Spotlight: Friday Night Skill & Strict Strength

Fridays are for Getting STRONG

If you've been following us on social media, you've probably read all about our new expanded class offerings to help you get on track to a fit and healthy 2017!  January equals a fresh start for many people, but is also the time of year where gyms are stuffed full like a turkey, selling 10 year memberships and promoting unreasonable resolutions and training routines. Let's make this commitment to our health and fitness a positive one, by surrounding ourselves with an amazing group of supportive, motivated movers who are ready to get started on their 2017 goals! And of course because...

COMMUNITY = COMMITMENT

CONSISTENCY = KEY TO SUCCESS 

CROSS-TRAINING = INJURY PREVENTION

Our Friday evening CO-ED SKILL & STRICT STRENGTH class is a relatively new and exciting one! Running early enough that you can still get home to get your weekend on, this class will help you build strength and focus in your training. The strength portion of each class will make use of tempo bodyweight drills, eccentric work and free weight exercises, while the skill portion will dare you to try new movements and positions that will challenge your body and your brain. This class is open to all levels! 

So What Can You Expect at a Skill & Strict Strength Class?

• 5 minute warm-up including mobility work specific to the strength drills and skill work that class
• 15 minutes of skill work
  • Skills we'll be practicing include: turkish get-ups, pistol & shrimp squats, archer push ups,  L-sits, rolling and inversions
• 20 minutes of strict strength and accessory work
• 5 minute cool down/recovery
• (and probably some hip hop)

If your goals are to get moving, to build body awareness and strength, and to try new skills, this class is for you!

Ready to Join Us?

We would love to see you in class! Grab a drop-in or class pack here and come train with us!

This Christmas, I got Present

You may have noticed that I've been a little MIA from social media over the last couple weeks... I haven't been hacked, or forgotten all of my passwords I swear :) I made a purposeful choice to cut back over the holidays, and actually experience the season, family time (and unfortunately a cold and a popped rib) unfiltered!

When I was 8 years old, I remember talking with my friends about how we couldn't wait to be 16. It just seemed like a cool age. When I was 12, I couldn't wait to be 26, drive a cool car and have my own apartment like one of our close family friends. When I mentioned stuff like this to my parents, aunts, uncles or teachers, they always told me to enjoy childhood while it lasts, because time flies. Boy were they right: their key message...

BE PRESENT

It's a little cliche, but one of my relatives had a small pink piece of paper on her fridge that I read every time I went to visit:

Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow is a mystery,

Today is a gift,

That’s why they call it the “Present”

For some reason, this little rhyme kept popping into my head over the holidays. As an entrepreneur and millennial, social media presence kind of comes as a part of the job description. There's a pressure to produce fresh content, increase your followers, and keep up with the latest snapping boomerang story technology if you want to 'be recognized'. But, I've always found myself a little torn. The hesitancy started when I was told to take pictures and videos of the classes I teach, to which I replied, 'but I'm teaching...'; my job and value when I'm running a personal training or small group session is the eyes-on, hands-on feedback and guidance I give my clients. Eventually I was told by the experts to include some 'personal, real life' stuff on my social media, so followers 'get to know who I really am'. Cue food pictures, dog walking videos and clips of my little fam and I hanging out around the house or neighbourhood. Personal, joyful experiences, now filtered through the lens of an iPhone 6+ and out there for all to see. 

Interruption, feeling bound to post, not registering the actual experience I was having mentally and emotionally were common.

Am I saying social media is evil? No definitely not. Am I saying goodbye to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter? That's negatory. What I am saying, is that it is worthwhile to step back and be aware of the amount of experience you filter and share through apple and android technology.

When I went out west to visit my family in Chilliwack B.C, I noticed an interesting trend: social media is barely on their radar. I felt a little weird popping outside to get a quick shot of the mountains in their backyard (seen above) to post on Instagram. Mountains in their backyard? WHAT? Every time I looked up from the sink through the kitchen window, or walked the family dog down their street, I was flabbergasted by the natural beauty surrounding their home. I just kept looking! 

And then of course, there's my nephew....

15 months going on 16, he moves fast and furiously; take your eyes off him for a minute, and you've missed a milestone. So I didn't. Despite the fact that he is obsessed with phones (he even tried to call me on a pizza slice lol) I put mine down, played, snuggled, and watched him experience the holidays until my little heart was so full of joy it felt like it might explode. I played board games with my aunts and uncles, watched movies with my mum, went to the mall with my big brother, all without concern for catching those 'Insta perfect' moments with a picture or video. And quite honestly, I appreciated the experiences on a whole other level. 

As I landed in Toronto on Christmas eve, ready to grab my baggage (not a pun!) and race to my father-in-law's house for a family celebration, I instinctively reached for my phone to capture my arrival: I needed to let my followers know I was back in #the6ix! And there it was, an instant shift back into old habits and 'constructing' my experiences for others to see. It wasn't really a thought, but more an instant reflex: grab your phone and take the shot. I felt 'programmed' (like a Storm Trooper! Rogue One is totally worth a watch btw) after all, Airport shots are Instagram gold. If I hadn't been on hiatus for the previous week, its a behavioural pattern I probably would not have even noticed. And that I think, is the key message I am driving at here:

NOTICE IT!

Take time to appreciate the present, experience and keep a little bit of your day for yourself, and be aware of your tendencies to filter (and even to alter your own interpretation of) your day through your phone. After significantly decreasing my posting for only a week, I feel refreshed, clear on the 'content' I wish to share, and those experiences I want be fully immersed in and keep for myself, and more aware of my go-to phone-grabbing habits. It's worth a try, or at least a few thoughts. Imagine how many extra reps you can get in if you don't feel pressured to take picture of your dumbbells! :)

Happy Holidays Friends! Here's to a healthy and happy 2017!

j

Spotlight: Sunday Movement and Mobility

FIT FOR FESTIVUS: MOVEMENT & MOBILITY

If you've been following us on social media, you've probably read all about our new FIT FOR FESTIVUS series: 5, 10, and unlimited class pass offerings that are valid across all of our programs (including our new class offerings beginning in December) to help you stay fit, healthy, and on-track to your goals through the holiday season!

Why? Because...

Community = Commitment

Consistency = Key to Success 

Cross-Training = Injury Prevention

One of our new expanded classes that we're super excited to be running is our CO-ED Sunday Afternoon MOVEMENT & MOBILITY class!  Why is mobility important? Well, first things first, if you cannot get into position, you cannot complete compound movements like squats, single leg squats, or even inversions properly. Secondly, mobility and movement work helps us tap into the feedback we're getting from our body to better coordinate and perform movements in general. It helps to protect our joints from injury and keep them healthy. Lastly, mobility and movement work is a great way to take your training in another direction..literally. We spend so much time going forwards (and rarely backwards) in our everyday life and training, our body actually starts to lay down more fascia and fibres to promote movement in those planes. 

If you don't use it, you lose it

If you don't spend time moving sideways, diagonally, in crawling or inverted patterns, our bodies dispose of the fibres and motor programs we use to complete those tasks. Ever return to a sport after a long off-season, such as hockey or soccer, and notice you feel a little rusty? Have you ever found yourself unable to perform a skill you once had mastered after a long hiatus? If so, then you know exactly what I'm talking about (and how frustrating if can feel!). 

Great Mobility Requires Great Stability

Now, I've mentioned before that mobility is a part of a two man Wolfpack in the past. Mobility on its own will allow you to get into some awesome positions, but will not necessarily feel stable or prevent injury (a la Vince Vaughn doing the involuntary Iron Cross or any America's Funniest Home Videos featuring an accidental 'splits' routine). Mobility needs a little help from it's friend, STABILITY.  Here I'm referring not only to overall (core) stability, but also stability of the specific joint(s) you're working into. How do we do this? With appropriate muscular recruitment and respect for tissue length, feel and range. 

 

So what should you expect in a Movement & Mobility Class 

Join us on a Sunday afternoon, and you can expect to move upright, sideways, upside down, forwards and backwards. This class will feature multiple crawling patterns, joint mobility exercises and stability drills, postural work, along with stability exercises, self-myofascial release, individual and partner stretching.

Mobility work is NOT a walk in the park

This sounds like an 'easy' class, but believe me, when this work is done PROPERLY, it is no easy task. If you're joining us for a mobility class, the first thing you need to do is check your ego and notions of what a workout should 'feel like' at the door. Rushing through these movements to finish first, or because they are 'hard' is counter-productive. In this class, the 'finished product' is not necessarily the goal! Rather, mindful practice, the development of body awareness and improved coordination are key aspects of this class. 

Ready to Join Us?

Grab one of our FIT FOR FESTIVUS class passes HERE and we'll see you Sundays at Artscape Youngplace from 12:30-1:30 pm! 

Spotlight: Saturday Morning Circuits

FIT FOR FESTIVUS: SATURDAY MORNING CIRCUIT CLASS

If you've been following us on social media, you've probably read all about our new FIT FOR FESTIVUS series: 5, 10, and unlimited class pass offerings that are valid across all of our programs (including our new class offerings beginning in December) to help you stay fit, healthy, and on-track to your goals through the holiday season!

Why? Because...

Community = Commitment

Consistency = Key to Success 

Cross-Training = Injury Prevention

One of our new classes that we're super excited to offer is SATURDAY MORNING CIRCUITS - a C0-ED 55-minute circuit-based conditioning class including calisthenics, plyometrics and free-weight exercises! Looking to get your sweat on, build some endorphins and then get your brunch and weekend-ing on? Then this is the perfect class for you!

 

So what should you expect in a SATURDAY MORNING CIRCUIT class?

• A 5-10 minute warm-up including joint mobility specific to each class workout
• 30-40 minutes of circuit-based conditioning.  
  • Formats we'll explore include
    • TABATA intervals
    • Fight-Gone-Bad Style Circuits
    • Partner work and 'You-Go-I-Go' Drills
    • And more!
• 5-10 minute cool-down, mobility and recovery work
• Modifications for all levels of fitness!
• A supportive, encouraging and fun community and atmosphere!

The Details:

WHERE: Artscape Youngplace Sketch Studio (180 Shaw Street, Toronto)

WHEN: Saturday 9:00-9:55 am beginning December 3rd, 2016! (Classes will not run Dec 31)

WHO: Lead by Jennifer Thomson and OPEN to MEN & WOMEN of ALL LEVELS! (*Note* December 10th class will feature a substitute teacher).

Get Your Spot!

Visit our FIT FOR FESTIVUS page to explore all of our class offerings and class passes and get your spot today!

The Holidays Are Coming!

It's happening...

Santa is coming to town this morning, stores are playing Christmas music, and my inbox has been flooded with holiday sale emails for the last week! Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the holidays - the cheer, get-togethers, and music are great but as a health professional I also recognize this represents a challenging time of year to stick to your training, fuelling, and sleep routines.

This is the time of year when it becomes just a little bit easier to drop the reigns, go buck wild with food and drink and to skip one too many workouts.

Sadly, this leaves many men and women feeling out of shape, guilty about their holiday indulgences and negatively about themselves come January, and often results in lofty, hard to achieve New Years Resolutions, costly gym memberships, PT packages, and meal plans.

Am I saying you don't get to have ANY fun over the holidays? 

Certainly not. What I am saying is that it can be a pretty slippery slope from 'I'll just have one shortbread cookie' to Nog-ing it up and skipping workouts from Dec 1st-31st.

MY SOLUTION: BE PROACTIVE

Now, we know that health behaviours tend to cluster together, that communities are great for holding us accountable for our actions and goals, AND that a solid routine can help us stay on track to achieving our health and fitness goals. Sticking to our training routine can help us all think-twice about our food choices, moderate our indulgences, and to maintain BALANCE throughout the season. 

SOME STRATEGIES

• Write your SMART goals out and post them somewhere you'll see them EVERY day.
• Create a BALANCED training schedule or routine and stick to it
• Find a training partner, or make a pact with a friend to stick to your training routine.
• START YOUR DAY WITH ONE HEALTHY CHOICE! Whether it's a 'clean' breakfast or morning run, get the (snow)ball rolling early in the day and positive choices will follow!
• Meal-prep to avoid insulin comas at school and/or work, and take a healthy dish you know you'll enjoy to holiday parties and potlucks!
• Don't be too hard on yourself if you have one indulgent evening!

Here's to a healthy and happy December friends!

Be sure to check our all of our new class offerings and our exclusive FIT FOR FESTIVUS December and January Class Passes!