Five Fun Fitness Fads

Bored of the same old workout? Well, these days you’ve got a lot to choose from. It’s not just about treadmills and push-ups anymore!

1. Bar Method

Based on the training methods used in traditional ballet classes (some of which you may remember from your childhood ballet classes), this method not only builds strength, but flexibility and grace, too.

2. Antigravity Yoga

Have you seen Cirque du Soleil’s ribbon dancers? This is along those lines. But not as high off the ground (to start with, anyway). It comprises elements from a few disciplines, including dance, Pilates and calisthenics, and is great for relieving pressure on the joints while still providing a great workout!

3. Zumba

Fancy trying out those latin dance moves? Then this is the workout for you. It takes classic salsa, cumbia, merengue and samba dance moves and puts them together to create a music-based workout that, hopefully, you’ll enjoy so much you won’t even notice that you’re getting in shape!

4. Piloxing

Piloxing is a combination of Pilates and boxing (and a little bit of dance). Developed by Swede Viveca Jensen, it builds your core, arm muscles while at the same time getting that cardio in. And it’s a lot more graceful than it sounds!

5. Roller Derby (or Derby Lite)

If you saw the movie Whip It a few years back, you might have been inspired to pull out those old roller skates and give it a go. But if you weren’t quite ready for the bruises and potential to become roller-roadkill, Derby Lite might be more your speed. It’s a recreational Derby league founded in 2007 by a retired derby player as a way to have fun in a more relaxed setting. If you can call whipping around on skates “relaxed!”

Kalev’s Fitness Tips #5

When it comes to exercise, variety is very important. It forces your body to adapt to different types of stimulus, thus preparing you for more types of activity! Don’t just walk on the treadmill; increase the incline. Don’t just go for a run outside; challenge yourself on a hill, or climb the steps in your apartment.

If you regularly lift weights, go see a trainer for a few sessions to get a fresh look at your program. Do you always run outside? Try taking a small group session at your local gym, a boxing class or a spin class. Whatever it is that you do for exercise, each day try to modify it just a little bit to make sure you are constantly adapting and improving.

For more information our 3D approach at Kalev Fitness Solutions, click here.

Visit Kalev Fitness Solution to learn more about Kalev, and don’t forget to follow him on Twitter (@kalevfitness) for a daily dose of fun fitness updates and inspiration!

Kalev’s Fitness Tips #4

This week’s tip is all about stretching. Stretching and flexibility are crucial parts of your fitness and preparation for exercise. Good flexibility can help prevent injury, and allow proper balance between muscle groups as you strengthen!

• Do lots of stretching of the quads and hamstrings. This will help keep you flexible and prevent injuries.
• It’s important to warm up your body before stretching so your muscles become more pliable.
• After warm-up but before your exercise session, use dynamic stretching (stretching that involves movement).
• After exercise try static stretching (traditional stretching).
• Hold stretches for 30 seconds or longer to achieve optimal benefit.

Here are some suggested stretches:

Standing Quad Stretch

 

 

 

 

 

Laying Down Hamstring Stretch (with a Rope or Towel)

 

 

 

 

For more information on stretching, try taking a core and mobility small group training session at Kalev Fitness Solutions to help with your flexibility!

Visit Kalev Fitness Solution to learn more about Kalev, and don’t forget to follow him on Twitter (@kalevfitness) for a daily dose of fun fitness updates and inspiration!

Kalev’s Fitness Tips #3

We’re just going to jump right in with Kalev’s fitness tip from this week’s Climb Times newsletter. If you’d like to read his first and second tips, just click on the links to be taken to his website!

Fitness Tip #3:

Incorporate squats and single leg step-ups on a bench or stairs. This will help strengthen your legs, increase your endurance and get your heart rate up as well. Go for high reps on this one so you can really feel the burn!

You can do this in the gym or on your own. For example, make use of a park bench or an indoor or outdoor staircase. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can increase intensity by adding weights, like dumbbells or a medicine ball.

Visit Kalev Fitness Solution to learn more about Kalev, and don’t forget to follow him on Twitter (@kalevfitness) for a daily dose of fun fitness updates and inspiration!

That’s Right – We’ve Got Pro Tips!

If you’ve been reading your Climb Times, you will already know that this year we’ve got some extra help for you in the form of a professional fitness expert! Kalev, of Kalev Fitness Solution will be providing you with a series of fitness tips designed specifically with the upcoming Stairclimb for Clean Air in mind.

With over nine years of experience as a personal trainer, and plenty of personal experience with rehabilitation and overcoming physical setbacks, Kalev will help you plan ahead, decide on a fitness plan, and even give you some insider tips!

Make sure to check your inbox every two weeks for our Climb Times news letter – which contains not only important updates and fundraising tips, but will also have a brand new pro tip from Kalev, especially for you! (We’ll also be posting tips here, so make sure to keep an eye on 739 Steps!)

Want more? Follow Kalev on Twitter @kalevfitness.

Spotlight: Sechelt’s Elizabeth Kool and Tammy Dean Take their Training Seriously!

Pals Elizabeth Kool Tammy Dean are hard at work training for the upcoming Stairclimb. Despite suffering from asthma, a condition that’s particularly bad at this time of year, Elizabeth joins her friend Tammy for regular high elevation hikes – that are 9 kilometres long!

And that’s not all they do – Tammy is a runner who is planning to take the stairs two at a time at the event, while Kool has started training using the stairmaster at the gym and running reps up and down her 10-step flight of stairs at home. Last time we talked to her she was up to 200 steps and aiming for 1,000 before event day!

Does this put your workout to shame?

Would you like to support Elizabeth and Tammy? If so, just click on their names to be redirected to their fundraising pages!

Join Team Global and WIN a Personal Trainer!

Up for grabs:  8 personal training sessions at the Innovative Fitness centre location nearest you to help you keep up with your fitness regime and $200 to spend at Lotus Wear so you’ll look good doing it!

Join Team Global by Friday, February 11 and you’ll be entered to win this prize package worth $900!

Spotlight: Team GDVFD

James Charles Ingram and Brad Plows take to the street in preparation for Stairclimb!

What did you do on Sunday? These dedicated volunteer firemen from Gibsons & District Volunteer Fire Department (GDVFD) gave up their afternoon off to trek up the steepest hill in Gibsons as part of their training for this year’s Stairclimb. Not only that, but they did it in full firefighting gear – which, as you may know if you were at last year’s Stairclimb – is no mean feat.

This year the GDVFD team is headed up by James Charles Ingram, who participated in the event for the first time last year in honour of his father-in-law, Len Doyle, who succumbed to lung cancer two years ago.

If that’s not motivating, I don’t know what is! So get out of that chair and go climb something!

Clockwise from top left: Herb Craig, Robin Woolmer, James C. Ingram, Rick Ruth and Brad Plows (Greig Soohen not pictured)

Support Team GDVFD here!

Stair Climbing – A Killer Workout!

Is it your New Year’s resolutions to get fit? Then why not make the BC Lung Association’s Stairclimb for Clean Air event on February 27^th your incentive to get 2011 off to an active start?

Here are three reasons to make stair climbing a part of your workout:

1. Using stairs instead of the elevator can burn about 500 calories per hour, depending on your weight and how fast you go.
2. Stair climbing is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get an excellent aerobic workout. Think about it. Fifteen minutes of stair climbing is equal in intensity to a 30-minute run.
3. Stair climbing can be a total body workout if you use your arms to help pull you up, and is excellent for cross-training.

But if you’re new to stair climbing, don’t go crazy the first time out. Start with one or two flights and then take the elevator the rest of the way. Or, if you’re already in training, control the intensity by running one flight and walking the next. Set a goal of increasing your workout by one flight of stairs per week.