Thursday, November 14, 2013

Stay Winter Fit with Nike Training Club

Baby, it's cold outside. And, if you're like me, winter can sometimes make working out seem less than desirable. After all, who likes to dress like a mummy to go for a run, or risk slipping on ice when out for a walk? 

Although you may want to stay snuggled up in your warm bed, winter shouldn't be a time that your fitness plans hibernate, especially with all of those holiday parties and baked goodies around. With the right attitude and mix of workouts, exercise can help you beat those winter blues.   Nike Training Club has made it easy to do just that with a mix of strength training, cardio, your choice of yoga,pilates/barre and rest days.

Simply download the NTC app and like the Nike Training Club facebook page for weekly schedules to help you stay winter fit. Here are the weekly schedules posted thus far:






Of course if you want to take it outdoors you can  go out and play! The best part about playing is that it doesn't feel like working out - though you can still get your heart rate up and have an excellent cardio session. Have a blast in the winter wonderland outside by making snow angels, having a snowball fight or even building a snowman  No snow in your area? Try ice skating - you can do indoors or outdoors.


Be sure you always stay safe no matter what you do, especially if you decide to enjoy the winter weather outdoors. But most of all, have fun out there. It's a wonderful time of year...enjoy it!






Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Toronto's Nike Training Club

NTC @ the Academy of Lions



Most of you know I am an avid fit nut and my go-to fitness app since 2009 has been the Nike Training Club   Well wasn't I over the moon when Nike Women announced that classes were FINALLY coming to Toronto.  I've attended 4 classes already and let me tell you it  will have your body in pain for days (in a good way) The NTC classes offer a wide variety of FREE group fitness classes. Yes, you read that correctly.  It is such a nice space with a great vibe. If you live in the area I highly recommend checking it out.  Follow them on social media for more info about classes and events! 

ABOUT
Nike Training Club Toronto is a new club to inspire both women and men live healthier lives while providing a fun atmosphere in which to work out by offering complimentary workout classes

Mission


If you have a body, you are an athlete.



 WHERE

ACADEMY OF LIONS
64 Ossington Ave  Toronto,

Saturdays at 12:00pm
Mondays at 6:00pm
Wednesdays at 9:00am

(416) 538-4967

WORK OUT EXPERIENCES 

Toronto trainers lead group classes and work outs, which are available at no cost to those that RSVP through the Nike Training Club - Canada facebook page.   

NTC Classes: Live instructor-led experience modeled after the popular smart phone Nike Training Club (NTC) full-body training app that caters to every level of fitness. Bring your friends and get ready for some intense plyometrics! You will run, jump squat, burpee and lunge and you won't stop until your legs feel like J-E-L-L-O! The workouts are fun and the trainers are always extremely motivating.

You will sweat.. and sweat, ladies and gentlemen, is fat CRYING.  

Back and forth handshake planks 2min
lead by Paluna Santamaria
*side note the men where whining in pain :P



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

sweat smile and repeat

Everyone SHOULD sweat. When I am working out on my own, you best believe that I look like a hot mess afterwards. My one exercise rule for myself has always been the following: Break a sweat everyday. 

5 Benefits of Sweating

There are many benefits of sweating— makes you beautifulfithappy and healthy. Start embracing it NOW and here’s why:

SWEATING KEEPS YOUR BODY COOL

When you do any type of physical activity, your body will heat up which means your heart will have to work harder to improve circulation but sweating helps to lower your body temperaturewhich is also the primary function of sweating!  Sweating also relieves mental stress. Have you ever had a spike of emotion and you break out in sweat because a situation went wrong and you start panicking? Your body is trying to relieve you of the stress by sweating it out.

SWEATING HELPS YOU GET FIT

If your heart isn’t working as hard because your body’s cooling mechanism is in full-swing, your cardiovascular activity will improve and that is why athletes and “fit people” tend to cool down faster than unfit people. So the more you exercise and the more you sweat, your body will be trained to recover faster.

SWEATING IS A NATURAL DETOX

Wasting your money on gimmicky detox methods? STOP! Get a good sweat session instead by doing some cardio - dust off those aerobic dvds or brisk walk/jog or run around the block, just get moving. Your body is sweating out toxins and disease out of your body; this includes salt (which causes excess bloating), cholesterol, alcohol and harmful metals such as mercury (from fish). Although it doesn't sweat out all these toxins, it will help your liver and kidney speed up the process.

SWEATING MAKES YOU HAPPIER

When you exercise and sweat, endorphins are released to lower your stress levels and brighten up your mood.

SWEATING MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL

Sweating unclogs pores to improve tone, clarity and texture of your skin. Sweat also has a natural antibiotic called, Dermcidin, which will kill some bacteria on your skin. 

Make sure you are exercising within your target heart rate, and ask yourself if you are exerting enough energy during your workout. If you can hold a conversation while you are exercising, you are probably not doing much. YOU are in control of your workout intensity. If you are certain that you are training hard, but you are not sweating, this is a serious medical condition called anhidrosis, which should be addressed immediately.
If you sweat very little or don’t sweat at all, there can be many reasons that are interfering with your body’s heating and cooling system. You could be severely dehydrated, have water retention issues, low blood pressure, your workouts aren’t intense enough, you have less sweat glands or you have a disease that is preventing you from sweating. Or it could be nothing at all and your body was just built that way.
Everyone should sweat in extreme situations so if you aren't sweating at all, it’s time to visit your doctor and take preventive measures to ensure that you do not overheat because your body can’t cool itself down.
So next time if you are jealous of someone who doesn't sweat at all, DON’T BE. Because it’s nothing to be jealous about.

Friday, October 18, 2013

ODE TO RUNNING

With this weekend marking 1 yr since I ran my first marathon and discovery of the plethora of benefits of running I wanted to write a little poem .


ODE TO RUNNING

Days spent hitting the streets
each run learning new techniques, and routes to defeat
I get cramps in my legs and feet,
that get worse with every mile I beat.
Running is a whirl of colour and sound
as I run the streets around.
Running keeps me sane
when life is sometimes heartache and pain.
To run is to be alive and free,
this is what running means to me.


To all my running sole-mates this weekend - Good luck, you got this and ...











Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nike+GPS challenges are here! Are you game?

Nike recently updated their popular Nike+GPS running app a few days ago, bringing it to version 4.3. The update includes handful of improvements and one new BIG feature - NIKE+ CHALLENGES.
With this fun new update you can now challenge your friends to a race. Set the distance and finish date, send an invite to another Nike+ users, and the app will track each of your runs to see who hits the goal first.
Here are the release notes for 4.3:


INTRODUCING NIKE+ CHALLENGES 
Ready to take on your friends? With Nike+ Challenges, you’ll compete with your friends and motivate each other to go farther and faster than ever before. Track your progress, top the leaderboard, and snag a medal. Every run counts. 
• Choose a distance and invite your Nike+ friends. 
• Keep track of who’s in the lead and stay motivated through group chats. 
• Finish a Challenge before your friends and take home a medal. We’ll leave the bragging rights to you. 
snapshot of a challenge I created 


Give it a try and if you find it's not for you, you can opt out of the challenge.  The update is great for recreational runners to up their game up :)
You can download the Nike+GPS in the App Store, for free.