Finding Your Groove Again When Your Training Gets Disrupted

Sometimes we can find a groove in our training, during this time we’re motivated to workout every day, we’re feeling optimal and hitting our fitness goals – what could be better! – And then everything comes to a screeching halt.  Any number of unforeseen events can come along and pull you away from your groove: Getting an illness, an injury, a family emergency, personal crisis, prepping for a special event, moving, your favorite running route getting blocked off, or a relaxing holiday that becomes extra relaxing.

When this happens, best advice I can give - Go easy on yourself.  Many people tend to revert to berating themselves when they lose the path.  Beating yourself up is not going to get you any more motivated.  There’s nothing more taxing that feeling guilty and ashamed.  Instead, you can choose to embrace it and find a way through it.

Recently, I acquired an illness that disrupted my whole system.  My favorite physical activities - yoga, running, & fitness were inaccessible to me for a few weeks, after having been in a comfortable groove for some time. I had a choice: I could wallow and think wistfully about the good old days, or… I could find a way through this. In choosing the latter, I was faced with the task of being willing to try new forms of movement that wouldn’t compromise my injury or cause me pain. It was an opportunity for growth, in that I practiced willingness, adaptability and stretched out of my comfort zone.

 Here are some lessons I benefited from (and teach my clients):

1. Reduce your attachment to one way of doing things.

Although you may be really connected to the routines you have, or one type of movement; it is really essential to apply a key life skill here: the ability to adapt. Shake things up every once in a while by squeezing in a different workout.

2. Create a backup fitness plan.

Think of a fitness back-up plan as an insurance policy: Our fitness activities keep us in top form (emotionally and mentally as well) for handling life’s events and challenges.  If you relied solely on one activity, then everything would fall apart if that gets disrupted in any way.  If your body is used to output, you may risk becoming a little depressed when it stops movement; so be sure to have a small list of alternative ways you can get movement in, and most importantly, practice these every once in a while.  Schedule in one “Plan B” workout every 2 weeks, even if it’s not your favorite.  It’s kind of like a ‘fire drill’ practice: its good to be prepared for anything.

3. Be willing to get creative within your limitations.

Even though you may have found what works for you, if you are disrupted or limited somehow, then it’s time to think outside the box. There are many, many opportunities for physical movement, or high-impact mini-workouts for those who face time constraints.  For instance, ask fit friends about their workout preferences.  Also, consider asking a personal trainer to help you discover new exercises or activities - they are great resources for bringing in new forms of physical movement into your life.  Don;t be afraid to ask me lol :)

4. Tolerate a learning curve for your new forms of movement.

If indeed you have said yes to an exercise back up plan, be aware that you may take some time getting used to it.  All mastery requires a stage of awkwardness.  Also, keep your ego in check.  It may convince you that because this new movement is awkward or difficult, that it’s not worth pursuing.  Ignore it and keep on moving.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

All throughout life we will be faced with distractions, disruptions and unforeseen events. Nothing can ever stay comfortably predictable. The facts: committing to physical wellness involves much more than finding a routine you like and sticking with it.  The ability to adapt with the punches, combined with determination, topped with a consistent readiness to step out of your comfort zone -if need be- are traits of individuals who live active lifestyles.  Hope you found this interesting and helpful :)

Where I have been...

Hi everyone!!

Just wanted to address where I have been as of late.  I think it's been almost three weeks since I have published a new posting.  Never fear, I haven't called it a quits.  In reality, the last three weeks have been the busiest of my life.  Okay I'm bullshitting you, nothing beats college and university, but it was a busy time none the less.  Not sure where the time went, but that's the beauty of life, sometimes it goes fast and sometimes it goes slow, all without warning. I love it!!

On the top of my head, I can say my time was divided up among a few things.

A lot of time went to preparing for my Hockey finals.  It was a long month, my team, the Blueliners, went all the way to the end, only to lose it in a shoot out.  A unsettling manner to be defeated in (especially a Gold Puck game - that's the prize in the end), but all in all it was a memorable season!     

I also took last week off to break the routine and declutter my mind.  Much of that time was spent on re-focusing and re-centering.  Time and time again, our busy lives take us away from the things we love.  Too true that was for me.  So I decided to stopped it before I drifted too far away.  Time was spent traveling/discovering more of BC, practicing my skills with the guitar, reading (not writing lol), experimenting with new training methods/techniques, snowboarding, etc.  It was a refreshing experience.  I highly recommend it to anyone if they can find the time off themselves.

Safe to say, my own personal workouts have been going very strong.  I hope yours have been too.  I Hope to publish a few new routines for everyone by the end of this month.  Just to warn you, I have been working hard on a lot of handstand positions made famous by yoga.  If you haven't tried yoga yet, do yourself a favour and do it.  A whole new dimension of fitness will open up for you.  Promise. 

Spent a week catching up on the remainder of season 3 of the walking dead.  It was hard to ignore it as EVERYONE around me was talking about it.  My opinion, the finale was two thumbs down lol.  I guess the remainder of my time went to hanging out with family and friends and dating.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole lot of things that should get recognition.  Meh!

Oh yeah... WORK.  I work for a living too.  I love my job so I don't view it as work and it's often not on my mind.  Don't hate hehe :)  I am happy to say SymFit is almost ready for launch.  What is SymFit, you ask!  It's the new personal training company I am proud to be a part of.  Since the beginning of the year, me and my team have been hard at work with various aspects of it.  I can't wait to expose it to the world.  Speaking of various aspects, we recently recorded a podcast on "Breaking the Myths of Fitness & How to get RESULTS!" which I will be publishing later in the day.  So stay tuned for that.  Your not going to want to miss it!

Now that I am slowly coming back into full swing, I will be posting regularly again.  So keep stopping by to say HI :)

Slam of the week: Worlds strongest kids!

Meet the Stroe brothers, Giuliano and Claudiu.  They are the world's strongest for their age categories, 7 and 5 respectively.

The children live in Galati, Romania, about 3 hours drive from Bucharest. The two started workout routines with their father, Iulian, when they were only two years old. They follow their father's weightlifting routine and the result, two incredibly strong kids.

The oldest of the two, Giuliano, has already made it into the Guinness Book of World Records after he did the fastest 10m hand stand walk with weighted balls between his legs.  Aside from that, also set another world record on a Italian TV Show after he performed 20 air push ups.  For those unfamiliar with air push ups,  it is a very physically demanding exercise which involves raising the body from a horizontal position into a handstand with the feet never touching the ground. 

If Giuliano hasn't put you and your training to shame yet, check out the latest youtube clip showing Guilano's most recent feats of strength.

Although Giuliano is getting majority of the attention, his little bother Claudiu isn't far behind him as evidence from the first video.  It is only a matter of time before the worlds starts talking about Claudiu's feats of strength.  One can only wonder what he'll do to WOW us.  I guess the future only knows.

When the two Stroe brothers aren't training, they enjoy normal children's activities such as painting and TV cartoons.

If these two kids don't motivate you to push your training to that next level, I don't know what will lol.  Have a great week everyone!  Remember, if you enjoyed this, share it with your friends (or the world).

Slam of the week: Only Six...

A six-year-old break-dancer going by the name of “B-girl Terra” puts her adult rivals to shame in this weeks "Slam of the week". 

Although the diminutive dance prodigy wowed the crowd at the Chelles Battle Pro competition in Paris last weekend with a series of acrobatic windmills and head-spins, it was another dancer called Jalen who won the overall “Baby Battle” at the weekend contest.  Be that as it may, Terra did win the Best Dancer award that night.

After some research, I found out that Terra is from Wolverhampton, UK.  She is a member of the UK break-dancing troupe Soul Mavericks. She was added to their roster in 2012 together with her eight-year-old sister Eddie.

I'm sure this isn't the last time we see Terra lighting up the dancer floor.  Keep up all the hard work girl!!

A Personal Trainers Workout: Derailed... Not! (At-home workout Part 1)

Oh man... life has become busy. Good busy of coarse. However, good busy is still busy lol. Some of you may have been wondering why I haven't been posting under my "Personal Trainer's workouts" tags. I'm happy to report that everything is going great with my training. Because of the busyness of the last couple of weeks I've resorted to at-home workouts (which I'm happy to share with you).

If you didn't already, at home workouts can be just as effective as workouts at the gym. All you need is some simple equipment (that can be found at any fitness equipment store), some open space (you'll be surprised how little is really needed), some know how, a open mind, and the will-power to stop when you drop.

The first routine I did:
Inner thigh body ball squeeze
Body ball reverse bridge hold hamstring roll-in
Elbow to thigh sit-up/crunch (90 degree legs on ball)
Push up (hands on ball)
Alternating bent knee jackknife/straight leg jackknife lower abs roll-in
Body ball ab rollout
Body ball weighted bridge with butt drop (used kettle bell as weight, placed under belly button. Any weight will work)

All I used for this routine is a body ball & kettle bell. This routine works on a lot of core, chest, hip stability, glutes, and hamstrings. Simple right?! Try it yourself :)

Stay tuned next week for more at-home workouts. Chao!

Adventures with the Go Pro: Amatuer Hockey at it's best!

For those that don't know, I am more than just a gym rat.  I know it must be hard to imagine with my last couple of posts.  In fact, as a personal trainer, I don't spend much time there at all.  Maybe 3-4 times a week (not including the time when I'm with a client).  Majority of my time is spent outdoors (or at a indoor arena) doing various activities (which is something I encourage all my clients to do). 

Recently, one of my fellow players on my Hockey team (James, our goalie) thought it would be fun to capture one of our games using his GO PRO Camera.  Oh man, was it ever a great idea.  We as a team learned so much from watching ourselves play this past week.  Here are the highlights from our game against our nemesis The Aviators.  Unfortunately it was a losing effort (4-3 OT).  Look out for me, number 11 in the white jersey.
      

If you ever get a chance to, I highly recommend that you capture yourself on camera doing the things you love.  Not only will you get a whole new level of satisfaction and appreciation for yourself, but you may also notice a few new things to change/add to help yourself improve to that next level.

Now, go play outside and push yourself to the limits no matter the conditions.  You won't be sorry you did :)

A Personal Trainers Workout: Day Five

So, it has been about week since I've posted another "A Personal Trainers Workout".  Some of you fitness enthusiast must be worried that I've dropped off.  Don't you worry, I am still going strong.  Truth be told, it's going so well that I've expanded my horizons into new a skill/hobby.  This week I took up knitting.  Man, for something that I deemed girlie in the past, I can say it is very peaceful and takes a lot of patience and discipline.  Reminds me a lot of  when I first started playing the guitar, patience and discipline were an issue.  But over time, with practice, I over came them.  And in a few weeks, I will I have myself a brand new scarf (that I made myself lol).  But, enough about that.  For those that are wondering, I have been in the gym four times since my last "routine post".  I did this routine Last Sunday: 

Body Ball Inner Thigh Squeeze and Bridge
Body Ball Hamstring Roll In
Single Leg Shoulder Raise with Single Leg Calf Raise (on yoga block) 
Single Arm Bicep Preacher Curl (I used a 45 degree bench, stood behind it with my arm resting against it)
Olympic Dead Lift
Tricep Dips (on Dip Wrack)
Bent Over Single Arm Reverse Fly (on Pully Machine)

Again, I did 12-15 reps and 3 sets each.  The workout took me about an hour to finish.  For the remainder of the week I revisited my previous two workouts and this one once more.  I will most likely be switching up my routines next week or the week after next so stay tuned.

As always, I dare you to try it if you think your ready for it lol :)  And like before, if your unsure about a exercise, msg me and I will give you feed back on how to achieve it.  Have fun, play hard, and remember to stretch for 10-30 min after your workout (it's just as important as the workout itself).  Stay healthy kids!

In case you run out of inspiration...

As a personal trainer, one of my jobs is too inspire and motivate people on a daily basis. Often after I've helped someone in some way, they always seem to regard me in some superior fashion. Spoiler alert - that could not be further from the truth.

I fall down and get scraped up all the time. My soul is littered with battle scars (and it will only continue to gain more). One of my scars reminds me to always share. Therefore, today I will share with you the many words that float around my "monkey brain" that give me that extra bit of energy to achieve.

It's a great day to be outside
I can't see why I couldn't do this
It's up to me
I wonder where this path leads me (only one way to find out)
I am so happy
I'm doing this for me
It's me-time
I believe in myself
Fuck yeah!
Screw the pain
Fuck it... Doing it!
I'm proud of myself (for doing it)
I'm going to workout
Boring! (Not for me, but least I tried it to know. Moving on)
Let's do this!
It's go time
It's great being me
I've been looking forward to this all day (especially when meeting up with a pretty girl hehe)
Failure sucks (therefore I won't let it happen)
I will take care of myself
I feel great
U inspire me (when speaking to others - this is sometimes said out load)
I love my body
I am strong
I'm motivated
Today it ends (then off to the next thing)
Tonight's the night
STOP, breathe, breathe, OKAY GO
Etc.

Your probably wondering by now - where is this going?! It's simple, I motivate others because I first motivate myself. If that doesn't make sense to you, it will one day (that is a safe bet). As my final words in this post, I hope you (the reader) have a wonderful day and if you dare, flash a smile to a stranger :)  And, now for a laugh...