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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Holiday Fitness Tips
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Whether you busted your butt all year long in the gym, or all year long your butt has been busting out of your pants, you need a Holiday Fitness Survival Plan to get you through the weeks of festivities. After all, however far you drop off now is that much more work you are going to do starting January 1.
But let’s be realistic…chances are you will partake in more than the usual amount of get-togethers and you will be faced with a plethora of festive, calorie-laden temptations. Here are some common (and not so common) strategies on how you can get through the season without punching another hole in your belt…
1) Eat BEFORE you go to an event.
You already know what is going to be there…tons of deep fried meat-like things, pastries disguised as healthy (’oh, it had a green garnish, I guess it’s healthy’), desserts, and many other justifications-on-a-plate. The last thing you want to do is show up hungry and knock people over on your way to the buffet. If you are satiated ahead of time, you’ll be less likely to impress the crowd with your ability to eat 27 chicken wings.
2) If you are going to drink, nurse one alcoholic drink as long as you can.
‘Polite’ hosts (and frat boys) will be trying to fill up your drink every time it gets low. Take your time sipping so you have less temptation as some people just seem to have a hard time saying ‘no’ (but not you of course, you pillar of strength).
3) Load up the veggies.
Notice it said veggies, and NOT veggies & dip. They’re low in calories, good fer ya’ and you probably don’t eat enough of them anyway.
4) Alternate drinks.
No, that does not mean one scotch, one wine, one scotch, one wine…It means have a glass of water or Pellegrino before and after each alcoholic drink.
5) DO NOT skip your workouts.
Try to find a way to increase them (perhaps an unlimited boot camp for Dec for $127!?! (www.PeakFitnessBootCamp.ca). It will burn the extra calories you are consuming and decrease the potential downhill slide.
6) Enjoy without overindulging.
Go ahead…live a little. Get a SMALL plate and indulge on the things you really want. If you have a favourite or two, enjoy it. Just make sure it’s not a free-for-all.
7) Be more strict on your non party days.
Self-explanatory.
8.) Change your mindest.
The justification of ‘it’s just that time of year and that’s the way it is’ is self-delusion and a convenient excuse. You have a choice, everyday, every party, and you completely control the outcome.
It’s your choice to heed the above options or you can ignore it at your own peril. However if you do choose to sail through the holidays like a pre-diabetic at the Texas State Fair, our doors are always open to you.
Just make the cheques payable to Peak Fitness Management.
Yours in health,
Cord
Exercise and Heat!
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
For anyone living in the Lower Mainland, you have most likely experienced the record highs we’ve been having.
I was recently interviewed by a local radio station, News1130, for some tips on exercising in the heat. Being that I didn’t get to hear the end result, I’m not sure which bits of gold they took from my interview, so I thought I would provide you with my Top 5 Do’s and Do Not’s of exercising in the heat.
Do Not’s…
- DO NOT take up a new, outdoor sport at this moment. If you were thinking it’s time to start jogging, wait until the temperature drops a bit and then give it a shot.
- DO NOT overexert yourself if you are overweight/obese, elderly or a child.
- DO NOT exercise in the hottest part of the day. Instead, aim for early mornings if possible.
- DO NOT forget to hydrate. The 8-12 cups of water per day does not include exercise and does not include hot conditions. Your water intake needs to be adjusted accordingly.
- DO NOT use the expression ‘hot enough for ya?’. It’s totally dorky. And yes, it is amply hot for everyone so don’t be that guy (or girl) and say that line.
Do’s…
- DO…continue to exercise, but modify the pace and intensity. For every degree your internal temperature goes up, your heart rate may increase as much as 10 beats per minute. This means it will take less effort to reach your normal capacity.
- DO…wear lighter, breathable clothing and a hat.
- DO…wear appropriate sunscreen. Duh.
- DO…hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This is so important, I typed it 3 times.
- DO…use this as an opportunity to try something new. Perhaps swimming where it’s cooler. Perhaps something indoors with air conditioning.
Hmmm… That reminds me, I do know of a great personal training studio….
So there you have it. Excessive heat is not a reason to stop exercise, but you do want to proceed with caution.
Here’s the link to the original article:
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20090730_102530_10008
We Raised $8,000 for Heart & Stroke!
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Peak Fitness Raises $8,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation
A HUGE thanks goes out to all of the Peak Participants of our two events in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon.
In May, Peak offered two weeks of ‘by donation only’ boot camps in Vancouver, North Vancouver and Langley. ALL donations went directly to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The next event was the BIG Bike held downtown Vancouver where an enthusiastic group of Peak Fitness Pedalers rode a 30-person bike through the streets on a cold, windy, rain-coming-down-sideways kind of day.
While the final tallies are still coming in, Peak and all of our donors raised about $8,000 over the two events! Congrats and a sincere thank you to all that participated.
There are so many people to thank that played a key role…
Mavreen and Lisa for your logistical and admin organization.
Chris, Tim and Stella for running their classes in all 3 cities.
Everyone who donated.
Everyone who commented on my own story and shared their stories of how heart disease and stroke has affected them personally.
To the gentleman in Langley who did not participate in our classes or receive the benefit of our training, but donated $500 to our BIG Bike event, thank you!
Way to go, Team Peak
Vancouver Charging Fees for Boot Camp Companies
Monday, June 29th, 2009As the owner of Peak Fitness Boot Camp, I have no problem with fees being charged for using parkland as long as the fees are reasonable and the enforcement is fair. All companies should have adequate insurance in the first place so that should be a moot point.
Our boot camps have always been run to have as minimal impact as possible on the park, the neighbours and the community…although I can’t say the same for all outdoor group programs. We try to ‘blend in’ as opposed to ‘take over’.
However, my concern with the new fees would be that some companies, perhaps those that were already violating noise by-laws (if that is in fact true), may feel more of a sense of entitlement if they are now paying for the space and be less flexible in terms of working around and accommodating other park users. It would be unfortunate if that is the case as I would say the majority of us are trying to operate with a high standard of professionalism.
Our goal with our group programs is to leave the park better than when we found it…so you’ll often see a Peak instructor throwing away trash that was left from other users or offering free fitness information to interested passersby.
It’s a relatively new initiative from Parks and Rec so I’m sure the format will need tweaking over time to make it work for all.
However I do think that from a PR perspective, it may have been wise for the Parks Dept to space out the announcement of new fees with the launch of their own competing outdoor group programs. Certainly they are in their right to do as they please, but this would have made it just a little more palatable for those companies and citizens that took offence.
Visit the original CBC article here:
3 Cities, 1 Great Cause!
Saturday, May 9th, 2009May is HEART month at Peak Fitness!
We are launching 2 weeks of FREE Boot Camps starting the week of MAY 18th. All proceeds will go the the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
Our Camps will be running in Vancouver, North Vancouver and Langely!
For more details visit:
http://www.peakfitnessbootcamp.ca/
Get Lean! Get Cooking!
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009Our in-house nutritionist is at it again!
Check out Judy’s website for more info:
http://www.dynamicbynature.com
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