St Patricks Sale - 43% Off

Get 10 1-Hour Sessions with a Personal Trainer in Toronto for $200 - Offer valid until St Patricks Day (March 17th 2013).

Regular rate is $350 for 10 sessions.

Winter Weight Gain - What to do about it!

Okay so you've put on some weight during the Winter - especially around the Xmas Holidays.

But now it is February and its time to start thinking Spring - and Summer is mere months away!

Isn't it convenient how the holidays are right before New Years? Not really, because most people break their New Years Resolutions in the first 2 weeks - and a bunch of people will never even start! After indulging for a few days they eventually just forget about any resolutions they might have had... and then in March they start to panic when they realize the weather is getting warmer and they've gained 10 or 20 lbs during the winter and have done nothing to shed it.

If you are one of those people who gain weight every Winter and then - hopefully - lose it by Spring/Summer then I have a little advice for you - Start exercising now! Because the older you get the more difficult it will be keep up that routine. Yes, the idea of resolutions are quite motivating, but if you don't actually DO them whats the point?!

So its time to accelerate your weight weight loss - start thinking in terms of the following: Exercising 1 hour per day is only 4% of your day. And that is all it takes to make a huge difference in your waistline.

TIP #1. Increase time and/or intensity

If you have already been exercising, and your calorie intake has been greater than expenditure, then your usual workout routine will not speed up the weight loss process because you're eating too much junk and not exercising enough. You need to pick up the pace for a week or two.

Ways to do this? Keep the amount of workout time the same, but increase the amount of reps you do by taking less breaks between exercises. If you're lifting weights, decrease the weight but increase the reps a lot. eg. Lets say you are usually lifting 20 lb weights during your exercises and you do 30 reps at a time. Decrease the weight to 15 lbs, but lift 50 reps instead. Doing the math that is 20 x 30 = 600 Vs 15 x 50 = 750. That simple change increases the intensity by 25%. You won't build muscle as quickly, but you will burn fat faster by increasing the reps dramatically. (Weightlifting doesn't really work to burn fat that well unless its more like aerobics with weights added.)

Alternatively, if you have the extra time to exercise longer, then do so. Increase the amount of time you exercise by 25 to 50% longer than your normal workout and use that time to do more cardio / aerobic activities.

TIP #2. Change Your Workout

Many personal trainers (including myself) advise that surprising the body into sudden changes is something to be considered all year around. Sticking to the same routine every time you work out results in plateaus wherein you end up maintaining a specific weight and you aren't challenging yourself any more. If you want to see progressive results then you need to be constantly changing and progressing your workout to a higher level.

This works with sports too. Someone new to boxing won't be able to do 15 three-minute rounds - they just won't have the stamina for it. That is something for professional boxers only. Amateur boxing matches for teenagers start at 3 rounds, with 1.5 minutes per round... and depending on their age can go for up to 4 rounds at 2 minutes per round. (Amateur boxing has a lot of rules.)

TP #3. Detox Time!

Cut out smoking, alcohol, caffeine and anything containing toxins. At least until you achieve your weight loss goals.

Nutrition plays a big role in accelerating your weight loss and intaking toxins will only slow down your progress. Your body stores toxins in fat cells and then refuses to use those fat cells because your blood toxicity is too high - thus making "Stubborn Fat" that refuses to go away no matter how hard you exercise. The only way to get rid of it is to detoxify.

It is not simply a matter of avoiding sweets, rich cheese, crackers and big dinners, the weight will start to drop if you can watch your calories and remove your intake of toxins. Start by going on a "mini detox diet" wherein you stop eating junk food and avoid cigarettes/alcohol and caffeine for at least 5-7 days. If you can go longer than that, do it. The first three days will be the hardest if you are a cigarette smoker / alcoholic, but once you get over the three day hump you can do it.

To help you detoxify faster eat more green vegetables, as the alkaline in the greenery will help neutralize the toxic elements in your blood. Go lighter on carbohydrates too and aim for more protein (eggs, lean meat) in your dishes to make up for it. Drink plenty of water and green tea, and don't wait until you are starving to eat. Instead eat lots of healthy snacks as often as you can.

eg. I never get tired of carrot sticks. I am eating some right now.

TIP #4. Open the Window Drapes and Go Outside More

Vitamin D from the Sun kickstarts your metabolism, gives you more Happy hormones and causes your body to stop storing so much fat. The simple act of opening the window drapes really wide so you get more sunlight on your skin helps you to lose weight. Going outside and getting more sun helps even more.

You can also get more Vitamin D by eating various foods like fish, eggs and mushrooms - or take Vitamin D supplements. See my post Vitamin D, Essential for your Winter Diet.

TIP #5. Take Up a Winter Sport

Get ice skating lessons in Toronto, take up snowshoeing, snowboarding, cross-country or downhill skiing, go tobaggoning with friends, go jogging on any day that it isn't snowing, do volunteer work, shovel snow from your driveway AND your neighbours driveways - basically do anything that gets you outside and exercising so you get both more exercise and more Vitamin D in your system.

TIP #6. Get a Part Time Job that gets you Exercising Outside

Nothing is more motivating than getting paid to exercise. It might be simple like holding a sign and directing traffic around construction workers on the roads, or you might be painting houses or moving furniture. Either way if it gets you outside more often and gets you working hard you will see the benefits both in weight loss and muscle growth.

TIP #7. Go for Walks with your Camera

Snow is beautiful. So is ice. Take your digital or old manual camera and go for a walk. You can make art and get exercise at the same time.

TIP #8. Become an Ice Sculptor

Another way to get exercise in the winter (and make art) is to make ice sculptures. It doesn't have to be fancy or professional. It might be a funny looking snowman or Lady Godiva on horseback... it doesn't matter so long as you have fun doing it.

TIP #9. Hire a personal trainer!

Seriously. If you live in Toronto and you have $30 you can spend on a personal trainer once per month, hire one so you can an once per month session which will help keep you focused, exercising and motivated. Think of it like a monthly checkup and in 3 months you will be seeing results from the extra advice and motivation.

TIP #10. Get your Bicycle out of the Snowbank ...

And clean it! No time like the present. Get it cleaned up and ready for Spring so the first warm day you can go cycling ASAP. You can even take it to your local Toronto bicycle mechanic and they will clean it, repair it and store it for the rest of the winter until you are ready for it again.

How to Build Your Own Rowing Machine

Guest Post by Harry.

For approx. $100 and few hours of time, you can build a wooden rowing machine to help strengthen your leg and arm muscles without significantly denting your pocketbook.

The rowing machine might not be the most popular or expensive exercise device out there - but it is effective as it exercises the upper body, the lower body, back muscles and the abdominals. Plus its pretty frugal. Building your own rowing machine will give you a chance to customize the look and feel of the equipment - and the bragging rights when people visit and say "Hey, what is that?!"

Plus rowing causes very little stress on the joints, so its safe to use even if you're elderly and have difficulty with your joints / arthritis.

You could go out and purchase a really nice rowing machine for $800, and it will come with a computer that counts reps / estimates speed / etc... but really, for the extra $$$ you can count reps in your head or just use the clock on the wall to track the time you've spent rowing.

You will need the following...

Materials:

• Two hook bolts
• Two hook screws
• Ten screw eyes
• Four spring washers M12
• Eight washers M12
• Eight hexagon nuts M12
• Threaded rod M12
• A bunch of screws
• One carabiner
• Two cable clamps
• Ten small wheels 3 cm in diameter
• Two small wheels 4 cm in diameter
• Wooden beams ( 4 cm x 4 cm ) approximately  10 meter total usage
• Wooden stick 2.5 cm in diameter and approximately 60 cm long
• Wooden board approximately 88 cm x 30 cm x 2.7 cm
• MDF boards approximately 99 cm x 33 cm x 1.1 cm
• Two long pieces of aluminum (140 cm x 4 cm x 3 mm)
• Elastic straps
• Four pulleys
• Two bearings: outer diameter 32 mm, inner diameter 12 mm
• Rope 2 meter, 10 mm in diameter

Tools:

• Wood glue
• Wood wax
• Wood paste
• Jig saw
• Screw driver
• Sand paper
• Wood clamps
• Wood file
• Drill
• Drill bit  6 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm, 32 mm

Step 1 - Building the Wooden Base

Saw six pieces of 30 cm from the wooden beam. Measure a 45° angle on each piece and saw them off.

 

Saw six pieces of 10 cm from the wooden beam,  two pieces of 18 cm, three pieces of 40 cm, two pieces of 42 cm, two pieces of 19 cm and two pieces of 73 cm. Finally saw two lengths of 170 cm.

 

Saw rectangles (4 cm x 4 cm x 2 cm) out of the ends of the 170 cm lengths and the 40 cm pieces. Glue the sawed ends of the 170 cm lengths and the 40 cm pieces together in a right-angle.  Screw two pieces of 30 cm (the ones with the 45° angle sawed off) in the right-angled corners. 

 

On the other end of the 170 cm beams you measure 3 cm from the top and drill a 15 mm hole. On top of that hole drill a 1 cm deep hole 32 mm in diameter.

 

Glue a 10 cm piece between the finished right angled pieces, starting from the corner. Than glue two pieces of 10 cm at 25 cm and glue the last one at 83 cm.  

 

Take the last 40 cm piece, measure 11 cm from the sides from these marks draw two 4 cm by 4 cm rectangles and saw them out 2 cm deep. 

 

Screw the 42 cm pieces to the 73 cm pieces and drill a 12 mm hole throughout both pieces at height 20 cm.

 

Screw the long ends (at 120 cm) “of the so far finished base” on top of the 42 cm pieces. 

 

Screw a 18 cm piece on top of the long ends - between the 73 cm pieces.

 

Screw a 18 cm piece between the tops of the 73 cm pieces.

 

Screw two 19 cm pieces vertical between the two 18 cm pieces leaving a 2 cm space between them.

 

Screw four pieces of 30 cm (the ones with the 45° angle sawed off) in the right-angled corners on the base. 

 

Fill the screw holes with wood paste and sand them smooth.

 

The base is finished.

Step 2 - The Wooden Pulley

Draw (on the MDF board) two circles 32 cm in diameter and one circle 30 cm in diameter and jig-saw them out. Glue them together leaving the smaller one of 30 cm in the middle. Drill a 12 mm  hole in the middle of the circle. Bolt the created wheel on the drilled holes on the back of the base. (Note, you can get pre cut MDF boards.)

 

Put the bearings on in the drilled 32 mm holes. Use spring washers, washers, hexagon nuts and a threaded rod to connect the wooden pulley to the base. 

Step 3 - The Wooden Rolling Seat

Saw 30 cm by 30 cm of the wooden board. 

 

Saw two 30 cm by 8 cm pieces of the wooden board.  These will be the sides. Screw them onto the 30 cm by 30 cm piece.

 

Screw two rows of tree wheels on the bottom and two wheels on each side. Spread the wheels evenly.

 

Fill the screw holes with wood paste and sand them smooth.

 

Screw two pieces of aluminum 4 cm by 140 cm on top of the base.

Step 4 - The Feet Supports

Saw two 26 cm by 12 cm pieces of the wooden board

 

Saw two 12 cm by 6 cm pieces of the wooden board

 

Screw the small boards right angled on (the end of) the bigger boards.

 

Take the two leftover 10 cm pieces from step 1. Drill a 12 mm hole throughout the top of each piece. Screw them in the center of each 26 cm by 12 cm piece.

 

Bolt the feet supports on the drilled 12 mm holes on the base. Use spring washers, washers, hexagon nuts and threaded rods to connect the feet supports to the base.   

 

Fill the screw holes with wood paste and sand them smooth.

Step 5 - The Pulling / Resistance Mechanism

Fix two hook screws underneath the base (see picture). 

 

Screw four pulleys underneath the base on to the two 10 cm pieces.

 

Saw two pieces of the wooden stick: one 14 cm long and the other 12 cm long. Drill six holes in the long one and five holes in the short one, using the 6 mm drill bit. Spread the holes evenly. On the long piece bolt four screw eyes on the inner side and two hook bolts on the outside facing the opposite direction. On the short piece bolt five screw eyes with the middle one facing the opposite direction.

 

The elastic straps I used are 85 cm long.  Attach them to the screw eyes of the 14 cm long stick. Cut the hooks on the other end of the elastic straps off and pull them through the pulleys. Now reattach the hooks and fix them to the screw eyes of the 12 cm long stick.  

 

To make the handle saw a 30 cm piece of the wooden stick. Drill a 6 mm hole in the middle and bolt a screw eye on. Attach a carabiner to the screw eye. Put a rope through the carabiner and fasten it with a cable clamp. 

 

Guide the rope over the wooden pulley and underneath the base. Attach the rope to the remaining screw eye and fasten with a cable clamp.

Step 6 - The Wheels

Saw a cube of 4 cm by 4 cm, next saw this cube diagonally. Screw these pieces on the 73 cm  beams facing the wooden wheel and 2 cm off the ground. Next screw a wheel on each block.

Step 7 - Wax!

Wax all the wood with wood wax to give it a nice smooth surface. Pay extra attention to the seat and handle - for extra comfort get bicycle handle grips and slide them onto the handle.

Step 8 - Exercise!

One of the most common mistakes is to bend the lower back when going forward and backwards. Try to keep your back straight. Follow these steps if you do the exercise:

1. Lean slightly forward with your arms straight and rounded legs
2. Start to straighten your legs, lean a little backward and pull your arms.
3. Stop when your legs are straight and your arms are bend while you hold the handle to your abdomen.
4. Stretch your arms again, bend forward and bend your knees to go back.
5. Start over!

Adjusting the Resistance

To adjust the resistance on the rowing machine, you can hook/unhook elastic straps. Many beginners make the resistance as high as possible in order to burn more calories, but then you will sooner suffer from pain in your back and aching muscles. The resistance is good if you can finish your session without feeling completely exhausted. You get a good cardio workout and develop your muscular strength and endurance.

12 Valentines Resolutions

If January and half of February came and went and you just spent Valentines alone again... maybe it is time you finally did something about it?

If you are reading this fresh it is now February 15th - the day after Valentines. Yep, it is that time of year again.

Maybe you had big hopes and dreams for a romantic evening for Valentines, but it just didn't happen.

Why? Well maybe you are too much of a dreamer - when you should be a doer.

People make New Years Resolutions every year, but I think people should make resolutions for everything. Birthday resolutions. Valentines resolutions. Summer resolutions. Whatever label you want to stick on it. In this case your romantic dreams got shattered because of your inability to attract a suitable mate. Well I am going to try and help you to change that in the following list of 12 tips / resolutions for both losing weight AND attracting a mate. Two lovebirds with one stone!

#1. Take up a hobby / sport that burns both calories and is popular for both sexes. eg. Jogging is equally enjoyed by both men and women. If jogging bothers your knees / joints, try walking daily instead.

#2. Get a gym membership or yoga membership. True, not as many men do yoga, so if you're a lady looking to pick up men at the yoga studio then you will find them in short supply - but hey, you never know!

#3. Research your ideal mate - If you're only interested in dating intelligent men who work with computers (IT men) then you need to look for sports that men of that type would enjoy. Tip: Lots of IT people at the archery range.

#4. Research your exercise goals - Take a trip to the library and start reading up on various exercises to see which ones you would enjoy the most and get the most benefits from. eg. If your goal is to lose weight then weightlifting isn't going to help you (it will just cause you to bulk up on muscle instead). So if you're the type of person who would never get bored of rowing, then get yourself a rowing machine. You can even BUILD your own rowing machine if you have the time and energy.

#5. Clean yourself and your apartment! Seriously, cleaning burns a lot of calories - and nothing attracts a mate more than a really clean apartment - and a clean body. If you are living in a hovel full of refuse, there is something wrong and you need to start by throwing out anything that is garbage (keep anything that can be used for exercising, but make a special bin / box / basket for all your exercise stuff). If you clean up your apartment and then clean up yourself you will feel more healthy and motivated. Having lots of junk laying about messes with your mind and you don't know what to do first because you become paralyzed with doubt.

#6. Eat healthy and change your lifestyle. It only takes 21 days to change your habits. If you eat healthy for 21 days then you can break your habit and get into a new healthier habit. Now it is true, if you break the habit and start a new unhealthy habit for 21 days, you are just going back to the old problem. But you can fix it if you just get right back on the horse and keep trying. Don't be afraid to fall off the proverbial horse. It happens. Just get right back on and keep going until your healthy habits become a new healthy lifestyle. (And people like it when their prospective lovers eat healthy and take good care of themselves.)

#7. Meditate - Having peace of mind and more mental self control can help you to reduce food cravings and stay focused with your new healthy lifestyle. Meditation also reduces stress (and stress hormones causes your body to store more fat) so meditation actually helps you LOSE fat. All that just from thinking quietly.

#8. Focus on doing happy energetic things - the happier you are the more energetic you feel, the more good hormones your brain pumps into your blood, the more happier you feel, the more energetic you feel. Even if the initial happiness was fake and you tricked your brain into feeling happy, the result will still be the same. You begin to be genuinely happy as the cycle self-perpetuates. Exercising causes your body to pump "happy" hormones into your blood to act as painkillers, which in turn make you feel happier - and boosts your endurance levels. Doing fun activities such as sports dramatically improves your smile muscles - and a good smile helps attract a mate.

#9. Brush your teeth and use mouthwash - Healthy teeth = a healthier outlook on life... and it doesn't hurt to have nice teeth when trying to attract a mate.

#10. Wear tighter fitting clothing. Baggy clothing just make you look bigger and fatter - and takes away any muscular physique you might have. You want to show off what you have by wearing tight fitting (or relatively tight) clothing so that other below can enjoy your curves (muscular curves or not).

#11. Set up a home gym. It doesn't take much, a few dumbbells, a skip rope, a stretchy band, and a list of your favourite exercises. Check out other pages on CardioTrek.ca to see a long list of frugal exercises you can do. Having the option to do extra exercises whenever you want at home means you can burn fat faster whenever bored, while watching TV, or even while making breakfast.

#12. Exercise with family members or friends - Maybe you have a cousin or a coworker you can go jogging with every day after work? Or you could hire a personal trainer in Toronto. Whatever works for you, if you exercise with a friend, family member, coworker or personal trainer you will push yourself further than you normally would and it will help you to stay motivated. If you convince family members to join you for cycling trips, volleyball at the beach, baseball at the park or other activities you will all benefit from the healthy activity. - And if you're with a group of people you're more likely to accidentally meet new people.

Right now I am offering a Valentines to St Patricks Day promotion - Hire me as a personal trainer and get 25% off my regular rates until Sunday March 17th 2013. Offer only available in Downtown Toronto.

How to get a Thigh Gap

Now you might first be wondering - "What is a thigh gap???"

Basically it is a term commonly used by fashion-conscious young women to describe legs so skinny that the thighs don't touch when your knees are together.

It is therefore a standard of beauty to which very few women in North America fulfill - Not even Marilyn Monroe had legs that skinny.

It is the kind of legs you would typically see on a teenager or a woman in her 20s who does a lot of jogging, cycling or possibly ballet dancing.

So if you're looking for tips on how to achieve your own personal "thigh gap" then there are three very goods tips for you - running, jogging, cycling and/or dancing - basically any kind of cardio is good for you.

But lets not stop with cardio exercises. What other things could you do to help you get those skinny legs? And do it a healthy way using exercise and diet!

#1. Start limiting your intake of fatty dairy. Avoid cheese, cream, ice cream and anything more than 1% milk. Aim instead for skim milk.

#2. Avoid foods with high sugar or high carbs. Aim for breads with whole grains or multi-grains. Avoid white rice too, aim for brown rice instead.

#3. Eat your veggies and lots of them! Berries, nuts, fruits are good too. Avoid avocados however, they're very fattening.

#4. One way of measuring your legs - Stretch your leg along the floor and pinch the top of your thigh. If you can pinch a lot, it’s more fat; if you can barely get a grip, it is more muscle. Chances are much more its fat so you goal will be fat burning via diet and exercise. If its all muscle than you must be a freaking bodybuilder to have Popeye legs - in which case you won't really be able to do much and in theory would want to avoid exercising your legs if you really want a Thigh Gap.

#5. Daily stretches for your legs! Stretching (including yoga and pilates) helps elongates the muscles and gives you taller looking legs.

#6. Do jumping jacks in the pool/water - the light resistance of the water plus the cardio will help you build lean muscle.

#7. Don’t starve yourself because that will just result in yo-yo dieting - which will lead to loose skin and flabby thighs - Don't over-exercise either. Instead try to eat something small every two hours to keep your metabolism level. Eat moderate amounts of protein but stick mostly to fruits and vegetables.

#8. In addition to basic strength-building / stretching exercises you need to be doing cardio every day. Jogging and running is best, but you can also just walk, cycle, swim or even engage in more fun activities like volleyball, rollerblading or boxing.

#9. You can eat a big meal once in awhile because it helps with metabolism plateaus and makes your metabolism speed up!

#10. Do a lot of jump squats, squats, plie squats, lunges, reverse lunges. For extra challenge use 5 lbs dumbbells in each hand. Walk every day, and jog or bicycle 20 minutes at least twice a week. Do yoga or stretches at least once a week for an hour to stretch and relax muscles.

#11. Aim to eat 5 small and super healthy meals per day. Or if you can't 3 medium meals and 2 snacks in the late morning and mid-afternoon. Remember to take your vitamins and drink LOTS of water too. If bored of water try broths, teas, and pure fruit/veggie juices, and drinking protein shakes if you feel weak/tired.

#12. Dancing in the privacy of your home works really well for some people. The music can get you really fired up to do jumping jacks, abs and squats too. There are plenty of dance videos on YouTube.

#13. Stop drinking regular sodas, coffee with add ins, or any drink with calories and lots of sugar. Liquid calories are a huge factor in weight gain and if you cut them out, you will see results! If you must have caffeine for work in the morning, then only drink in the morning. No more caffeine after 2 PM.

#14. Get LOTS of sleep. Aim to be in bed reading a boring book by 10 PM and awake by 7 AM. On weekends try to get naps. Extra sleep helps recharge your body and speed up metabolism.

#15. Ignore anyone who claims Spot Training works. It does NOT work. (Spot training is the idea that if you exercise one muscle or set of muscles that you will lose fat in that one region. It doesn't work that way. If you want to lose fat, then you lose fat everywhere.)

#16. Stay hydrated - Drinking lots of water is very important. If you start to get a headache, drink water. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and anything that will dehydrate you. Toxins from smoking are also bad because fat cells store toxins and your brain won't burn fat cells with a high toxicity, so you need to detoxify your body by drinking lots of water and avoiding toxins.

#17. If you lose weight quickly, you can get saggy loose skin on your legs, stomach, under arms and thighs - which will look really awful. To avoid this aim to lose weight slowly - about 2 lbs or less per week, and use a moisturizing lotion (Aveeno works great) and lather it on your problem areas as much as you possibly can to help moisturize and improve the elasticity of your skin so it tightens up faster as you lose weight. See more of my tips on how to avoid loose skin.

#18. Don't give up if you don't see improvements right away. Instead what you need to do is set yourself a long term goal - like 25 lbs in 25 weeks. Then get yourself a scale and check your weight once per week, on a specific day and time such as Saturday morning after your shower. Don't bother checking every day because your weight will fluctuate a lot daily from eating, drinking, urination, etc.

#19. Stay motivated. Keep coming back to CardioTrek.ca for more advice on a regular basis. Better yet subscribe by email and get updates whenever new posts go up.

#20. Hire a personal trainer to help you stay motivated. If you live in Toronto you can hire me.