habitat, I have discovered North York really does have something amazing to offer: Parks! As an active girl that loves the sunshine, with a dog who is like her mama, I have come to appreciate all the green space that North York boasts! Green space means my pup and I can spend time and be active together! Over the next several weeks, I'll be posting my #TrainTuesday bodyweight conditioning workouts (as well as Kimora photos) in various parks within a ten minute walk from my place, for your training inspiration! They'll all be inspired by recent workouts on the N+TC App, meaning you can find them on the app and try them at home or the park!

Today's workout was inspired by Kirsty Godso's 'Zoom Fast' N+TC workout! I changed up the time domains a little: I worked while the pup rested, and I rested while she chased her ball! Here is the layout of today's conditioning session:

5 Rounds of:

• 10 Tricep Dips with Single Leg Extension/Side
• 10 Rear Foot Elevated Single Leg Squats/Side
• 20 Mountain Climbers on Bench
• 20 Ski Jump Jumps
  • These aren't a part of the Zoom Fast Workout, but I added them in because, well, they're my favourite! (Hockey Season, I'm coming for you)!

I do have to say, that my Nike Flyknit Air Zoom Agility shoes were a perfect match for the split squats and ski jumps, especially on the uneven grassy terrain! They are super light, as well as stable, and the Flyknit upper makes them super breathable, so my feet didn't overheat in the hot Toronto weather! And they're volt (enough said). Heres a video of all the movements, as well as a couple of full rounds! Enjoy!

Training and the Delivery Room: Trese Z + Jenny T

Labor is a natural process that results in the birth of one or more infants; "normal" birth begins with the spontaneous onset of labour between 37 and 42 weeks gestation (1). Infants born prior to 37 weeks are considered premature, and those born after 42 weeks are considered postmature. 'Gestational age', a measure of fetal age/maturation, is measured in weeks from the first day of the woman's last menstrual cycle to the date of measurement (2). Although labor is a normal physiological process, it is associated with significant risks of maternal and fetal morbidities, and occurs in three stages (1):

1. Commencement of regular painful contractions to full cervical dilatation
2. Full cervical dilatation to birth of the infant
3. The interval between delivery of the infant and delivery of the placenta and membranes

In the past, it was believed that exercise during pregnancy, particularly the third trimester increased risk of preterm delivery, however, recent research suggests this is not the case. In fact, a randomized controlled trial comparing 70 women engaging in supervised moderate intensity resistance exercise between 12 and 38 weeks of gestation to 70 inactive women suggested there was no difference in gestational age between women who engaged in training and those who did not (3). A study of 131 well-conditioned recreational athletes engaging in aerobic and endurance exercise during pregnancy offered similar results, suggesting women who exercised at or above 50% of their pre-conceptional level had a lower incidence of abdominal and vaginal operative delivery, as well as a shorter period of active labor, with similar rates of pre-term labor to the inactive group (4). Although birthweight tended to be lower in the exercising group, clinical evidence of fetal distress was less frequent in these women, suggesting a beneficial effect of aerobic activity on the course and outcome of labour (4). Exercise during pregnancy has also been associated with shorter hospital stays, fewer maternal and fetal complications, and decreased health-care costs (5).

There is certainly more to be said for the benefits of prenatal exercise on labor outside of demonstrating that it does not cause preterm labour. While research in the area of prenatal exercise and labor is variable, some sources suggest women who exercise while pregnant have lower rates of cesarean delivery as well as lower rates of perceived exertion during labor (5). Additionally, research completed at the Trondheim University Hospital and several outpatient Physiotherapy clinics in Norway suggests not only that pelvic floor training during pregnancy strengthens the pelvic floor muscles, it also prevents urinary incontinence in 1 out of 6 women during pregnancy and 1 in 8 women post-pregnancy (6). In addition, it also suggests that intensive training of the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy facilitates labour and may also prevent a prolonged second stage of labor (active pushing) in as many as 1 in 8 women (6).

Finally, the impact of prenatal exercise on stress, mood and birth outcomes cannot be overlooked. Recent research suggests that stress and negative mood during pregnancy increases the risk for both postpartum mood issues, as well as poor childbirth outcomes such as earlier birth, younger gestation age and lower birthweight (7,8). A recent study of pregnancy-specific stress and birth outcomes linked high levels of pregnancy-specific stress to pre-term delivery as well as low birthweight. In this same study, prenatal exercise and healthy eating were inversely related to pregnancy-specific stress (8). 

While all of this information is promising, the main theme running through this series has been individuality. Each woman will both engage in and respond to exercise in her own way. Please note that all exercise performed in the aforementioned studies was supervised to ensure both appropriateness as well as safety for both mum and baby. Obstetrics Nurse Trese Zannis expands on this concept based on her experience in the Sunnybrook Labour and Delivery rooms: 

“My experience in the birthing unit at SHSC has allowed me to work with women of varying backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and ages; providing one-to-one care in such a setting allows for the formation of a bond between the patient and myself. I have had patients that range from athletes to the women who enjoy walking in their spare time. Even though each patient comes with their own exercise background, there has been one commonality between them all: physical activity in pregnancy (when done under the supervision of a doctor and interdisciplinary team) has many benefits. My experiences with exercise in pregnancy and how it can be beneficial in the labor and delivery period are all anecdotal…I once had a patient who was a competitive runner tell me that continuing to be active in her pregnancy allowed her to cope better with the labor experience and that she had an easier time healing in the postpartum period. I have also had women who continued to do such things as: yoga, walking, and weight lifting tell me that not only was the pregnancy more manageable (with regards to less fatigue and more energy), but that they felt more prepared for the labor and delivery process because they were used to pushing their bodies in some capacity when they exercised. So while exercise posits a plethora of benefits, one should always consult their physician and interdisciplinary team of health care providers before starting or continuing an exercise regime in pregnancy.” 

-Trese Zannis R.N, Obstetrics Nurse at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Resources

1. Narayan R, Hyett J. Labor and Delivery. In: Women's Health: A Core Curriculum. Editors Jason Abbott, Lucy Bowyer, Martha Finn. Elsevier Health Sciences (2013) pp 184-201.
2. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Gestational Age. Updated 12/4/2013. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002367.htm
3. Barakat R, Stirling J R, Lucia A. Does exercise training during pregnancy affect gestational age? A randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine:(42) 2008 pp 674-78. 
4. Clapp J. The house of labor after endurance exercise during pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  1990. 163(6): 1799-1805. 
5. Effects of maternal exercise on labour and delivery. In: Physiology of Prenatal Exercise and Fetal Development. May, L.E. SpringerBriefs in Physiology. 2012 (VII). DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3408-5_2
6. Salvesen K, Morkved S. Randomized controlled trial of pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy. British Journal of Medicine. 2004 Vol 329: pp 378-380. 
7. Vieten C, Astin J. Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention during pregnancy on prenatal stress and mood: results of a pilot study. Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2008 (11): 67-74. DOI 10.1007/s00737-008-0214-3
8. Lobel M, Cannella D L, Graham J E, DeVincent C, Schneider J & Meyer B A. Pregnancy-specific stress, prenatal health behaviors, and birth outcomes. Health Psychology. 2008. 27(5): pp 604-615.