Tag: healthy habits

Winter is coming. Why exercise? Why now?

Posted on by Sol
winter exercise tying shoelace / Pexels
winter exercise tying shoelace / Pexels

Winter is coming. Why exercise? Why now?

With a second wave of COVID on the horizon, now is the time to get into that winter exercise routine. As we move into the fall and temperatures drop, many of us will be forsaking our daily quarantine walks and wondering how we will make it through the winter. If you have been healthy, it’s time to lock down your exercise routine and recommit to yourself. So, let’s use this fall as your time to honour your goals. 

Starting from what feels like from scratch can be daunting, but here are some things to keep in mind:  

Forget about numbers

Some people have lost weight during this pandemic, others have gained. In the end, it doesn’t matter. If there was ever a time to ditch the scale, it’s now. You don’t need some artificial set of numbers driving your output and your effort. Every workout that you participate in means that you aren’t sick and are healthy enough to be exerting effort. Whether it’s a walk with a friend or an all-out sweaty virtual power yoga session, the time you put in is your time. 

Focus on what you like

Forget about what you “should” be doing. Now is not the time to try boxing if you prefer a low impact weight session. But winter exercise can be a time to experiment. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try a boot camp class but were too afraid of looking like a complete novice. Take advantage of at home apps and classes to find something new. There is a bonus to learning on your own — you don’t have to compare yourself to anyone. You can play, replay, slow down, or speed through routines until you find one you like. 

Exercise makes you happy

You may hate it when you’re in the middle of a workout, but science tells us that exercise relieves pain and stress. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, endorphins, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood. With all this uncertainty, who couldn’t use a brain boost right now?

Exercise builds community

When I opened TrainingSpaces over two years ago, I knew this wasn’t going to be an ordinary studio. I was passionate and focused on inclusion. I strongly believe that no matter your size, background, or experience, exercise is for everyone. Just showing up makes you an athlete — and every single person who walks through the doors of TrainingSpaces is valued. Clients and trainers alike, we are all striving towards our own goals. In this time where we’ve seen so much isolation, anxiety, and depression, having a safe space where you can work out is essential. Seeing a friendly, supportive face is what so many of us need right now. 

I hope to see you back either in the studio or hear about your successes as you continue to train virtually with your trainer. 

Self-care is about self-preservation, and self-isolation whenever necessary

Posted on by Sol
Self-care: man receiving aromatherapy treatment / Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Self-care: man receiving aromatherapy treatment / Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Self-care is about self-preservation, and self-isolation whenever necessary

As you may have noticed, we’ve been resurfacing previous blog posts when circumstances make it impossible to generate new content every week. Self-care may seem like an odd thing to be thinking about in these turbulent times, what with its connotations of laxity and self-indulgence. But that’s just one way to think about it. The preventative measures currently being urged upon us — social distancing, self-isolation and the like — are all about taking care of ourselves initially. We need to stay healthy in order to help the people around us — so self-care morphs into a broader sense of concern, support, and responsibility for the greater good.

This post originally appeared July 29, 2019. Stay safe.

With all those instagram posts tagged #selfcare and showing lovingly curated avocado toast and bubble baths, it’s easy to mock self-care as a millennial trend. However, the fact is that self-care isn’t just about getting massages and meditating in the sunset.

Self-care is how you take care of yourself. It’s the daily process of making sure you prioritize your emotional and physical needs. It’s how you manage demands on yourself and your time — from work to friends and family to ensuring you get in that workout. It is not selfish. It’s putting on your own oxygen mask before helping those next to you.

Self-care is not just about your mental health. It’s also about caring for your physical self, by eating healthy, taking adequate sleep, caring about your hygiene, exercising regularly, etc.

Sometimes it’s easy to know what we need. However, some of us are so depleted and disassociated from ourselves that we don’t even know where to start. Unless you are really good as establishing boundaries, shutting down technology, and saying “no,” you may need help acknowledging that you need to find time for yourself in your schedule.

Do you regularly:

  • Skip meals when you are busy
  • Use food to cope with stress
  • Cancel workouts to meet work deadlines
  • Automatically say “yes” to requests without thinking about how it will affect your schedule
  • Multitask when eating — working or watching TV, checking emails, or reading
  • Feel guilty if you are not productive

If you’ve said “yes” to any of these, it’s time for you to incorporate self-care in your routine. Easier said than done, right? There are many small ways you can start appreciating yourself immediately. Look for small ways you can include self-care in everyday life.  From getting up a little earlier to go for a run to spending time on the weekend preparing meals, these are not tasks but ways to show you that you value yourself.

We need to condition ourselves to take breaks and moments for ourself. The idea that lunch is for wimps that fuelled the 80s culture should be left in the 80s. Being overscheduled and always on doesn’t lead to more productivity. It leads to burnout, heart attacks, and unhappiness.

Signing on for Dry January can reset more than just your relationship with alcohol​

Posted on by Sol
Illustration for Dry January Image source: Viktoria Hnatiuk / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Illustration for Dry January Image source: Viktoria Hnatiuk / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Signing on for Dry January can reset more than just your relationship with alcohol

Each January, more and more people decide to commit to a month without alcohol. This year, it is estimated that one in ten drinkers will try Dry January. But does quitting booze for a month really make a difference to our health and should you take part in this new tradition? 

If you approach Dry January thoughtfully, it can feel less like a fad and more like an opportunity to reset. Dry January can help you commit to a New Year’s resolution to cut back on alcohol after a month of indulgences.The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines moderate drinking as up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women in any single day and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and seven drinks for women per week. 

Dropping alcohol for one month can lower blood pressure, improve your insulin resistance, and reduce blood levels of a signaling protein linked to cancer, according to a small study. People who quit drinking for a month also find it easier afterward. Additionally, refraining from alcohol will relieve metabolic stress on your liver — as about half of all liver disease deaths are from alcoholic liver disease. It can also positively affect your sleep habits, immune system, and help reduce anxiety. 

However, it’s important to remember that abstaining from alcohol for one month will not make up for eleven months of binge drinking. The true health benefits associated with cutting out alcohol are based on long term abstinence. 

The biggest benefits of Dry January, a short period of abstinence, are psychological or psychosocial ones. If you think your regular (or excessive) drinking habits might be contributing to how you are feeling (mentally, physically, socially, etc.), removing alcohol can give you the perspective you need to make sustainable, healthy changes. 

While Dry January won’t directly cure your depression, stepping back from your nightly drinks can provide the distance you need to assess your motivation for drinking. When not self-medicating, you’ll be in a better position to recognize that you might need help from a doctor or therapist. 

When you remove alcohol from social situations, does it change how you want to spend your time? Are you ordering that mimosa at brunch because you like it…or because that’s the expectation in your friend group? How much is external pressure part of your alcohol consumption? It’s hard to critically observe these situations when you’re in the middle of them. Taking a step back always helps, and Dry January gives you an excuse, if you need one, to observe the dynamics of your personal relationships. 

Like cutting out any other harmful substance in our lives, focusing more on what we gain — rather than what we lose — is key to success. Participating in Dry January can provide you with clarity and inspire you to make larger positive life changes.   

Let’s never do that again: a decade of bad decisions

Posted on by Sol
Detox juice cleanse promo
Detox juice cleanse promo

Let's never do that again: a decade of bad decisions

As the 2010s come to a close, itu2019s easy for us to look back on the way we lived. In the present, the decisions we made in the past can be questionable u2014 especially when it comes to advice about health and wellness.

Ah, wellness. Thereu2019s a word weu2019re going to ban from our vocabulary the moment the clock strikes midnight on New Yearu2019s Eve.

While u201cwellnessu201d may have started the decade as a way of optimizing our fitness routines, exploring alternatives cures, and investing in self-care, it has bloomed into a pseudoscience that promotes the myths of the diet industry. In the eyes of wellness, we need to invest large sums of money into dangerous, unproven cures and techniques that look great on social media and do nothing for our bodies. The wellness industry, from essential oils to extreme diets, prioritizes thinness as an outward display of health.

In the final days of 2019, letu2019s say NO to the irresponsible trends of the past decade.

But if we are rejecting so much, what should we be embracing? Here are some suggestions:

Nobodyu2019s life magically changes at the stroke of midnight and weu2019re all trying to get better. Letu2019s make positive steps by removing lies, hype, and hatred from how we get healthy this year and celebrate that we have as we get stronger, smarter, and kinder in the new year.

Is it OK to exercise when you’ve got a cold? Well, yes — within reason​

Posted on by Sol
Exercising with a cold? bare feet sticking out from blankets/ Image source: pixabay.com

Exercising with a cold? / Image source: pixabay.com

Is it OK to exercise when you’ve got a cold? Well, yes — within reason

Last week’s newsletter listed one of the unexpected benefits of exercise as being able to fight off colds and flu. But what if you succumb to one of the many viruses that are going around? As the weather changes, it’s rare that any of us aren’t affected by seasonal colds and the flu. But should you continue your exercise routine when you find yourself coughing and sneezing?

Experts generally divide colds into two categories: those with symptoms above the neck (runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat) and those with symptoms below the neck (cough, shortness of breath, chest congestions). If you have a cold that’s primarily located in your head, then you are safe to exercise. If you have any of the below-the-neck symptoms, you should put off exercising until you feel better. Additionally, you shouldn’t exercise if you have a fever, body aches, or fatigue.

There are few studies that say that a workout can actually help you heal. If you have a head cold, you may even feel better following your workout. Exercise opens up your blood vessels and lifts your mood. Many people also feel exercise alleviates congestion. If you are inclined, and your symptoms don’t interfere with your heart rate or your ability to control your breath, you can keep working out throughout your cold.

If you decide that you want to exercise, there are some routines that are better than others.

A workout where you’re breathing heavily, sweating, working hard, and feeling uncomfortable creates a stress response in the body. When we’re healthy, our bodies can easily adapt to that stress. Over time, this progressive adaptation is precisely what makes us stronger. But when we’re sick, this type of stress can be more than our immune systems can handle.

If you feel like sticking with your cardio routine, I recommend decreasing your intensity. Working out on a stationary bike, elliptical, or even running at a slower pace can still be beneficial. You can still strength train but gear your workout towards more comfortable, lighter weights. Stretching, yoga (but not yoga in a heated room), and pilates are also fine if you’re struggling through a cold.

And no matter what you do, make sure that you wipe down that equipment well to stop spreading your germs to your fellow gym-goers.

If you feel like you would be better off curling up with a book, Netflix, and a cup of soup or tea, then you may not want to push yourself. But a cold is not an excuse to give up on your routine and your goals. There’s nothing wrong with staying active as your body fights off a head cold. It can boost your mood and even help you heal. Still, this is a time when you need to listen to your body and not follow any rules that aren’t your own.

Why fall is the ideal time to start running

Posted on by Sol
Woman running in fall leaves / Image source: christianacare.org

Woman running in fall leaves / Image source: christianacare.org

Why fall is the ideal time to start running

After a long winter of hiding away indoors, we tend to embrace spring as the start of the running season. However, I think fall is the perfect time for new runners to get started. In fact, fall running has its benefits.

A lot of us want to run but we are intimidated by our own expectations. We tell ourselves that we’re not runners but the truth is that if you can walk…you can run. Of course, some people will not benefit from running but for most of us, the first step towards getting outside is a mental one. We reinforce preconceived notions of what a runner should look like and hold ourselves up against these impossible standards.

However, the fact is that people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities run all kinds of races. From full marathons to triathlons, we need to get over the idea of the runner’s body. Yes, there are athletes that crush a 5K in 15 minutes…but that is the exception. If your legs are short, you are a runner. If your legs are long…well, you’re a runner too. If you ever watch the scores of people crossing the finish line at a 5K fun run, you’ll see all kinds of people celebrating their accomplishments.

Because of the milder fall temperatures, you don’t have to limit your runs to early morning or early evening.

Beginning a running routine is one of those September resolutions that can be part of your reset and re-commitment to fitness and yourself. Running also meditative. Whether you listen to podcasts or music, this is your own time and focusing on your run means shutting off your push notifications and making every breath count.

Because of the milder fall temperatures, you don’t have to limit your runs to early morning or early evening. A mid-day weekend run is just as effective as a morning one. You can also run for longer without feeling overheated. Layers are your friend so just add or subtract ones as you go. As the seasons change, you can appreciate the beauty of nature and the changing colours.

Like any new exercise routine, it’s always best to start slow and be careful. There are many walk-to-run apps (many of them free) that will help you overcome your fear of running. They work by dividing up your time into small run segments, followed by larger walk segments. As you progress through the program, the ratios switch and the walks become less frequent. You can repeat a segment as many times as you want. There’s no judgement or expectations. You might breeze through the first three weeks and spend the next six months trying to conquer week four.

If it’s your mind and not your body that’s keeping you from running, make a commitment to give a simple sport a try that is all about you and your progress. Here are some tips to getting started (link to Running 101 blog) and then it’s up to you to keep on this path.

Recommitting to your goals means recommitting to yourself

Posted on by Sol
Recommitting to goals: blue-haired woman doing pushups / Image source: Karl Solano/Pexels

Recommitting to goals / Image source: Karl Solano/Pexels

Recommitting to your goals means recommitting to yourself

While summer isn’t technically over under mid-September, it starts to feel like fall the minute back-to-school sales and Halloween candy fills the aisles at the Supermarket. Fall already?

Summer has its own rhythm and its own priorities. Whether it’s vacations, camping, socializing, or just general spontaneity, summer may feel a little more relaxed than the schedules we keep for the rest of the year. For some of us, summer may actually be more hectic than the rest of the year. We struggle to cover our colleagues’ vacations and find every weekend occupied with family reunions and weddings. No matter if you’ve had a lazy summer where sleeping in was quickly normalized or a chaotic summer full of deadlines and late nights, you may have had to put your fitness goals on hold to accommodate real life.

It happens but a short detour is not a total derailment. Now that your schedule has settled down, it’s time to start recommiting yourself to your health goals. Here are some ways to prioritize fitness:

  • Meal planning. Spend some time on the weekend, or on a quiet weekday, to take care of lunches and dinners for the rest of the week. Making your food, preparing the ingredients, or at least deciding in advance what days are take out/pick up days can help you feel more in control of your eating habits.
  • Carve out some exercise time. You need to schedule in your exercise time just like you would plan a meeting or activity. Without this, it’s easy for other activities and commitments to take precedence over working out. Treat this time as non negotiable and just as important as anything else on the calendar.
  • Take a class. If you sign up for a fitness class, show up — and make sure you are on time and ready to work. Include travel time in your schedule so you aren’t rushing or being overbooked. While a drop-in class is enough motivation for some of us, committing to being on a specific bike or attending a class where your absence may be recognized (either financially or socially) can be extra motivation to make sure we honour our commitment to ourselves. We’ve even launched some great classes at TrainingSpaces, so we hope to see you there.

It’s time to picture your goal and reassess.  Nothing happens overnight and a fad, crash diet isn’t going to be the solution. Instead, you need a new plan. What’s one thing you can do today that will take you one step closer to your goal? Can you spend five more minutes on the treadmill or add another session to your yoga practice? Is it time to ask for heavier weights that will push you out of your comfort zone and nudge you a small step towards what you want to accomplish.

The fact is the summer break is just that, it’s a break. It’s a time out but it’s time to re-engage and re-commit yourself. And only you can prioritize you.

Connected Fitness: It’s trendy, effective (and expensive), but is it for you?​

Posted on by Sol
Wired fitness gear: woman using rowing machine with video monitor / Image source: Digital Trends

Wired fitness gear / Image source: Digital Trends

Connected Fitness: It’s trendy, effective (and expensive), but is it for you?

Peloton. Hydrow. Mirror. FightCamp. Connected Fitness companies are turning record profits as our home-fitness workouts evolve from exercise DVDs, to apps, to machines and devices that promise to track and measure our actual outputs and form. As technology advances, it’s not surprising that home gyms are being reinvented with sensors and live-streamed classes. 

Connected Fitness is defined as any type of exercise machine that is connected to the internet and integrated with a larger platform to either improve or adjust your workout. Depending on the device or machine, you can receive personalized feedback, join a class complete with leaderboards, or track your workout performance and set goals. 

If you are interested in purchasing a Connected Fitness machine, the first thing you need to ask yourself is: can I afford a Connected Fitness machine? With each machine costing upwards of $2000, are you passionate enough about a sport or activity to keep your new smart treadmill from becoming an extension of your drying rack? Many of these machines also recommend that you subscribe to a monthly channel of live streamed or on-demand workouts. However, if you are committed enough to cycling but are boycotting SoulCycle, a connected bike might make sense. You need to do the math before even investigating these machines. Because of their high price tag, these machines are an investment.

I’ve also seen clients express frustration with goals on their wearable trackers not equating to real-world results. Research shows that a third of people who buy fitness trackers stop using them within six months. Just like how your traditional treadmill will tell you that you’ve burned a certain amount of calories, these devices are just estimates.  

If you are attracted to the idea of a connected fitness device, you should also assess your experience with fitness and motivation? Have you always been the kind of person who can fit exercise in their life without much effort, or do you drag yourself to the gym because you have a family reunion coming up? If your fitness routine is built on extrinsic motivation (add link to past blog), the novelty of any new device will eventually wear off. 

A Connected Fitness won’t automatically turn you into an athlete any more than a BowFlex gym or downloading that Couch to 5K app will. While it may be exciting to add a new fitness gadget to your inventory, if you aren’t prepared to actually use it — it’s not worth the hype. 

https://youtu.be/48WEzFufe3I

Do you need to detox? Or just stop eating things that are bad for you?

Posted on by Sol
Stock image to go with detox post / image source: psychologies.co.uk

Stock image to go with detox post

Do you need to detox? Or just stop eating things that are bad for you?

Toxins are everywhere. We’re constantly alerted to the fact pollution, chemicals, and poisonous substances surround us. From air quality alerts to the waxy substances on non-organic fruit, we are inundated with reminders of our compromised environment. A number of classes, products, websites, programs, and articles also urge us to eliminate the buildup of toxins in our bodies. Without taking action, we are putting our health in danger. But is there any truth to these threats? Is a detox an effective way to reset ourselves?

Our fear of toxins is at the heart of detox diets and products. And fear sells. In fact, many detox diets and products are harmful to the body and your well-being. Adding chemicals to your diet, paying for products that promote sweating or promise to pull impurities out through your feet are all quick fixes to a non-existent problem. The fact is you don’t need a cleanse or detox to rid yourself of toxins.

When we’re looking for a solution to a frightening problem, it’s easier to look outside of ourselves than knowing that our bodies are actually equipped with a detoxification system of their own. The skin, lungs, respiratory system, intestines, liver, and kidneys all work together to create barriers or eliminate toxins. And that popular myth that sweating eliminates toxins is just that — a myth.

Detox diets work because you are cutting calories. Removing food groups, limiting the intake of certain foods, eating at certain times of the day, or adding extra fibre can lead to gastrointestinal issues, low blood pressure, fainting, nausea, and fatigue. There is no research showing the positives of  any detox diets.

Instead of buying into the detox hype, start by removing processed foods from your diet and prioritizing exercise, hydratation, and sleep. Make choices to use quality ingredients (fresh or frozen) and whole grains in your cooking.

There are many ways to take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Using products that boast detoxifying properties or recommend unhealthy eating practices are a waste of money and potentially dangerous. Instead, I invite you to do an internet detox. It’s time to unfollow, unsubscribe, and delete content that promotes unrealistic, unhealthy, and costly solutions to an imaginary problem.

Self-care is about self-preservation

Posted on by Sol
Self-care: man receiving aromatherapy treatment / Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Self-care: man receiving aromatherapy treatment / Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Self-care is about self-preservation

With all those instagram posts tagged #selfcare and showing lovingly curated avocado toast and bubble baths, it’s easy to mock self-care as a millennial trend. However, the fact is that self-care isn’t just about getting massages and meditating in the sunset.

Self-care is how you take care of yourself. It’s the daily process of making sure you prioritize your emotional and physical needs. It’s how you manage demands on yourself and your time — from work to friends and family to ensuring you get in that workout. It is not selfish. It’s putting on your own oxygen mask before helping those next to you.

Self-care is not just about your mental health. It’s also about caring for your physical self, by eating healthy, taking adequate sleep, caring about your hygiene, exercising regularly, etc.

Sometimes it’s easy to know what we need. However, some of us are so depleted and disassociated from ourselves that we don’t even know where to start. Unless you are really good as establishing boundaries, shutting down technology, and saying “no,” you may need help acknowledging that you need to find time for yourself in your schedule.

Do you regularly:

  • Skip meals when you are busy
  • Use food to cope with stress
  • Cancel workouts to meet work deadlines
  • Automatically say “yes” to requests without thinking about how it will affect your schedule
  • Multitask when eating — working or watching TV, checking emails, or reading
  • Feel guilty if you are not productive

If you’ve said “yes” to any of these, it’s time for you to incorporate self-care in your routine. Easier said than done, right? There are many small ways you can start appreciating yourself immediately. Look for small ways you can include self-care in everyday life.  From getting up a little earlier to go for a run to spending time on the weekend preparing meals, these are not tasks but ways to show you that you value yourself.

We need to condition ourselves to take breaks and moments for ourself. The idea that lunch is for wimps that fuelled the 80s culture should be left in the 80s. Being overscheduled and always on doesn’t lead to more productivity. It leads to burnout, heart attacks, and unhappiness.