You know the drill. Every time the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, people inevitably start asking you that dreaded question, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” You’ve come to expect the question and likely something prepared to the effect of: (more…)
A quick Google search for the mental benefits of exercise will yield you an exhaustive list of articles and other resources on the subject. It can be difficult to find time and motivation to fit in exercise and personal training while juggling the many demands of modern life! Many of our clients are busy working professionals juggling their fitness regimes with work, children, hobbies, and a host of other activities.
With over $106,000 raised company-wide in 2 hours at our annual Train the Trainer event, we’d say this event was nothing short of amazing!
Train the Trainer (TTT) is a night where clients donate money to a chosen charity in order to have the opportunity to get payback on their trainer for what they’ve endured this past year.
As one of our core values, we pride ourselves on the #LEGACY we leave within our local communities. This year, the money raised will be donated to charities across BC, including KidSport, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, Food Banks, Family Services, and more!
Known as “the ultimate night of payback”, TTT puts the coaches through rigorous workouts. Clients are welcome to dress the coaches up, create wild concoctions for them to eat or drink, make them sing or dance; whatever it takes to get their payback!
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Thank you to Bakerita for the recipe!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we know as well as you that there’s no escaping the temptations of all the delicious food that’s about to be spread in front of us.
When it comes to dessert, there’s no need to shy away! Especially with this guilt-free pumpkin pie recipe. With no gluten, dairy, or refined sugars, this pie is bound to please everyone at the table.
Try it out and be sure to let us know how it was (or feel free to drop some off the next time you’re in the studio)!
Enjoy!!!
How long have you been with Innovative Fitness?
I started with IF TELUS Garden in May 2017 – just after moving to North Vancouver.
Tell us about yourself:
I grew up in the Maritimes and went to school at Dalhousie University for my Kinesiology degree in Halifax, with an exchange at University of Otago in Dunedin, NZ. It’s probably easier to say what sports I don’t play, as I currently trail run, climb, play ultimate, soccer, run track, canyoneer, splitboard, snowboard, surf, cycle, and (of course) lift weights.
What is your next big personal CHALLENGE?
Expanding upon my backcountry and climbing skills so I can add “mountaineering and ice climbing” to that long list of sports above.
What personal ADVERSITY have you had to overcome to be successful?
Leaving a stable career in the fitness industry, long-term relationship and support network out east to pursue my passion for the outdoors in BC, where I had no professional network, no job, and only knew two people.
What has been your biggest personal VICTORY at Innovative Fitness?
My biggest victory is to keep on progressing and combining those small victories in a completely new environment. Since moving to BC, I have climbed (much) bigger walls, tried canyoneering and participated in more trail races (including my first Ultramarathon) than back out East.
In other words I think my biggest victory is that I am able to continue having small victories on a yearly, monthly, and almost weekly basis to push the limits in all my sports and challenging myself; the ability to not settle into the mundane.
What is your biggest client success story:
Hard to choose as I’m truly stoked about everyone, however, the current client of the month at IF TELUS Garden, Aaron Harburn, has been crushing it . He’s currently able to deadlift 300lbs, (200lbs higher than this time last year in his workout logs), pushes it every single session on Monday’s @ 6AM all while being a super-dad. Not to mention a fantastic Adventure Challenge partner for the past 2 years now who honestly pushed and inspired me in the kayak and mountain bike portion.
Who is your inspiration in the fitness industry?
In terms of famous trainers: Ben Bruno – Perfect mixture of technically sound and also hilarious.
In terms of people I know personally:
Al Yarr, my old running coach who has trained and coached for ~60 years, for always seeing potential in his athletes and his endless wealth of exercise physiology knowledge.
Anne Falconer, my old boss, who gave me so many opportunities for helping me transition from a sport-specific coach to a general-population/group fitness stream.
Jeff Zahavich for raising the bar in the fitness industry/physical literacy for youth in Nova Scotia.
Sean Allt (coach at IF TELUS Garden) for all his mentorship and advice at IF and beyond.
What is your must read book for other Personal Trainers?
It’s a textbook (ha) – Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. It’s important to know the physiological side of training, without forgetting about the psychological.
If you could only pick one workout song what would it be?
Anything electronic with a good beat or “Eye of the Tiger” for nostalgia purposes from competing as a Dalhousie U Tiger.
What advice would you give anyone thinking of starting a career as a Personal Trainer?
Train and surround yourself with as many different groups of people you can. Weekend warriors, collegiate athletes, the elderly, youth, couch-to-5km’s, powerlifters, etc. Find mentors in the field for each of these populations and learn. Be adaptable.
Also, find something to be excited about and invested in for every single client.
Thanks for chatting with us, Lianne!
Want to book a session with one of our coaches? Contact us below!
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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
Truer words have never been spoken in reference to fighting the good fight against bad posture. Many people have fallen victim to what has become known as the “North American Posture,” which is characterized by excessively rounded shoulders and a pronounced forward head position, or an excessive lumbar curvature and protruding abdomen. The technical definition of the “North American Posture” falls under two headings:
But what is a “victim” to do?
In reference to the opening quotation, we must first seek to prevent the pitfalls of the “North American Posture” by making behavioural modifications to 3 Main Areas of our North American Lifestyle:
However, if we’ve reached point where a cure is needed, I have narrowed down my “Top 5 ‘On the Go’ Postural Corrective Exercises” that you can do pretty much anywhere. Combine these daily exercises with the aforementioned behavioural modifications, and better posture will not be too far in the future!
Be sure to do them in this order:
*The information in these videos is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of a Physician or Physiotherapist prior to starting any new exercise program, or if you have any questions regarding an injury or medical condition.
If you have any further questions or would like any additional advice on combating the “North American Posture,” please feel free to contact me at jberger@innovativefitness.com.
Yours in health,
Jeff Berger, BHK, BACK, FMS LV. 2, Movnat LV. 1
It is reasonably safe to say that the summer is not great for most of our fitness regimes. There are a few of us who ride bikes and hike all summer long, which helps offset summer BBQ’s and cold beer in the backyard. But for most, the warm weather and free time get the best of us. Back to school season rolls around and suddenly it’s time to start taking your fitness routine a bit more seriously than walking from the pool to the lawn chair and back.
September has some big upsides when it comes to getting into a fitness routine. School season is a time for organizing schedules and for some of us, those schedules are focused around kids and their never-ending list of teams, friends, and a litany of other time-sucking events that can prevent you from getting in that much-needed workout. For others, those schedules are focused on attending school itself.
The number one key to fitness is routine and consistency. Way too much time is spent on “what” we are doing instead of “how” we are making it happen. There are a few tricks you can employ to ensure that you are taking care of more than just the kids this fall, and it starts with being prepared. Make sure you always have running shoes and gym clothes in your car. If you are sitting and waiting for practice/camp/class/playdates to come to an end, you can get a workout in. Go for a brisk walk or a run, or perhaps even get in a mini-training circuit while you wait. Maximize your ever-so-precious moments by getting in a quick workout – a 30-minute workout is better than none!
Here is a good simple circuit you can do anywhere:
A routine like the above is simple and easy to replicate. Remember the key is getting yourself moving. If you don’t want to be “that person” doing the workout in the parking lot, you can simply find somewhere to do a brisk intentional walk or, for an added challenge, find some stairs.
Another great option for getting into a new routine is to join a club or a team. For example, rec soccer leagues or running groups that meet on a regular basis have fun while getting in a great workout. As an added bonus, anything involving a team or group will have some built-in accountability – a perfect way to stay on schedule!
There are lots of options when it comes to staying active, from having time in your schedule to joining a group or being “that” person doing circuits in the parking lot. The key is to just make it happen. #NoExcuse
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With school back in session and the summer getaways coming to an end, it’s time to fall back into routine. It seems that amongst the ‘health and fitness’ crowd (or maybe more broadly the ‘hustlers’ of the world) there is a deeply held belief that the early bird gets the worm. Early morning workouts, long before the sun comes up, are the way to put you on the path to success and productivity.
But what if you hate mornings?
Sure, it feels great to get your workout done for the day. There’s less temptation to pass on your workout due to the mental fog that can come from a long day of work or for social events (no one is asking you out for post-work drinks at 6 AM). But if you’re someone who feels like they are continually battling what they “should be” doing (i.e. getting up and working out) and what they “want to be doing” (i.e. getting a few more hours or sleep) then we’ve got some tips to help you actually make it to your AM workout.
As far as we know, there isn’t any magic potion out there (including coffee) that makes getting up at 5 AM feel good, (especially so if you aren’t a morning person). But instead of thinking about all the work that needs to be done (i.e. miles to run and squats to bang out) think about the chance to get some alone time just for yourself before the rest of the world (work, family, etc.) starts knocking at your door.
It might seem counterintuitive, especially if you want to hit the snooze button, but give yourself a moment to transition from sleep to awake. Sit up in bed. Hit the light. Drink some water. Over time these small queues will help your body recognize that sleep is over and it’s time for the next phase of the day.
Now that you’re actually out of bed, it’s time to give yourself a little mental boost. Pre-workouts often contain caffeine, plus a variety of other cognitive workout enhancing ingredients such as β-Alanine, Citrulline Malate, Creatine, and amino acids like tyrosine which have been shown to help with mental focus giving you the extra boost you need to crank up the dial for an intense workout.
Mentally you might be feeling more alert thanks to the previous tips, but physically your body still isn’t there yet. Give yourself the space to allow your body to warm up slowly. Try a 5-7 minute run at a slow pace (we’re talking a 3 or 4 out of 10 on the exertion scale) coupled with some dynamic stretches to really get the blood flowing to the muscles. Taking the time to add this warmup onto your workout may seem like wasted time that you could have spent in bed, but it will actually help you go harder once you get to the ‘main’ part of your workout and avoid injury to muscles which aren’t quite ready for the grinding workout you have in store.
Going back to our first tip, there may not be a magic potion to make getting up feel any easier, but there is something to be said for a good night’s sleep that has you waking feeling well-rested.
What are your tips for getting out of bed for that sweet Rise & Grind? Let us know!
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