Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

Extreme Fitness is a Toronto based fitness club with more than ten gyms in areas such as 90 Interchange, North York, Thornhill, Danforth, Delisle, Dunfield, Pickering, Whitby, Richmond, and Wellington. Set in a clean environment and equipped with state of the art fitness as well as work out equipments, Extreme Fitness strives for a quality as well as healthy fitness health club culture. Opened its door in 1995, Extreme Fitness states that it has now more than 100,000 members, with 13 state-of-the-art facilities in the GTA, all of them rendering high quality, result-oriented fitness training programs and plans, in addition to providing access to expert fitness professionals.

Depending upon unique fitness goals, Extreme Fitness offers a range of fitness programs to suit your requirements, from personal training and nutrition and weight management to chiropractor, massage, and swimming classes. You have options to choose from more than 400 personal trainers, who in turn help you to set goals and train you in handling fitness equipments as well as guiding through fitness classes. Likewise, the services of certified nutritionists are made available here to devise a diet plan in order to meet your specific requirements. There are also certified licensed and registered massage therapists to help members with injuries that occur during sport and work out training programs. In addition, in certain locations, Extreme Fitness renders the services of certified swimming instructors in order to train you as well as your kids through the Life Saving Society swim program.

When it comes to fitness classes, hundreds of fitness classes are available that have been categorized into five such as Cardio, which are classes that are focused to burn calories and improve the functioning of heart as well as muscles; Strength and Tone that is designed in such a way that it should be practiced on regular basis; Mind and Body – a fitness program that gives emphasis to physical training while rejuvenating your mental; Cycle, which is designed to recreate the biking experience, and Specialty that are based on activities related to holidays, sports, and cultural events.

Above all, a specialty is its SmartStart System that cover analysis and evaluation of body composition analysis, physical condition assessment, cardiovascular efficiency assessment, goal setting, establishment of target heart rate zones, workout technique assessment, workout orientation, and nutritional knowledge assessment.

It’s that time of year when we all start thinking bout resolutions to improve ourselves over the coming 12 months. 2010 has flown by and in a short 12 months we’ll be getting ready to welcome 2012. For so many of us our resolutions revolve around health, fitness and nutrition. Losing weight and improving eating habits are among the most common goals set across all populations at this time of year. However it’s no secret that the majority fail in their quest towards achieving a better body.

Don’t let the next 12 months be the same as the last! Set some fitness goals now and take action. 12 months from now you you can either be a year older and possibly a few pounds (or more) heavier, OR you can be lighter, healthier and in better shape than you’ve been your whole life! IT’S UP TO YOU! I recognise it’s not easy so here’s a few quick tips to help you stay on the right track with your fitness resolutions….

1. Set SMART goals. These goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Without having specific goals in mind it’s near impossible to make substantial progress in the gym. Having a definite goal in mind will motivate you on those days you don’t want to go to the gym or those times when unhealthy lifestyle choices threaten to de rail your progress. Short term milestones will help you keep on track for your ultimate goal.

2. Put together a game plan. You might have heard the expression if you fail to prepare you better prepare to fail. This couldn’t be truer than in the quest for a physique transformation! Once you’ve set your SMART goals you need to formulate a game plan to reach your targets. Much like a business plan helps a business attain success, a personal game plan will increase your likelihood of massive success!

3. Stick with it! Success isn’t going to come overnight. Experts believe it takes 21 days to form a habit and it could be 4-6 weeks before you see any substantial changes in your physique or performance. Consistency is key! Keep taking steps forward and never back and you will meet your fitness goals.

4. Keep a training and food journal. Keep track of every workout in a journal. There’s no better way of tracking your true success. Aiming to improve your numbers every time you set foot in the gym is a great motivator. The same goes for food. Keep track of the foods your consuming and more importantly the quantities. I certainly wouldn’t advocate calorie counting but oftentimes those of us looking to loose weight are eating more than we think we are and those looking to gain muscle are consuming no where near the amount we think we are. Put it all on paper to take out the guesswork. Your training/food journal won’t lie!

5. Get some help! Hire a personal trainer or join a group fitness class or fitness boot camp like the Fit For It Boot camp here in Dublin (Shameless plug =D ). Research has shown that those who acquire the help of a professional are much more likely to succeed in reaching their fat loss/fitness goals. Finding a training partner is another positive step. You’ll be there to motivate one another and it will bring an element of competition to the session.

There you have it! Five quick easy tips that will dramatically increase your chances of seeing great success in 2011. Don’t let another year go by where your resolutions fall to the wayside a few weeks in. Enjoy the holidays and then get to work in January. If there’s anyway I can help you out with reaching your fitness or fat loss goals shoot me a message fitforittraining@gmail.com

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

Pat Divilly

Over the years you’ve dieted, changed exercise routines, bought equipment, got a membership to the gym, changed your life style, changed your eating habits, read books, taken classes – so on and so on – to get and keep fit, right? Let me ask you though…have you ever tried taking on accountability with a ‘fitness friend’? Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting that you haven’t, but in parts of my own life I’ve retreated into seclusion thinking that extra weight and loss of fitness was only my problem. My friends were fit and trim which only made it harder on my psyche that I was carrying around an extra 20 pounds. Last year at a Christmas party one of my friends gave me a pedometer. I was instantly excited about this gadget and all the programming features, but later found out that she had been worried to give it to me. Worried that I might have been offended because I’d assume she was saying that I need to lose weight.

Since those days I have given many of my friends and associates a pedometer as Birthday and Christmas gifts and been met with varying reactions. So, if you’re thinking of purchasing a pedometer as a gift for someone, here are some tips I’ve gained over the years.

First of all, you don’t want to be giving a fitness related gift to someone unless you’re either:

(a) fit yourself, or
(b) hoping the recipient will become your fitness accountability partner.

You’ll want to know the benefits of regular exercise and how a pedometer can help you reach your own fitness goals before you present a fitness related gift to someone. If the recipient knows that you are looking out for their best interest, that you want them to live a longer and healthier life, the pedometer will be well received.

I always give the high-tech pedometers as gifts as, if nothing else, the recipient will be less offended because you appear to have lavished them with something new and expensive when the functions and options are varied. (Don’t worry, you won’t need to spend a lot more money to get the newest, high tech pedometer.) The fact is that we live in a high-tech, gadget-oriented, world. Women love appliances that make their lives easier and men enjoy new gadgets that they use and display like a trophy. These electronic wonders add some spice and interest to new hobbies and habits.

My point is that you want to shop for a pedometer that has new and innovative technology. This might be a pedometer with speed and distance units that utilize GPS technology. These units give constant readouts on the owner’s speed, distance, pace, and some come with add features such as a heart rate monitor that can be stored on a separate recorder unit…which eventually can be downloaded to your computer.

If your recipient is into mountain climbing, shop for the ones that measure altitude, temperature, and EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) levels. If they’re a golfer, grab one that records and stores golf scores plus measures the swing speed.

Options are aplenty – from the most simple fitness gift to high tech sports watches – whichever one you choose offers you the satisfaction that you have given a gift from the heart that assists your recipient in living a healthier, active, and longer life.

The world of exercise videos is loaded with an endless supply of exercise material for all fitness types and all levels of physical ability. The problem is that most exercise videos are pure trash and absolutely worthless, while a small percentage of all programs in existence actually contain valuable and helpful fitness programs. Many exercise videos are just recycled, old material with a new look package and maybe even a new name with a phony celebrity endorsement attached to it.

You can pick up an old exercise video on Ebay or at a garage sale and watch it side by side with it’s ‘new’ version and they’d literally be exactly the same. So, how do you find and exercise video set that is compatible with your situation and fitness needs. Fortunately, the power of the internet can be your secret weapon in helping you find effective and realistic exercise videos that are going to give you the most bang for the buck.

You should first start out by running a search for your specific fitness goals. For example, go to your favorite search engine and type in ‘lower body exercises’, ‘butt exercise dvds’, stretching exercises or ‘body shaping exercises’ – or whatever words describe what you may be trying to improve. then take some time to look at the results.

If you find some points of interest written or reviewed by a fitness professional or exercise physiologist – take their name and run a search for their name and then take a look at what you find regarding this person. A certain percentage of fitness writers and consultants produce their own line of exercise videos, independently or in partnership with a larger company.

Some important things to note before you start your search for the perfect exercise videos are: Define your fitness goals, both short term and long term. Decide if you want a program that can be done at home or while traveling, with little or no exercise equipment. Do you want an exercise video that focuses on using heavy weights and machines that are only found in a health club? Do you want a program that is flexible and compatible with a hectic family and career life – but still gets you the results you desire?

Be careful not to mistake what the exercise video producers are marketing their program as. For example, many ‘body-toning & fat loss’ exercise videos are nothing more than old-fashioned aerobics programs in a new disguise. If you want an exercise video that targets certain stubborn, trouble-spots then be sure to find out if the program you are interested in contains specific exercises that target body parts and muscle groups.

An example of this may be where a woman wants to shape and firm her butt and saddle bag area or where a man wants to shrink his flabby gut and tone up his chest, arms and shoulders – it is these specific needs you want to factor in to your exercise video search and look for in the content of the specific program or program series – as many top selling exercise videos are produced as a series or group of videos for different specific purposes.

Approach your exercise video search with some forethought and simple planning and your effort to locate a program that addresses your exact needs will be much easier and more likely to be a success.

With any exercise program you will eventually reach a plateau. This is a stage where you seem not to be making any progress towards your fitness goals. At this point it is easy to become disillusioned and lose motivation. If you find yourself on a plateau and in need of motivation try the following tips and see if they can help you.

Re-evaluate Your Goals

If you are not motivated it may be time to re-evaluate why you’re doing it in the first place. The goals that were once important to you may not be as important today. Set yourself new goals and new rewards. Ask yourself why you really want to do this and set a new goal to achieve it. Break it down into monthly, weekly and even daily goals. Breaking them down into smaller goals makes them less daunting and increases your success of achieving them and success feeds your motivation for more.

Hire an Accountability Manager

Don’t worry this is not going to cost you anything, apart from your pride if you fail. Sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves. We start with good intentions only to sabotage ourselves. If you find you keep doing this then, consider getting someone you will be accountable to. This could be a spouse, friend or training partner, anyone who will help to motivate you. Make a promise to them that you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. This can be highly effective as the fear and shame of letting someone down is a great motivator.

Take a Guilt Trip

This may work for some people and not for others. However, if you are the sort of person who hates wasting money then go to an expensive gym and sign up for a membership. The thought of wasting all your hard earned cash by not turning up at the gym to do your workout will become to unbearable.

Visualisation Techniques

These can be effective at helping you stay motivated. You use visualisation techniques to picture in your mind what you will be and feel like when you achieved your goal. This will involve re-enacting and sensing the feelings and emotions as if you already achieved your goal. This takes practice but can be highly effective. In addition to this you can create a dream board where you place pictures, illustrations and quotes that will help you visualise what you want to achieve. The dream board should be placed where you can see it everyday.