Sept/Oct 2015 ISSUE 8 WWW. YEGFITNESS .CA
TRAIN HARDER
NORTHERN ALBERTA BASKETBALL
SKATEBOARDING A FITNESS perspective
BEST OF YEG FITNESS
SHANNON SZABADOS TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN FITNESS
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EDITOR’S NOTE September marks a return to normalcy for many Edmontonians. It’s a time to get back to the reality of work and school for most after a couple months of holidays and summer vacation. It’s also a time to get back into your fitness routine and eating right after too many nights on the patio with some “happy pops” and missing your workout the next morning. This month’s edition of YEG Fitness is focused on helping you get back on track and offer you some motivation and suggestions for creating new goals.
TJ SADLER Editor tj@yegfitness.ca (780) 504 - 7428
What better way to motivate and inspire you than to showcase the woman who backstopped the Canadian Woman’s Hockey Team to not one, but two gold medals at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympics. We all remember that amazing gold medal game in Sochi against the US in 2014 and we’re honoured to feature Shannon Szabados on our cover. It’s not easy to stay motivated and get on track after taking a couple months away from your fitness routine. It might be time to get a personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals. With all the different trainer certifications out there, how do you know what to look for? The NAIT Personal Training program outlines what certified personal trainers must do in order to receive their designation and what they need to do to keep that status.
JOEL VERHAGEN Designer joel@yegfitness.ca
We were fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with the next batch of Edmonton Police Service recruits as they were completing their fitness tests. This is one group that puts even the fittest among us to shame. We show you what it takes to become one of the city’s finest and how to become an EPS member if that’s something you’ve been contemplating. Finally, we’re a voyeuristic society. It’s in our nature. Between TV shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians to the magazines at the grocery store checkouts, we can’t get enough of what celebs are doing. We’ve chosen an awesome crop of local personalities and chatted with them about fitness and wellness and how they make it part of their daily lives. So whatever your goals are for the remainder of 2015, it’s important to get yourself moving and to stay active. We’ll be here to help you stay motivated.
-TJ
CHAN RIN Photographer chan@yegfitness.ca
JENISE KROPP Account Manager jenise@yegfitness.ca
6 By Miles Morgan Physiotherapist
BIKING
Edmonton's
TRAILS
Tips for Peak Performance Edmonton’s river valley and surrounding areas are perfect for mountain biking. These six tips help your body’s muscles function just as well as your bike does, and ensure you perform your best while on the trails. TIP 1: GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR If you want to attack hills, make sure your hamstrings and glutes have the strength to get you to the top. Bar squats, walking lunges, and single leg squats are excellent exercises that strengthen key muscles that power you up the hills. TIP 2: SAVE YOUR KNEES PLEASE Nothing can ruin a day of riding quicker than knee pain. Oftentimes this is due to shortening of the muscles on the front of your thighs (quadriceps and hip flexors), which puts too much stress on your kneecap. Combat this by using a foam roller to roll out your quads and adding stretches for these muscles. TIP 3: KEEP YOUR BACK ON TRACK During aggressive downhill / aero riding positions your back is often forward flexed for prolonged periods. This places your spine under a lot of stress (intervertebral discs, back muscles etc.). Help keep your back happy and avoid injury by taking periodic breaks by moving into an upright riding position, or stepping off your bike and walking around while you refuel.
TIP 4: CALVES FOR THE PATHS Biking, especially uphill, demands a lot from your calf muscles. Keep your calves strong by incorporating straight and bent knee calf raises into your workout routine. Don’t forget to stretch out your calves too. TIP 5: CROSS TRAIN FOR YOUR CHAIN To maximize your performance as a cyclist, you rely on having the best equipment and your body to be in optimal condition. Studies have shown there is a cross training effect that occurs between running and biking. So, if you don’t feel like clipping into your pedals for a ride, consider going for a jog or run. You’ll work a lot of the same muscles used for biking without having to worry about cleaning the chain marks off your right calf. TIP 6: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. IF YOU BREAK IT, WE CAN HELP FIX IT. If something is wrong with your bike, it will let you know. Your body is no different. If you begin to experience pain during your ride, or in the hour(s) following your ride, it is usually indicative of possible injury. In this case don’t hesitate to come in and see the physiotherapists at Propel Sports Physio to assess your injury. We’re just as crazy about mountain biking as you are (really), and want to keep you performing your best.
FRESH FIT FOODS
Diets are often associated with deprivation. So many fad diet companies have led us to believe that in order to be successful – whether that is to lose weight or to adopt a new lifestyle – we need to eat less food. When considering the Basal Metabolic Rate (BRM), this might make sense as the BMR looks at how many calories the body requires at rest to maintain itself. It is the concept that if you consume more calories than your body requires or is burning, then you will gain weight. Many experts recommend snacking twice daily to keep energy levels and metabolic activity up. By snacking on the right foods it will help to keep blood sugar and energy levels stable throughout the day. When snacking it is important to keep it a snack and not a meal size portion, this is where we can get in trouble with consuming more calories than the body requires with the BMR. It’s important not to confuse “snacks” with “treats.” Due to this idea of deprivation, we often think of our snacks as little cheat meals, leading us to eat unnecessary amounts of fat and sugar. It’s imperative to avoid low-nutrient foods when snacking such as cookies, chips and candy. Instead, opt for meals that will provide nutrients that you otherwise might be missing. For example, if you know you don’t get enough protein in the day, try snacking on hardboiled eggs, chicken, turkey, or some chickpea hummus paired with raw veggies! Timing of snacking is dependent on your habits. If you are a “grazer”, someone who munches throughout the morning and afternoon on snacks, then make sure you are packing healthy snacks to munch on. If you are a nighttime snacker (once the kids go to bed and you have time to sit and relax), save a snack for that time, just make sure it is made of the good stuff! Snacking when your body feels hungry can do more than provide you with missing nutrients. By listening to your body and fuelling it when hungry, you can actually prevent yourself from overeating later. By depriving yourself, you’re more likely to overindulge at the next meal! Adding a few healthy snacks into your meal plan can keep you feeling fuller longer, especially when you choose food with protein and fibre – like a smoothie with fresh fruits, avocado, greek yogurt and a handful of spinach!
Celebrating Mother Nature, Reducing Waste and Creating Good Food Fruits of sherbrooke
By Carol Cooper Photography by Vivid Ribbon
re-directed huge amounts of apples to charities, community resources, group homes – anyone who will use them. Last year it was over 15,000 kg of apples and that didn’t even begin to take the top off the bounty. Do you want to be part of this abundance? Here are some suggestions to get you started. * Pick your own. Ask any apple tree owner and they most likely will be happy to share. Although it may be good exercise to jump fences and then run down the back lane, permission is always better.
Apples – the symbol of good health – shiny red, perfect shape and able to survive being thrown into a bag. We have the real thing here in Edmonton – fresh, local apples that have not been sprayed, chemically treated for shipment, waxed for shine or being transported. We have thousands of trees in neighbourhoods through our city that are laden with red, green, yellow or striped apples. Seeds or cuttings were brought in with immigrants over the years and have fascinating histories. All were planted with the intention of feeding people. They are still producing in abundance but our love of the quick snack - already picked and even sliced - has caused us to forget our local, healthy, environmentally –green choices. Fruits of Sherbrooke started about 5 years ago when Christina Piecha and Carol Cooper were walking through fallen apples along the lanes in their 60-year-old neighbourhood - Sherbrooke. “This is good food and there are hungry people in this city. We should do something about this!” declared Christina. Christina has been in charge of the harvesting of apples as well as rhubarb, raspberries, cherries, pears and other fruits that grow in city yards and are donated by homeowners. Carol took up the challenge of creating jams, jellies, sauces and condiments that each feature 60% - 100% “rescued” fruit. Each year they have
* Pick from a few different trees to learn the difference between those that are tart and last longer, those that are soft and sweet but do not store. If cooking, it is best to have a mix of many types. * Making applesauce is one of the easiest ways to store apples for future use. Then pack it into freezer bags of varying sizes and freeze it. Recipe and uses below. * Make your own apple chips. Slice the apples with the skins and dehydrate. Once totally dry, store in airtight containers.
* We have learned that you do not need to peel local apples for cooking as they virtually dissolve. The skins are full of vitamins and do not have wax, preservatives or ripening agents. Most local apples are not sprayed with chemicals – just ask the homeowner. Quick method for making applesauce – with local apples only! Wash the apple and remove blemishes but leave the skin. Stand the apple on its end and cut down close to the core. Lay the apple on the cut side, and then continue to chop and rotate until you can throw the core away and apple chunks are left. Pile the apples into a roasting pan and add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and bake in 325 oven for about 40 – 60 minutes until very soft. Check to make sure there is water in bottom of pan. Do not add sugar. Remove from oven and blend with an immersion or regular blender. Cool, bag and freeze.
What to do with your wonderful, healthy local applesauce? 1. Spread it on the special trays in your dehydrator and make fruit roll ups. 2. Applesauce contains natural sugar that the body breaks down more slowly than refined sugar and has only 100 calories per cup compared to 700 for sugar. Use in a direct 1-to-1 ratio but add the applesauce to the wet ingredients not the dry ones. 3. Applesauce can also be substituted for butter and oil in a recipe – again 1 cup for 1 cup. 4. To substitute applesauce for eggs, use ¼ cup for every large egg. Don’t do all in the same recipe!!!! Fruits of Sherbrooke always needs volunteers to help pick fruit, deliver it to local charities and to help us find other recipients of this abundance. Let us know if you want apples yourself and we will connect you to a homeowner. We also need ideas and resources to find a way to collect and process all these apples so there is real fruit in the winter for those who are hungry - school food programs, food banks, meals for homeless – anyone who is hungry. That would revive the dreams of those who planted and tended all these trees – good, local, affordable food for all.
To connect with Fruits of Sherbrooke, visit their website at www.fruitsofsherbrooke.ca
What It Takes
to Be a Certified Personal Trainer by Kate Andrews
Health and wellness is starting to climb in priority for many people today. Because of this, personal training is starting to grow in popularity. Furthermore, with obesity and other chronic diseases on the rise, the medical community is referring more and more patients to certified personal trainers. The term “certified” can be somewhat confusing for a lot of people looking to hire a personal trainer. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines certified as “having met the official requirement that is needed to do particular type of work and officially approved as having met a standard”. For a personal trainer this means the individual has gone through a rigorous process to deem themselves as certified by a national organization such as the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) or the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). In the booming world of the fitness industry you can become certified as a personal trainer in 4 hours. For the sake of this article, I will be referring to certified as needing a prerequisite of formal education. The quick certification courses are very informative and well done and would benefit an experienced personal trainer. Most certifications require a minimum of 2 years formal education from an accredited college or university in the areas of exercise science/kinesiology, physical education, or personal training. The Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association (AFLCA) will certify students under a limited scope of practice after 1 year of formal education to become a Certified Fitness Trainer. Once accepted to a college or university, a student will need to successfully complete classes (core competencies) including but not limited to human anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, professionalism, exercise psychology and behaviour change, fitness appraisal, chronic conditions and special populations, aerobic training, resistance training, and program design.
As a college instructor, I can attest to the rigor students must go through to graduate with a diploma or degree. How many people do you know who can recite every muscle and bone in the body or can take one quick look at you and know exactly what exercises would probably help the pain you are feeling? Once graduated, new personal trainers can take a variety of certifications from all over the world. Most Canadian trainers will choose one from CSEP (Certified Personal Trainer or Certified Exercise Physiologist), ACSM (Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Exercise Physiologist, or Clinical Exercise Physiologist), or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS). Candidates for each certification must pass a written assessment and for most, a practical exam. Believe me, not just anyone can walk in and be successful. For the CSEP-CPT designation (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology), the written exam is 2 hours and the practical exam is 2 hours. Candidates must be ready to convey their knowledge of the core competencies listed above.
Once certified, the individual will be required to stay within their scope of practice and follow a code of ethics. Furthermore, the trainer will also have to complete professional development for credits to recertify. All this can sound fairly confusing so to sum it up, to become a certified trainer one will need to: * spend a considerate amount of time educating themselves (usually a minimum of 2 years at a college or university) * meet the core competencies (knowledge in human anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, fitness appraisal, lifestyle counselling, exercise prescription, etc.) of the certification * pass a written exam and practical exam
And once certified: * adhere to the scope of practice or code of ethics set by the certifying organization * complete continuing education. Exercise and health professionals (Personal Trainers, Exercise Specialists, Kinesiologists, etc.) designated as certified have put an extreme amount of time, effort, and education to ensure each client has an individualized fitness and health prescription. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a certified trainer, which is why exercise professionals are superior at what they do and clients get the results they are looking for.
Kate Andrews is an instructor with the Personal Fitness Trainer program at NAIT. She’s passionate about the human connection and holistic well-being. You can follow her on twitter at @katepft
Ladies on the Green Golf Tournament The Ladies On The Green event is organized yearly by eight community-minded ladies who love the idea of charity golf tournaments — being outdoors, meeting interesting people, supporting a great cause — but don’t love the game. We were at the beautiful Victoria Golf Course as a hole-sponsor and along with our friends at SVPT Fitness & Athletics, kept the ladies moving while they were waiting to tee off. We’re excited to announce that this year’s event was a sellout with all proceeds supporting Edmonton’s Zebra Child Protection Centre in improving the lives of children impacted by abuse.
Evolving The Way You Think About Fitness by Jon Cheung
Photos by Vivid Ribbon at Evolve Strength
Olympic Weightlifting is a sport in which athletes attempt to lift the most amount of weight overhead using 2 specific movements: the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. Weightlifting is one of the few sports to be present in the first modern Olympic Games held back in Athens in 1896, and has been part of the Olympics ever since except for 1900,1908, and 1912. Weightlifting is deemed to be one of the best sports to train explosive power and strength which is why it is one of the preferred methods of training for many high level competitors in hockey, football, soccer, rugby, and others. Here are 5 exercises essential to Olympic Weightlifting:
clean & jerk
The combination of two movements; the clean and the jerk. The clean is the portion from when the bar begins on the ground and finishes on the shoulders. The Jerk is when the athlete lifts the barbell into an overhead position while splitting into a lunge position. Some lifters who have the flexibility will do this motion with a squat instead of a lunge.
1
2
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4
Snatch
In the snatch, the barbell is lifted from the floor to an overhead position in one motion.
SNATCH
3
BACK SQUAT
Weightlifters tend to use a high bar squat for their training where the bar sits higher on the traps to allow for a taller posture. Keeping the weight evenly distributed in the foot, the lifter squats to full depth and back up.
PUSH PRESS
Similar to a military press, the push press uses the same movement but adds an explosive extension of the hips, knees, and ankles to drive the weight above head.
SNATCH grip deadlift
With similar mechanics to a regular deadlift, the snatch grip deadlift uses a much wider grip (usually outside the knurl mark) which helps develop strength and stability in the first pull in the snatch and also targets the posterior chain more compared to conventional deadlifts.
With 14 platforms, indoor turf, 17 squat racks, competition weights and bars, Evolve is the premier strength training facility in Alberta. We are a public facility focusing on Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Sports training, education and general strength development. We are also one of the only facilities to also have an array of medical services such as chiropractic, physiotherapy, nutrition, acupuncture, massage therapy, and yoga all under one roof. To learn more about Evolve, visit our website at www.evolvestrength.ca
Great runners are efficient, effortless, and relaxed. The fundamental components of good running form are generally agreed upon: landing on the middle of the foot, near the body's natural center of mass; relaxed, straight posture; not rotating the upper body or kicking the legs out to the side; efficient turnover.
There are some adjustments that you can make that will help you to be more efficient, some things that you can do on your own include:
Unfortunately, many of us don’t have good form, and studies show that a large percentage of runners are injured every year. The most sustainable way to reduce the chance of injuries and improve your technique is to improve your functional mechanics.
Changing your mechanics is not as simple as heading out the door and thinking about running differently. Making sustainable differences requires a little more work. Our bodies have imbalances and weaknesses that influence our form; even if you consciously think about changing, your engrained patterns will eventually take over. Trying to force changes can also lead to injury. The best athletes look like they aren’t working that hard, because they are efficient. As a runner, the very best thing that you can do to improve your efficiency is to incorporate cross training that focuses on mobility, mechanics and brain-body connection. Improving breathing, fitness, spine and hip mobility, glute activation, pillar strength, hinging and twitching are key to improving your mechanics and performance. As your fitness and functional movement improve, so will your running.
Focus on breathing through your belly instead of into the chest. Practice this often. Relax your shoulders and keep a natural arm swing with elbows bent at 90 degrees. Use your arms to counterbalance leg movement and help propel you. If you have a tight back or shoulders, foam rolling and using a massage ball can help improve mobility. Challenge your fitness. Improved fitness helps you to increase speed and cadence, which improves stride efficiency. Do quality core work. Planking is one of the best core exercises you can do. Avoid core training that is hip flexor dominant. Do a proper warm up prior to every run. A proper warm up should include mobility, activation, functional movement and dynamic stretching. Incorporate cross training that focuses on functional mechanics
Limited hip drop, stable hips with minimal shift. No knee collapse or foot flare.
Slight lean forward, head up, core engaged, breathing through belly, shoulders relaxed
Arms at 90 degrees or less, above the waist and swinging back and forth, not across the body
Efficient turnover, good cadence. Natural stride landing on midfoot under the body.
About the author: Dr. Derek Lampshire, DC CSCS is the founder of River Valley Health (RVH) and The Base by RVH. Dr. Lampshire has 14 years of experience working with elite athletes and is the creator of the 4322 performance training system. He is also a 3 time Ironman finisher. To learn more about The Base or 4322 training, visit rivervalleyhealth.com
The Road of a Two-Time Olympian by Clinton Senkow
Photos by Vivid Ribbon at The Base by RVH
If you didn’t watch the 2014 Women’s Hockey Olympic Gold Medal Game you might not know who Shannon Szabados is. For the 4.9 million viewers who watched it on NBC in the US or the 13 million viewers who watched in Canada you know exactly who she is. She’s the goalie that stood on her head for Canada with numerous saves in the dying minutes and seconds of the game resulting in Canada being crowned Olympic Gold Medallists. It was one of the most intense hockey games ever played on TV in recent memory. With the Olympics over, some may wonder where Shannon currently plays and what keeps her busy when not with Team Canada. Most of the other female hockey players are playing in a women’s league and/or working a part-time job, but in Shannon’s case she has been doing something most female hockey players never thought was possible. Playing with the guys. That’s right, throughout her career and starting at age five, Shannon has been playing hockey not only with girls her age but with guys too. Judging by the title of this article you know that Shannon has had tremendous success in hockey and sports two Olympic gold medals to prove it. But we wanted to know more about how she got to where she is today and focus on the accomplishments most people don’t know much about. What better place to start than her second year of high school when at the age of 16, she split time in goal for the Tri City Americans of the WHL, the MLAC Midget AAA men’s team in Edmonton and the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL. By suiting up for the Sherwood Park Crusaders she became the first Canadian Junior A female player to play a game. She achieved the same feat by
suiting up for the WHL Tri-City Americans and becoming the first female player to play in the WHL. A fun fact is that her single game she suited up in Tri-City was alongside NHL goalie Carey Price who just happened to win this past season the Vezina, Hart, William. M. Jennings Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay award for his memorable season. Pretty remarkable to think that at the age of 16 Shannon was able to accomplish such high honours that not even guys her age could have done. This was just the start of Shannon’s career taking off and if you were around her, or had seen her play you knew she was destined to go places. During the next four years, she would play in the AJHL suiting up for the Sherwood Park Crusaders, Bonnyville Pontiacs, and Fort Saskatchewan Traders landing herself in the AJHL all-star game twice and getting awarded the AJHL Best Goaltender in her final year of junior eligibility with the
Fort Saskatchewan Traders when she was 20 years old. By the age of 20, Shannon had accomplished so much but she was still in search of what every athlete dreams of; that coveted championship trophy. After her junior hockey years were finished, she decided to move on and play college hockey in her hometown of Edmonton for the Grant MacEwan Griffins. At the time Grant MacEwan was still a college and their hockey program was starting to catch its stride. Signing a highly touted prospect like Shannon instantly made their team better. She would spend the next three years there studying Physical Education but would leave the program empty handed in 2011 without a championship. A friend of hers who was playing at NAIT at the time approached her and asked if she wanted to transfer and play at NAIT the following season. After contacting the coach and researching what she could study at NAIT, she thought about it some more and decided to join NAIT for the 2011-2012 season. That season Shannon and the NAIT Ooks would go onto the ACAC league final and lose at home in OT in Game 4 to the Augustana Vikings. Shannon would come close but miss yet again hoisting that championship trophy above her head. She had one more year of college hockey eligibility left, and returned to NAIT for her final season. She would go on to post records in multiple categories for the league with her individual stats and land NAIT in the final once again, this time facing off with bitter provincial rivals the SAIT Trojans. Shannon would be a catalyst the entire series and in game 4 at SAIT in double OT the dream would come true. She would go on to win a championship in a men’s league, playing alongside men and against men for the first time in her career. She will never forget that day and neither will I as I was alongside her as a teammate hoisting the trophy after her. Now that her college career was complete, and she had basically accomplished everything in hockey that a woman playing against men could do, Shannon decided to embark on the next chapter of her career - the professional game. A few teammates of ours at NAIT wandered down to the southern United States and starting playing professionally in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) on the same team in Columbus, Georgia. NAIT’s old captain Kyle Johnson talked to his coach and said that he should take a look at bringing Shannon on as a goalie. A few months after we watched Shannon capture a Gold Medal for Canada at the Olympics, she was on a plane to join some of her old teammates in Columbus to play professionally. She would go on to play two games that season in a supporting role but provided enough evidence to warrant herself a contract for the following year.
Bringing us to this past season where she played her first full season of professional hockey suiting up for 25 games posting very respectful numbers. Shannon says “it was an amazing experience and will be returning there again this season as I now know what to expect from the professional game.” If you want to keep tabs on Shannon this season I recommend you tune in online to live streams of her games playing for the Columbus Cottonmouths in the SPHL.
Shannon’s Tips To Young Athletes: 1. Take time off Don’t be afraid to enjoy other sports when your primary sport season is finished. If you play hockey for 8 months of the year, get out after the season and play another sport or enjoy the summer. GIve your body and mind a break, as this will help fuel you for the following season. 2. Create opportunities don’t wait for them If you want to be on that starting line-up or put out at the end of a game you need to show respect for your teammates and coaches and demonstrate positive consistent actions on a regular basis. Creating rather than waiting will help you achieve what you want from your sport or in life. 3. Play for the right reasons Make sure that you love what you’re doing. Life is made of so many possibilities and you should be playing a sport because you love the game and you have fun doing it. The moment you stop having fun, you need to step back and find out what’s missing.
Clinton Senkow is an Edmonton area writer who is active within the community and on social media. Connect with him on Twitter at @CSenksBiz and on Instagram @csenks
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SKATEBOARDING A Fitness Perspective BY ROB MARRS
Photos by Vivid Ribbon
When most people think of skateboarding, a few things generally come to mind. Perhaps that time they stepped on their friend’s board and went flying onto their butt. Or maybe it’s those punk kids skating around town causing mischief and giving the sport a bad name. But whatever it is, I would like to take a few minutes to shine a light on some entry level tips, physical benefits, a few spots around town to get you started, and perhaps change your view on skateboarding as you know it. I grew up in Ontario and started skateboarding at 6 years old. At 12, I started snowboarding, and by age 14 I was wakeboarding. I started competing on both snowboard and wakeboard at 16 years of age. Although I never entered into any skateboard competitions, it was something I enjoyed doing to make sure I was always on a board and was able to keep pushing myself physically and mentally when I couldn’t be at the mountain or on the water.
A couple notable achievements from my past were winning the amateur event at Wakestock (wakeboard competition) when I was 17 and winning Forum Youngblood (snowboard competition) when I was 19. But after many years of going big, trying to pursue making a living off of snowboarding, and countless injuries on the mountain, I have stepped back and started riding at a level that keeps me on my feet and injury free. Now that I’m 30 years old and have a baby girl, I don’t get the chance to snowboard or wakeboard as often. But I still skateboard all the time because it’s so easy to get out for a quick push anytime the ground is dry. Skateboarding is so much more that what meets the eye. It’s part of a healthy active lifestyle that can help fine tune our bodies and prepare us for almost every other sport in the world. Balance, core strength, explosiveness, and huge cardio improvements are probably the most notable benefits. Skateboarding also helps develop major muscles such as
hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower back, and abs. Nowadays, Ski coaches are telling their racers to skateboard in the off-season; golfers are gaining balance in their swing from skateboarding; hockey players, swimmers and runners are feeling the core, cardio and explosive benefits. The list of sports that skateboarding can help improve is virtually endless. Plus, it is said that just pushing around on flat terrain can accelerate your cardiovascular system and burn between 8 – 12 calories per minute! And you look cool while doing it. There is sometimes a mental hurdle we need to get over before stepping on a board. We tell ourselves “skateboarding is just for kids” or “I would get injured if I got on one of those things.” But I’m sure you would say the same about a bicycle if you had never tried riding one. And herein lies one of my favorite benefits of skateboarding that is applicable to everyday life - Skateboarding can help evolve the mind to improve our perception of self and ones drive to complete a task. Whether you just skated 10 feet for your first time, or just landed your first trick, you had to make a conscious decision to push yourself and make it happen through a certain level of mental clarity and high level of focus. The internal sense of reward is great, and continuously pushing yourself to progress on a skateboard can carry over to benefit us in other life situations like in sports, at the gym, in the workplace, and at home every day. Lets get to it! Here are some very valuable tips to get you started on the right foot.
Choosing a board:
There are so many shapes and sizes out there, as well as wheel type, truck size and bearing grade. It can be a little overwhelming. So ask the staff at the skate shop to help with your decision. Lets break it down into two categories for this articles sake – Cruising, and Aggressive.
CRUISING:
If you just want to go out for a push and cruise the streets, I suggest you go for a nice wide board, with wide trucks and soft wheels, for more stability. Maybe even get a longboard. But keep in mind most longboards don’t have a “kick” on the tail of the board, which I find lacks huge maneuverability, especially when skating in the city. Also, they are designed to reach insanely high speeds, so stay away from big hills if you’re not an advanced skater.
AGGRESSIVE:
If you want to learn how to “ollie” (jump) and want to be a little bit more playful and maneuverable, then go for a short board (with a “twin tip” shape). This is what most people ride. You’ll want a skate park formula wheel, and trucks that roughly
match the width of your board. You may want to speak with the salesperson to help decide on a board width, truck width, wheel size, and bearing grade. In the end, remember not to pull your hair out over a board decision. Get something you are happy and comfortable with.
My set-up: Deck: Santa Cruz – Width 8.5” Trucks: Independent Wheels: Bones – 58mm SPF (skate park formula) Bearings: Reds Total cost: $225.00 Please, whatever you do, don’t buy a skateboard from some big name block store. If you think you’re getting a great deal on the price, there is a reason. It will break easily, it won’t roll very well, it will have bad grip, and will surely turn you away from skateboarding in a hurry. This is why we have “core” skate shops, they only sell top quality product and hire staff that know what they’re talking about.
Precautions and things to remember: 1) ALWAYS wear a helmet. It doesn’t matter what level you ride at.
2) If you’re not very confident standing on a board or pushing around on one, then PLEASE get yourself some pads – Elbow pads, kneepads, and wrist guards. These will help you get back on the board right away if you should fall, therefore shortening your learning curve. 3) Stretch first! – We’re not 18 anymore (at least I’m not). Do some basic leg and arm stretches before you go out for a push. Anytime I’ve skipped stretching I regret it the second I relax afterwards. 4) Pick up some skate shoes. They are flatter and have less tread. It won’t be fun trying to skate in your Nike cross trainers. 5) Lastly, but MOST IMPROTANT - Always skate within your comfort zone. Anytime I’ve seen someone get hurt, it was trying something that they were clearly not ready for. As the old expression goes… “If you can’t walk, don’t run.” To help prevent injury or pulling a muscle, focus on improving in these 5 areas before jumping on a board each time: Calves, quads, hams, abs, and lower back. I am not a trainer so I won’t suggest exercises, but you can do some research online or ask a trainer at the gym. Let them know it’s for skateboarding. I’ll suggest one favorite exercise (although you should still ask for advice from a trainer.) At
some gyms you can find a balance board, practice balancing with your knees bent (keeping a low center of gravity will help on the balance board and on your skateboard.) Then, once you’re comfortable and confident, try doing little squats while balancing. You’re not trying to sit on the board, but lower your butt to a level that makes balancing a bit trickier (just around knee height.)
Favorite Skate parks In Edmonton: North – Castle Downs South – Kaskitayo and Millwoods East – Capilano and Millennium Place West – Callingwood
Favorite skate shop in Edmonton: Plush - 10309 Whyte Ave. (Whyte Ave. and Gateway Blvd) This is where I go for everything board related, skate or snow. These guys are very knowledgeable and they actually skateboard, so you can trust they will assist in choosing the right board for you. Plush provides a wide array of everything skate related as well as great advice, good atmosphere, and awesome customer service. Have fun, skate safe, and we’ll see you out there!
FIND YOUR FIT
18 RECREATION CENTRES. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES. At City of Edmonton Recreation Centres, there’s something for everyone at affordable prices and flexible times. From drop-in programs to fitness training, art classes and lessons, you’re sure to find your fit.
edmonton.ca/findyourfit
TIME FOR A SUMMER SWITCH UP? They say variety is the spice of life, and we say it’s true for fitness as well. How many times have you gone to the gym and done the same routine every week? It can be hard to stay motivated. That’s where your City of Edmonton Recreation Centre membership comes in. With access to 18 recreation facilities and over 330 instructor-led drop-in programs each week, you’ll be able to get a variety of expert level workouts in when it’s convenient. Once you start testing the water with drop-in classes you’ll see that mixing up your workout each week is the key to staying committed to your health while having fun doing it. Swapping the track for the pool once in a while is one ways to keep your routine exciting. Looking to become a stronger, competitive swimmer? Work with a certified coach on a workout routine that matches your abilities, and become more confident in the water. Looking for more intense aquatic experience water? AquaHIT at the Kinsmen Sports Centre will give you the intensity and extra push you’re looking for.
If you were planning on staying dry while you visit your local facility, that’s okay too! Classes ranging from Total Body Barre (a relatively new, but amazing total body workout) to Zumba are available at centres all across the city. If you wanted to get a little more serious about your workouts, bootcamps and strength training classes are offered and with a scheduled time and place it’s easy to make sure you get up and go. Having a City of Edmonton Recreation Centre membership is an easy way to work around even the busiest of schedules. With three different membership levels to choose from and a variety of payment plans it’s an easy choice. Whatever your interests are, the City of Edmonton offers programming to suit your lifestyle and help you reach your goals.
Now get out there and switch it up a little! For more information about City of Edmonton Recreation Centre memberships and programs visit: edmonton.ca/findyourfit Create a personal recreation guide at MyRecGuide.ca
GEL NAILS VS. ACRYLIC NAILS Confused about acrylic nails and gel nails? We’re here to clear up the difference so you can make your own decisions, rather than allowing your nail technician to do it for you! Acrylic nails are formed by a chemical reaction, which is brushed onto your nail, left to harden into an inflexible plastic, and then filed to desired shape. MMA (Methylmethacrylate) is a deleterious substance that is still found in many acrylic nail compounds. Many nail salons import their acrylic products in unlabeled containers, which contain this MMA. The FDA does not approve MMA in cosmetic products. MMA has strong “fruity” odour that may harm you upon inhalation (it’s an acidic vapour). It has been known to harm developing fetes; extended exposure can damage the nervous system, respiratory system, and severe side effects may include abnormal liver, kidney, and nervous system or reproduction functions. Excessive wear of acrylic nails can result in permanent damage of the natural nail and bed, resulting in weakened thin nails, nail loss, serious skin reactions or allergies! Gel is NEVER in a powdered form, whereas acrylic is always powder along with a liquid ‘activator’. Gel is virtually odourless with no harmful acidic vapours to inhale. Gel will only harden under a UV light. It is a thinner, flexible compound and doesn’t need to be soaked off by additional chemicals like acrylics do. The best way to remove gel nails is growing them out while filing, leaving absolutely no damage left to your nail. As with any kind of nail (acrylic, gel or
press on), picking or prying them off can damage your nails. With gel, it is much easier to achieve a natural look, if you’re not a fan of the white tips. Gel nails are lightweight, without the “heaviness” of acrylics. Gels are a great way to grow out your own nails; when they reach the desired length, go from full sets to a gel overlay. An overlay leaves a much thinner layer of gel on your nail, with no white tip enhancement, while keeping your nails strong and healthy. When done properly, lifting is minimal, preventing any bacteria growth between the natural nail and the enhancement. This, along with the advancement of hybrid gel nail polishes, the possibilities for beautiful and healthy nails is endless! Book an appointment with one of our nail techs to learn more!
Train Harder Northern Alberta Basketball
Photos by Vivid Ribbon
For some, sports are a way to stay fit. For others they are a way to stay out of trouble. But for a select few they mean much more. Northern Alberta Basketball (NAB) was created for those who fit in the “much more” category. Currently, NAB is providing a range of options to play basketball to various age groups and skill levels. Based on a glaring need they saw, Navin Ramharak and Sunny Sooch began NAB as a summer tournament. After adding a couple of partners, Eric Magdanz (Operations Director) and John Sigaya (Marketing), they were able to make some strides forward very quickly. Adding a basketball mind like CIS coach Magdanz allowed the planning of programs to begin, and adding Sigaya helped NAB develop their mediums of communication with athletes (social media, advertising and sponsorship). Fast forward a few years, and they are now running a long-list of programs under their umbrella, including travelling club teams, camps and clinics, skills development programs, individualized training and competitive men and women’s leagues. The summer of 2015 was a special one for the NAB team. They shifted focus from operating their men and women’s leagues to branching out into youth programming. Throughout the spring/summer seasons of 2015, NAB was able to run four development programs and two travelling club teams in addition to their pre-existing programming (individualized training and men’s and women’s leagues). Adding this element completely pivoted the organization into their current niche. In addition to growing their programs, they also increased their staff. Bayan Kurd (Player Development Coach) & Daniel Kabeya (Strength & Conditioning Coach) both bring a new dynamic to the NAB team that aids in the growth of our athletes. Adding on Ray Filice (Head Coach of Archbishop O’Leary) and George Hoyt (Head Coach of Harry Ainlay) as directors will continue to help the organization develop. This will help grow the youth programming which will in turn open many more doors for the kids of tomorrow. NAB will continue to institute change in competitive basketball in the next year and for many years to come.
Navin has taken the reigns on the skills development of NAB’s athletes through the selective “Train Harder” program. This program specializes in accelerating athlete skill development through game-simulated drills. Meanwhile, Sunny has started creating a network of youth programs all interconnected under the NAB umbrella. Ranging from development programs to elite teams, the focus remains to expose as many competitive athletes as possible to high quality programming. This two-prong approach has shown results already providing athletes great resources and opportunities to develop. The summer has included much more than just the addition of youth programming. It has also brought the inaugural “In The Lab” Camp with Devin Williams. Devin, is a world-renowned trainer, and founder of the ten000hours YouTube series. ITL as its known, was a huge success bringing in 100+ athletes from places as far as Red Deer and Flagstaff County. A few weeks after the ITL camp the NAB Grizzlies Program began, hosting the first two club teams ran by NAB. These teams competed locally and in Washington, USA in various tournaments and gameplay. To end the summer, NAB will be bringing back one of its initial events: the Midnight Hoopfest. With Red Bull on board for their second event with NAB the end of the summer looks promising, and the coming year even better. Look for NAB to bolster their roster of professionals and service offering, tournaments, teams and camps and clinics are on the way. Year by year more basketball has been brought to Edmonton, don’t look for that trend to change anytime soon.
discover fresh products delivered right to your door!
Subscribe for our hand picked favourite goodies from the YEGFit team! Every two months, we’ll deliver these products right to your door. Everything from passes to check out local fitness studios, to health and wellness products, we bring you an amazing selection with each box. this month’s box includes: Urban Organics - $15 gift certificate and in store made smoothie blend Sweet n Spicy - homemade chicken spice blend Elevate - $25 gift certificate spinUnity - Free week pass Tamiri - vegan cookies/discount card
Geo Bar - two bars confetti Sweets - cookie pack/discount card beFit/Lole - free weeks fitness pass/Lole headband & discount card Body Tech - 30min massage YEGFit savings card
yegfitbox.com
Varying your workout with cardio & strength training Being a boutique studio is an interesting feat, meaning you need to produce an experience along with a quality body challenging workout. We love our environment here at Spinunity. We love that people can walk into our studio, tune out their thoughts and ride for an hour enjoying some killer beats, and getting a killer workout. When people say they are afraid of spin I find it’s a great opportunity to convince them that a challenge is exactly what they should look for. Think about this: I’ve been walking for a while now, and when I first started doing it I probably didn’t look like I was doing it very well or keeping up with anyone around me. But now, I rock it. I can walk with a swagger, a skip, a hop in my step even. But now I want to be challenged, because when I’m challenged, I grow stronger each and every time. The cool thing about group fitness is that it allows you to see that you’re not the only one feeling the challenge. A real group fitness envi-
ronment is where people encourage you just for showing up. For trying something outside of that comfort zone. And so begins your goal setting. For me, my fitness goals are to be real and to try every time to be challenged. And so when I spin 3-4 x a week, I want to make sure that I’m getting my strength training in. And apparently, through talking with our clients and our staff , they feel the same way. And so began the Spinunity bootcamp. Our bootcamp experts are planning fun but challenging full body strength circuits that allow you to challenge your body in different ways. And our killer sound system and ability to move it outdoors keeps it interesting. Find those Boutique studios in your area that can offer you more than one specialty workout so that you’ll be able to challenge your body. And if you’re in our neighborhood, drop in and get challenged.
SPINUNITY 208 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park w w w. s p i n u n i t y. c a
C Y C L E S T U D I O
s p i n . c o m m u n i t y. l i f e
PR E S E NTE D BY S PI N U N ITY
#S
pin
theB lue #S pintheB lue # Spint he B lue
September 5th
Hawrelak Park, Edmonton In partnership with the World Triathlon Edmonton and our local sponsors we’re taking our cardioparty to the finish line of the 2015 ITU World Triathlon blue carpet! Be a part of this epic event and help us support Edmonton’s Boys and Girls club.
~ Tickets $25.00 ~ CLASS TIMES: 5:30PM, 6:45PM, 8:00PM To purchase tickets visit www.spinunity.ca
Our team will be battling it out to DJ inspired beats to earn your sweat! ***Parking will be available onsite after 4:30pm or you can take advantage of the Park and Ride shuttle service to Hawrelak Park from the U of A.
C Y C L E S T U D I O
s p i n . c o m m u n i t y. l i f e
Urban Poling:
Trending Fitness Activity That Will Surprise + Delight! By Mandy Johnson
Photos by Vivid Ribbon
Urban poling is the newest fitness trend to come to Edmonton where it is catching on quickly with people of all ages and abilities. Contrary to the first impression some people have, urban poling is not something you do in a bar, nor is it annoying telephone callers polling you about your opinions on anything. Urban poling is the uniquely Canadian version of Nordic walking, an activity that has been popular in many European countries for decades. Think of it as cross-country skiing - without the skis. Urban poling mimics cross-country skiing by engaging the upper body, the arms and shoulders and also all of the core muscles. Try this simple but surprising exercise right now: Place one arm out in front of you perfectly straight at about chest height, resting on a table or surface of similar height and place the other arm on your stomach. Press down hard and feel the involuntary contraction of your abdominals, then repeat with your hand on your upper arm, chest, lower and upper back, etc.
Pole walking naturally promotes improved posture. Using good technique allows for off-loading of weight from the lower body onto the poles thereby de-stressing the hips, knees, and lower back. This benefit is multiplied when using the poles to traverse steep terrain. Plus, pole walking provides much greater balance and stability on all terrain, making it especially beneficial for falls prevention. Persons with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions, breast cancer patients, cardiac rehabilitation patients, and persons recovering from hip and knee surgery benefit greatly from urban poling. Research also shows that urban poling has the potential to slow the progression of type 2 diabetes and even prevent onset all together. Last but certainly by no means least, this activity gets you active outdoors, where you can benefit from “Vitamin N.” Exposure to “N”ature is delightful for the mind and the soul while enhancing your immune system!
“I love urban poling through the River Valley and stopping to admire a deer or watch the people active on the river. am keen to share my passion for poling with Edmontonians.” – Susan Yackulic, Get Fit Personal Training, former Ironwoman Triathlete & World Masters Games gold medalist
Proudly Canadian Urban Poling Inc., headquartered in North Vancouver is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and making its presence known in Edmonton where more than a dozen instructors have been certified. It does take a bit of practice to master the technique. After that, many people love the social aspect and the commitment of ongoing sessions. The St. Albert Trekkers, who lead walks weekly in various locations throughout greater Edmonton for “fun, fitness, and friendship” have four trained instructors and have made Urban Poling a part of their program.
What sets Urban Poling Inc.’s poles apart from other Nordic walking poles is the ergonomically designed strapless handle. The comfortable handle with a shock-absorbing lip allows for maximizing the downward force of the arms, which is the secret to engaging the core muscles. The strapless feature minimizes injury to the hand and especially the thumb, should a fall occur. The poles are constructed of airplane-grade aluminum with a ferule to absorb vibration and shock absorbing boot-shaped tips that provide grip on paved surfaces.
“With urban poling, I found that I increased my walking speed and efficiency by engaging muscles in the upper body. It is a great alternative to running with a lot less impact.”
Take off the fitness booties and the poles will take you anywhere you want to go: from mountain summits to snowshoeing trails. And their compactable design makes for easy storage and transport, from work to home to anywhere.
– David Kilkach, fitness instructor, Jamie Platz YMCA, CANSI XC Ski & Telemark Instructor
My adventure style urban poles travel the world with me; I walk and trek with more speed and muscle engagement yet less impact on the joints so I can be exploring now and long into the future. The portability of my poles also makes it easy to take a health break during my “day”, providing opportunity for hassle free fitness and supporting my posture.” —Crys Vanier, synKINEA Corporate
and group poling instructor, global trekker For more information about Urban Poling, including where to find instruction, how to become an instructor, or where to purchase, please visit www.urbanpoling.com.
Fit To Serve With the EPS
The Edmonton Police Service takes great pride in fitness. By choosing a career path with them there is an expectation that recruits will make healthy living and fitness a part of their daily lives. This expectation starts with the recruiting process but continues long after an officer joins the force. During the application process, recruits are required to complete the Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police Officers (A-PREP) program, which is the provincial standard used to determine applicant suitability. The A-PREP consists of a medical screening questionnaire, a circuit that simulates a foot pursuit and an aerobic shuttle run. Upon entry to recruit training applicants will be immediately tested on the following: 20m Shuttle Run Body Composition Flexibility
Chin-Ups Sit-Ups Push-Ups
Based on the attached standards it is expected that an Edmonton Police Service recruit will enter training at a level in the “Fit” or “Excellent” category.
ANNUAL FITNESS TESTING STANDARDS FOR MALES Males Age 20 – 29 Years Fitness Rating
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
Combined Grip (kg)
124
114
Push Up (#)
47
Vertical Jump (Watts)
Males Age 30 – 39 Years
Males Age 40 – 49 Years
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
95
85
74
<74
119
108
88
81
70
<70
40
30
25
21
<21
37
33
25
19
13
<13
6209
5780
4926
4499
4072
<4072
5520
4873
4055
3496
3164
<3164
0
1138
912
462
237
1
0
1109
877
414
183
1
0
1:27
<1:27
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
1:27
<1:27
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
1:27
<1:27
7.0
6.0
<6.0
11.0
9.5
7.5
6.5
5.5
<5.5
10.5
9.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
<5.0
40.6
37.7
<37.7
51.4
46.6
40.6
38.0
35.2
<35.2
48.4
45.6
40.3
37.6
34.7
<34.7
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
94
85
75
<75
127
116
41
32
27
23
<23
45
6205
5817
5043
4656
4269
<4269
Pull Up (kg)
1253
1033
597
379
1
Plank (min:sec)
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
Beep Test (stage)
11.5
10.0
8.0
V02 max (mL/kg/min)
52.6
49.6
43.6
ANNUAL FITNESS TESTING STANDARDS FOR FEMALES Females Age 20 – 29 Years Fitness Rating
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
Combined Grip (kg)
78
70
Push Up (#)
37
Vertical Jump (Watts)
Females Age 30 – 39 Years
Females Age 40 – 49 Years
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
57
49
41
<41
79
70
53
47
39
<39
29
18
12
7
<7
28
25
15
10
5
<5
4148
3833
3206
2892
2579
<2579
3476
3438
2885
2273
2027
<2027
0
318
213
100
60
1
0
303
202
81
51
1
0
1:27
<1:27
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
1:27
<1:27
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
1:27
<1:27
5.5
4.5
<4.5
9.0
7.5
6.0
5.0
4.0
<4.0
8.5
7.0
5.5
4.5
3.5
<3.5
35.1
32.3
<32.3
45.6
40.6
37.2
34.4
31.6
<31.6
42.4
39.7
34.6
32.0
29.4
<29.4
BRONZE
MINIMUM STANDARD
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
GOLD 100
GOLD
SILVER
54
46
39
<39
81
72
31
20
15
9
<9
36
4127
3889
3416
3179
2942
<2942
Pull Up (kg)
345
242
121
61
1
Plank (min:sec)
3:51
3:34
2:46
1:59
Beep Test (stage)
9.5
8.0
6.5
V02 max (mL/kg/min)
46.5
43.6
37.9
YEG Fitness had the opportunity to follow the recruits in their final exit testing and these men and women leave even the most fit gym goer in the dust regarding their level of strength and agility. “Our academy training is 23 weeks,” says Sgt. Jason Altmiks with the Recruit Training Unit. “We run some of the workouts as part of their training and they are expected to do some fitness training outside of class hours.” The EPS strives to instill a lifetime commitment to fitness. Fitness is important to a career in policing, not only from the perspective of keeping officers or the public safe in dangerous situations, but also helps from a health and wellness perspective. Officers who are healthy and fit can more easily deal with the impact of working shifts. “Fitness is also a great stress reliever and helps officers to deal with the stress of traumatic events,” says Altmiks. Next year, the EPS plans to hire around 200 recruits to keep up with the growth of our expanding city. The average recruit age is around 25 years old ranging between 2045. The current recruit class is composed of approximately 25% women. In addition to their own fitness routine, EPS developed the Run with Recruiters (RWR) Program in the spring of 2012 to give applicants an opportunity to workout and also gain insight in what to expect, both in Recruit Training Class and in a career with the Edmonton Police Service. The RWR workouts include cardio and strength conditioning and range from a long run to a boot camp style workout, or both. “There’s not really a typical day in training or testing,” says Altmiks. “Much like real police work, each day changes and brings new challenges.” From what we saw with our day with the recruits, Edmonton is in good hands for years to come.
Outside In
Not every trainer is created equal. For that reason, we let our clients into our hearts with the intention of becoming closer to theirs. I once told someone, “You’ll get more clients based on your relationship with them rather than their results.” It was a harsh lesson I learned out the gate. It’s not a reflection on me as a trainer, but the reality that you can lead a horse to water and it still won’t drink (actually, I experience this often with my dog). So how are we supposed to retain clients over the long term? Care. Care is a large and overlooked factor in the quality of our lives. Caring for others will form relationships; caring for ourselves will impact those relationships. As a trainer, it goes without saying how much time I spend in a gym. For me, working out is a huge care factor. But it’s also part of my job. How many of us live our jobs? Do you make time for you? Do you spend money on you? I can’t tell you how much of a barrier cost is for the people that come in. But truly, there is always a way around it and it is my job to care. Even though we’re running a business, it wouldn’t exist without our #fitfam community.
In our gym, we take care of each other. Working out is one of those things that feels the best when you’re tired. I don’t mean wake up at 5 am with no sleep, puke three times and tear off a callous. I mean roll over exhausted and sweaty, sighing with satisfaction. You know what I’m talking about. You get up with a little extra pep even though you’ve just done all this work because you’ve ended your workout feeling successful. You worked hard and you knew you could do it, and then you did. Your adrenaline is pumping and your trainer just blew your mind with that one technique tweak and it made all the difference. They listened to you vent about what an intense week you’ve been having and now you can go home with a better outlook, feeling revitalized and validated.
Priceless!
When I think about my clients I can’t help but think of all the ways we are connected. First of all, the phrase, “six degrees of separation” should be our vision statement. Clients are constantly bumping into people they know from outside of the gym, inside the gym, that they didn’t know went to the same gym! But even more, we go the extra mile here. When I began my social media efforts, I had to make a decision about how I wanted to present myself. I think I speak for all of us in a decision to include most aspects of our lives. For some, we worry about the professionalism of combining personal life to professional concepts but it’s literally in the title. Personal Trainer. I’m not a nutritionist (though it’s on my list when the time comes), I’m not a body builder or a prep coach. Those jobs are very different from what we do at the gym. So it seems fitting (no pun intended) to give our images as trainers a personality. That is;
By Lorelei Maher WEVIVE Fitness 8632 53 Ave NW Edmonton, AB T6E 5G2 (780) 761-1860
Who we are, what we do, and where we come from. It seems this has proven to be the most successful connection, because I have allowed my clients an insight to me and an opportunity to exchange care. This is what seals the deal and makes our gym a place where clients go to take care of themselves because they aren’t just paying for a service – they can do that anywhere. Here, they are engaging in self care where they not only feel valued, but valuable to us as people and validated in the decision to be a part of Wevive.
YEG Fitness Industry Night It was a night of networking, collaborating, and some simple unwinding as over one-hundred of the city’s finest fitness and wellness pros got together at The Parlour in downtown Edmonton for our First Annual YEG Fitness Industry Night. As members of the YEG Fitness community, we often don’t take the time to connect with others in our industry or across different networks to create new projects that help grow our businesses. This was the purpose of this event. And what a success it was. So successful in fact that next year, we’re going to need a larger venue to hold everyone who wanted tickets. Proceeds from this year’s event supported Ronald McDonald House. Thanks to our sponsors for allowing us to make this happen: Audi Edmonton North Arctic Chiller Park Avenue Communications Luckis Exercise Equipment Elite Injury Management Kelsey Watt – Financial Planning Urban Poling MoveBALL Holistic Body Love/Empowered Vitality
Fresh and Flavourful in the Fall By Brianna Jabusch You may think it is difficult to find fresh superfoods in the fall and winter. Grapefruit, tangerine, dates, sweet potatoes, and fresh or recently dried cranberries are some of the high-nutrient, antioxidant-rich foods that are at their prime in autumn. Indulge in these recipes to reap the benefits of these foods! Brianna Jabusch - @NuFitRx Dietitian, Personal Trainer, owner of Nutrition and Fitness Rx, fitness nomad & supporter of plant-based nutrition for health and vitality!
Autumn Citrus Salad with Fresh Crumbled Sheep Cheese Enjoy in-season citrus fruits paired with fresh rosemary and pine nuts. The vitamin C from the citrus helps you to absorb a little extra iron from leafy greens. INSTRUCTIONS Wash the kale in hot water to wilt the leaves slightly. Rinse with cold water to cool and add the arugula leaves. Lightly toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat. Dice the grapefruit and tangerine or orange and toss with the kale and arugula. Finely chop the fresh rosemary, crumble the cheese with a fork, and add both to the salad. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top. Shake the remaining dressing ingredients in a jar and drizzle over the salad.
INGREDIENTS 4 cups Red Russian Kale, stems removed 1 cup arugula leaves Âź cup pine nuts 1 whole grapefruit, peeled and diced 1 whole tangerine or ripe orange, peeled and diced 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish 1/3 cup fresh crumbled sheep cheese or goat cheese Âź cup balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
County Fair Date Shake Your typical festival “date shake” will pack over 600 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, and over 90 grams of sugar from ice cream and the natural sugars from dates into a 20-ounce cup. This healthy and yet equally tasty alternative provides 350 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat, 9 grams of healthy unsaturated fat, 20 grams of protein, and only 45 grams of natural sugar from fruit. INSTRUCTIONS Blend all the ingredients together in a high-powered blender. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. The addition of ice cream makes for a delicious dessert!
INGREDIENTS (makes two servings)
1 banana 5 Medjool dates 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup cow’s milk or plant-based alternative 1 scoop protein powder (optional) 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup ice cubes ¼ cup ice cream (optional, for a dessert shake)
Sweet Potato Portabellini Sliders Use these healthy sliders to impress your friends when you host your next dinner party. With fresh avocado and nutrient-packed pea shoots, they are bound to impress foodies and fitness fanatics alike! Mushrooms are a superfood often forgotten, and provide B-vitamins, fiber, and potassium. Sweet potatoes give a wonderful sweetness and the vitamin A that is found in orange vegetables.
INSTRUCTIONS Remove mushroom stems by pinching at the base of the stem, twisting, and pulling upward. Mix up the mushroom marinade and let the mushrooms soak for at least 30 minutes to one hour. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the sweet potatoes. Brush lightly with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender in the center. Place the mushrooms in the oven for about 30 minutes until they are soft in the center and have shrunk a little bit. If you aren’t a fan of raw onions, lightly fry the onions in a non-stick pan without any oil. When they start to brown, add a few tablespoons of water to let the burnt sugars on the pan coat the onions. Remove from heat. Prepare the chipotle mayo and use as a light spread. When the mushrooms and sweet potatoes are done, layer in the following order: sweet potato, mushroom, mayonnaise, sweet potato, avocado, onions and pea shoots. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze or your leftover marinade.
INGREDIENTS (makes 6 large sliders): 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced 1 inch thick 6 mini portabella mushrooms or “portabellinis” 2 tbsp olive oil 2 medium avocados ¼ cup pea shoots, sunflower seed shoots, or other micro-greens ¼ white sweet onion, thinly sliced 2 green onions, thinly chopped Mushroom Marinade: ½ cup balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup dry white wine 2 large cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup soy sauce Chipotle Mayo: ¼ cup light mayonnaise or “Veganaise” 2 tbsp barbeque sauce ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp chili powder
Cran-Wheat Berry Salad The richness of flavours in this salad are affirmation that it can, indeed, serve as a full meal. With protein from the edamame beans, sweetness from the corn and cranberries, and fiber-rich carbohydrate fuel from wheat berries, the only thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing is a side of extra veggies! Note that the wheat berries might take up to 50 minutes to cook, depending on the variety. INSTRUCTIONS Bring 3 cups of water and the wheat berries to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer on medium-low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to see if they have become tender. In the meantime, soak the frozen soybeans and corn in a large bowl with warm water until they are thawed. Drain them and mix with the chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and cranberries. Toast your pecans or walnuts over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat at toss with the salad. Mix the dressing ingredients together. When the wheat berries are fully cooked and tender yet chewy, drain any excess water. Mix the wheat berries with the salad and pour the dressing over top. Enjoy over spinach leaves or as a side dish, or as a meal on its own.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup uncooked wheat berries (or farro) 3 cups water 1 cup frozen edamame beans 1 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro 4 scallions, dark green and light green parts only, chopped 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, raw unsalted 2 cups chopped spinach (optional) Dressing: 4 tablespoons rice vinegar 3 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Celebrity Fitness
With Your Local YEG Personalities Perhaps you’ve tried out that new yoga studio down the block. Maybe the group training class you checked out recently knocked your socks off. Or possibly, like most of us, you’ve been doing the same workout for so long, your runners have developed wear marks from performing the same repetitive activities. A number of different criteria go into your decision to find a fitness activity that you love. Maybe you’re someone who enjoys mixing it up. Maybe you prefer the comfort of routine. Regardless, it’s important to keep moving and active as you work on your fitness. We each have our favorurite ways to stay fit and we’ve reached out to some prominent Edmontonians to capture how they keep fit and healthy. Some love to lift weights (and are quite impressive with their personal bests), while others enjoy the Zen of yoga or running stairs in the river valley. Hopefully their stories will inspire you to try something new to keep YEGFit.
Photos by Vivid Ribbon & TJ Sadler
Jim Hole 2. Age: Do you really need this? Feeling old enough as it is!! 3. Occupation: Self-employed. Co-owner of Holes Greenhouses and Gardens at the Enjoy Centre. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Stair running at the Victoria Golf Course. I’ve done this religiously for 30 years. I also lift weights religiously for 40 years.... the age equation is getting easier to solve! I have modified my weights regime from powerlifting program to more reps – do bench, curls, deadlifts, back and upright rows. 5. Hobbies: Biking, skating, hiking, walking (When I travel, I love to walk whatever city I am in and avoid buses/taxis/rental cars, if at all possible). Also, reading books and magazines of the science genre are a favourite of mine. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Roasted cauliflower, broccoli, beets and kale. Simplest recipe in the world: fresh cut veggies brushed with oil, bit of pepper/salt and roasted in the oven.
TALLA REJAEI 2. Age 28 3. Occupation: Big Brother Canada student of life, keep up with the gym and train hard! 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Dancing is one of my top favourites to do- dance anywhere and everywhere! 5. Hobbies: Reading is really important to me as well, feels good in my brain and my heart. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: My all time favorite dish is chicken and rice & plain yogurt on top, I could eat that for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack!
blair junior 2. Age: 37 3. Occupation: Restaurant / Bar / Coffee Shop Owner / DJ. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Running stairs and the pull up bar. 5. Hobbies: Music. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Grapes.
PAul shufelt 2. Age: 37 3. Occupation: Chef/Proprietor @ Workshop Eatery. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Running, as it helps me focus mentally, also workout at Orange Theory, because they kick my butt. 5. Hobbies: Golfing, and watching my Habs. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Tomatoes, there is nothing more enjoyable than a tomato ripe from the vine, with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.
carrie doll 2. Age: 43 3. Occupation: I am an entrepreneur, Owner/Founder of Doll Consulting and Vice PresidentCommunications, “The Luxus Group”. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: I don’t have a “favourite” way to keep fit, I like changing it up. One day I’m on my road bike, the next I run, the following day I hike, the next I will be in the gym lifting weights. Variety keep me motivated, and working out keeps me feeling balanced. 5. Hobbies: My hobbies would be all the different ways I just listed to exercise, plus I love to travel with my family. There is nothing like travelling to a new place and then venturing out for a morning run. Brilliant way to get exercise and soak up the environment all at the same time. Oh I’m also a book worm. I love to read. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: I am totally on a Kale kick. The first time I tried it, I hated it. Now, I literally put it in everything, smoothies, salads, wraps , I make chips out of it.. omg. Sad but true, I even bought one of those ‘KALE” sweatshirts.
ed hervey 2. Age 42 3. Occupation: Vice-President Football Operations/General Manager, Edmonton Eskimos. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Basketball, bike riding and walking regularly. 5. Hobbies: Reading, listening to music. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Fresh fruit/almonds.
John Chwyl, the ‘Fashion Guy’ 2. Age 55 3. Occupation: Semi-retired, I do a few ‘Fashion Guy’ contracts to keep me a bit busy, but otherwise, I am trying hard not to work too hard! 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: I love my yoga and try to do at least 3 classes a week. I also have a pure bred farm dog who needs to go for walks, so we head out in the mornings on our trails. We have 160 acres of wild land with miles of gorgeous trails that wind throughout the land! 5. Hobbies: During the summer I really enjoy working in my garden and my yoga really helps me to do this. I am also teaching myself how to build furniture and have successfully made a dining table, head board and 2 end tables. We selectively logged trees on our land and I use this wood to make various furniture pieces. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Every morning I start my day with granola, yogurt and fruit that I mix with flax and hemp heart...and I just recently discovered that I actually do like Kale, so a kale salad with fresh veggies and a light dressing of balsamic and basil infused olive oil and I am pretty happy!
mike sobel 2. Age: 50’s (that’s as specific as I get) 3. Occupation: Weather Specialist/Co-host Global Morning News 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Cycling, Stairs (close to Ft. Edm. Footbridge) Running Hills, Elliptical, Dog Walking 5. Hobbies: My hobbies tend to overlap with how I stay fit for the most part. I also like to downhill ski, movies, theatre, televised sports, my iPhone (way too much time) 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: I really enjoy a good quinoa salad, kale salad mixed with canned salmon or tuna, bbq salmon and sushi (without mayo)
rachel notley 2. Age: 51 3. Occupation: Premier of Alberta. 4. Favourite Ways To Stay Fit: Running in Edmontonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s river valley. 5. Hobbies: Music and Hanging out with my family. 6. Favourite Health Conscious Food: Bacon!
BEST OF YEG FITNESS This past year we’ve been bringing you some of the best in fitness, wellness and nutrition that our city has to offer. But we haven’t even scraped the surface of all that’s awesome in YEG. As we celebrate the first year producing our digital magazine, we look back on some of the best stories featured in YEG Fitness.
PLOuffe twins Maybe it’s the genetics. Maybe it’s the water. Maybe it’s the cold Alberta winters when all there is to do some days is head indoors and hit the gym. Regardless of the reason, Katherine and Michelle Plouffe have proven to be two of the top female basketball players to come out of Edmonton. And yes. If you didn’t notice, they’re twins. You might think there would be a bit of sibling rivalry here. I mean they are twin sisters. They both excel at their sport. They both have achieved great things. When you meet these women, and you watch them train, you will notice that any type of rivalry is to encourage each other. To train harder. To become the best they can be at their sport. Readers can check out the sisters and the rest of the Canadian Women’s National Team at the 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship at the Saville Community Sports Centre August 9-16.
JAcQUI FILGATE The origin for this article began with a simple post on Twitter. We often post inspirational quotes and images of people in great shape as motivation for our readers to stay active. We encourage people to be happy with their body type and to keep active to remain fit. We have a wide range of readers including people just starting their fitness journeys to people who are elite athletes and we try to include each group when we post anything on social media. Jacqui Filgate is a figure competitor I met a few years ago at Goodlife on the Southside. At 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;2, she can toss the weights around with the strongest guys at the gym and people who feel fit like myself are marveled by what she is capable of doing. Since we posted this article, Jacqui has gone on to win a number of fitness and bikini competitions and has recently been signed by Magnum Nutraceuticals.
cody yano Cody Yano is a local diver to watch in the coming years. He first emerged on the Canadian Senior National diving platform during the National Championships in the summer of 2010. In just one year, he proved he could compete with the top divers winning silver on the 3 meter and captured two bronze medals on the 1 meter and 3 meter the following year. During the Canadian Diving Trials in 2012, Cody finished third on the 3 meter springboard and in 2013 was the only Canadian diver to qualify for the prestigious FISU Games. In 2014, Cody became a member of the CIBC Team Next. This is a program designed for up and coming athletes who are close to accomplishing their dreams to help them push over that next boundary. He was nominated with several other Canadian athletes as having potential to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;team nextâ&#x20AC;? and was selected through the selection process. In the past year, Cody competed at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and is currently rehabbing from a back injury to prepare for the upcoming season.
diary of a dancer In November, we showed our readers what a week in the life of Citie Ballet dancer Sarah Tabler was like. This was one of our more popular stories as it detailed the sacrifices she makes to pursue her passion. Here’s an excerpt of a typical day for Sarah. My alarm goes off at 7am. I begin doing my hair and makeup. We have two shows today and I like to be prepared and not rush on show days. The theatre doors open at 9:30am and warm-up class is from 10-11:30am. After class we have some notes from last night’s technical rehearsal from Laurence and Alysa. At 12:30pm the curtain goes up for the Student &Senior Show (a new show this year that allows students and seniors to attend a performance at a very reasonable rate). The performance goes better than last night’s technical rehearsal but there are still a number of things to iron out. Following the show is a Q&A with the audience, which is always very fun to hear their perspective, comments, and questions. We have another session of notes with Laurence and Alysa before we’re allowed a two hour break. Then it’s back to the stage at 4:30pm for warm-up class and the curtain goes up again at 5:30pm for our VIP Corporate Performance (a show for interested donors and sponsors to attend and see what we do. As a non-profit organization we rely on sponsors and donations to keep us afloat!). Afterwards we have the chance to meet and talk with those potential sponsors and donors in the lobby. I’m home by 8pm for dinner, have another Epsom salts bath, and do some stretching before bed. Dancing and jumping on the theatre’s hard floor is very hard on the body. The production opens to the public tomorrow so it is important to relieve muscle tension and soreness as much as possible.
jelena Mrdjenovich From the time we started YEG Fitness, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been hearing about local boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich. Shara Vigeant from SVPT Fitness and Athletics had been training her and was full of praise for Edmontonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very own WBC Featherweight Champion. She invited us to check out her bout on September 12 against Marilyn Hernandez and after watching her stop the challenger at the end of the sixth round, we understood why the Shaw Conference Center was packed with Jelena supporters. She won that bought and went on to continue her dominance over the past year as she maintained her WBC Featherweight title.
mark connolly Mark Connolly is a name Canadians recognize as being a sportscaster for CBC radio and television and as the face of the Canadian media contingent for the past eight Olympic Games including the recent Sochi Olympics. We first met Mark last April at the kickoff for our Spring Into Fitness Challenge at Barre Body studio in south Edmonton. He took that challenge head on being one of the few men to try out a barre class that day. Today, Mark is the host of Edmonton AM, CBC radio’s morning show, after spending 22-years as a sportscaster with CBC radio and television and news anchor at CBC News Edmonton from 2010-2013. He is an Edmonton native, growing up in the community and in his teens worked at CBC Edmonton as a janitor where he gained exposure to the CBC sports department, and discovered what he felt was the perfect career for him to pursue. Having been part of the media team covering the past eight Olympics means he’s seen some of the best athletes Canada has ever produced. “In 2008 Clara Hughes was my commentator for cycling in Beijing,” he says. Clara and Mark had worked together previously at the 2006 World Cycling championships in Salzburg, Austria. “In Beijing, we worked out together every day. We would go for a run and then hit the gym. It was amazing to see her dedication and how hard-core and focused she was when she was working out.”
clayton bellamy A veteran in the country music industry with a career spanning nearly 20 years, Clayton Bellamy is a true renaissance man. He’s an award winning musician, family man and has an upcoming TV show on CMT called Ice Racer Showdown airing this October. Originally from Bonneville, Alberta, Clayton is no stranger to the world of country music having received numerous accolades including multiple awards such as a Juno for Best Country Recording and is a four time Canadian Country Music Award winner. He has performed at the Grand Old Opry, which is every country singers dream, and is best known for his rock n’ country style. Living a life on the road as a member of the Road Hammers is something that can be quite tough. It is difficult leading a fit and healthy lifestyle while touring, but this is one man who has been able to balance both. “If there is no gym then I run. If it’s raining I work out in the hotel room. It all comes down to how bad you want it,” he says. For him, it’s not only about looking good and feeling good. “My job is very physical, and running around on stage for 90 minutes a night can’t happen if I am not in great shape. I have had nights where I have almost passed out from running and singing and the heat of the stage. So staying in shape means doing my job well.”
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for our next issue Featuring: Edmonton Eskimos Feature Capital City Athletics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Crossfit workout Trainer vs Celeb Goal Setting For 2016 Hotel Workouts on Vacation Youth Athlete Training Backcountry Adventures in Canmore