September Class Schedule
August 31, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
Fall is the perfect time to start a NEW fitness routine. Often we get out of our regular routine during the summer months and September offers us the perfect opportunity to RE-GROUP and put our priorities in order.
We all know we should exercise often but sometimes we let other things get more of our attention. CLASSES can offer a wonderful variety for us. Our class schedule for September is full of some of your FAVORITES…like Drums Alive and Dance options as well as some NEW options like Balletone and MAX.
All of these classes are designed for all fitness levels and will allow for you to workout in a FUN, and SAFE environment alongside other men and women working toward a healthier spirit, mind, and body.
Remember that our classes are FREE with your monthly membership dues and that you do NOT have to pre-register for our classes…simply show up and be ready for some fun!
September Class Descriptions 2010
“What’s the number one reason people do not work out?”
August 19, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the
ideal workout plan?
Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise]
and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.”
This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a
kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
I can testify: as a Personal Training for over 15 years I can tell
you that 60% of gym members quit in the first 3 months.
And that’s an industry stat across North America.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published
in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who
exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with
another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and
only three days per week.
That’s a whopping one hour per week folks!!
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise
performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the
presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their
improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with
greater focus and more intensity — exactly how I suggests you
train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits
of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down
your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of
time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal
sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary
activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning
off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and
recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in
order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.
Until next time, train smart.
Deb 
Exercising in the Heat
July 17, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
I have received a few questions about this over the last couple of days and thought it was important to give advice on exercising in the heat!
I suggest that you try to workout in the morning or late evening during the hot summer months. I can speak from personal experience about how heat affects you during workouts. Your heart rate can be elevated by 5 to 15 beats versus exercising in normal temperatures. You also sweat a lot more and can cramp up easily as you also lose more sodium due to the high sweat levels. You will also see that it is more difficult to hit target heart rates or target perceived exertion levels in the heat as you can feel exhausted and drained.
I suggest that you avoid exercising outside in temperatures above 90 degrees (maybe even 85 degrees). Your health is too important to risk by trying to fit in a hard interval workout on a very hot day. Of course, your doctor is the best source of information on what is too hot a temperature for your workouts.
One last point, regardless of whether you are working out in the heat or on a 70 degree day, you should always have a water bottle with you and keep hydrated during your workout. If you feel thirsty while working out, then you are too late as you are already dehydrated. Being proactive about this will keep you safe and performing well.
The #1 thing to focus on while trying to fit in your summer outside workouts is to be safe. So do some smart planning, avoid making excuses and get your workouts done early in the morning or late in the evening if you absolutely can’t do the mornings.
When it’s just too HOT outside, hit the GYM!
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU EVER FEEL SICK OR THE SLIGHTEST BIT DIZZY WHILE WORKOUT (IN THE HEAT OR OTHERWISE), STOP WORKING OUT IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE PROBABLY DEHYDRATED, LOW ON CALORIES AND/OR PUSHED TOO HARD. IF YOU TAKE IN SOME FLUIDS AND FOOD AND DON’T FEEL BETTER, I SUGGEST YOU CALL YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. REMEMBER, BEING SAFE IS THE #1 PRIORITY ON YOUR FITNESS AND/OR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY.
Stay Cool!
Deb
How much exercise do you need daily?
July 8, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
I get asked daily from clients, “how much do I need to exercise?” Here is what I tell them:
You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon Generals recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. If you want to lose, you’re going to have to be prepared for a bit more work, or more intensity during that 30 minutes. It comes down to quality vs. quantity!
The World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes at a time as a starting point for weight loss is probably more ideal especially when people are just starting an exercise program. Once you can do more intense or high intensity interval workouts then doing 30 minutes can still be enough. It’s not so much about the time it’s more about the intensity of your workouts. I would much rather spend 30 minutes working out but make it worth a 60 minute workout because of intensity. Most people say they don’t have time to work out so if you can block out 30 minutes most days of the week you will be more likely to stick with it! It will be the consistency that really makes you achieve your goals in the long run!!
Bottom line is we need to be moving our bodies almost every day! Once you achieve your weight loss goals you still need to be moving almost every day for at least that 30 minutes, but now your intensity can go down some and simply moving your body for 30 minutes on most days will help you maintain your efforts!
Remember that any exercise is good exercise….if you only have 10 minutes to move your body, then move it for 10 minutes. These figures are simply telling you what to do for optimal results. You can still get benefits from shorter workout times….again it’s the consistency of moving your body over time that will get you the results you want and then allow you to keep it! Don’t make the excuse that since you can’t get the 30 or 60 minutes in that you shouldn’t do any exercise! It all adds up…move it whenever you can and you will see results!
Train Hard & Expect Results,
Deb
July Exercise Classes
June 29, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
Happy July!
Join CrossTrain for some fun classes this month. There is something for everyone in our summer schedule…no matter your fitness level…we have aa class for you!
Click here to download July Class Descriptions
Click here to download the July Class Schedule
June 2010 Exercise Classes
May 31, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · 1 Comment
We are thrilled about our CLASS schedule for the month of June! CrossTrain offers a wide-variety of classes designed to work with all fitness levels…all shapes and sizes…men and women alike.
June Class Descriptions:
Drums Alive is unique and different from every other workout you have ever tried before! It captures the essence of movement, rhythm, and combines it with fun while delivering real results. This class will help you burn fat, improve physical and mental fitness, improve cardiovascular health, release stress, and will even work your brain! Plus…it is tons of fun!
Cardio Pumpwill be a combination class giving you intervals of cardio and strength training for a total full body workout. Although this is a challenging class, all fitness levels are welcome and modifications will be given when necessary.
Tight & Tone offers a low-impact style and is designed for the person that needs soft, slow movements. This class will focus on strength, stretching, breathing, and overall body toning. We will offer a lot of variety in this class and promise to offer you a safe environment too.
MAXIMUM- this class is offered for summer only. If you are looking for an early morning or evening option that will push you out of your comfort zone and get you some awesome results…then MAX is for you! This class is $25/month and spots are limited so please pre-register soon.
If you are above the age of 60 and want a class environment…then our SENIOR classes might be right for you. Our seniors meet on T/Th at 8:30am. They work hard on strength, balance, flexibility, range of motion, and cardio endurance. We have a lot of fun too! This class is free with your membership.
Click here for the June 2010 Class Schedule
Are you de-hydrated?
April 27, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
This was submitted to me by CPT-Carol Ferry who works at CrossTrain and does personal training with many clients! Here is what she had to say:
Recently I have talked with a few of my clients that complain about what they think is low blood sugar. They feel they need to eat something every hour or two or they feel light headed and weak. Although hypoglycemia is a valid condition, most people do not truly have it. As I talked with them more and asked about their water intake, I learned all of them drink very little water and many drink caffeinate diet soft drinks.
Dehydration also causes the same symptoms as low blood sugar. In addition to dizziness and fatigue, when your body is dehydrated let you know it needs water with the same signals that the body uses to tell you that it is hungry and needs food for fuel. Most people will reach for something to eat instead of a glass of water.
These same clients also talked about hitting a wall after 10 or 15 minutes of exercise where they feel they can’t go any longer. This too can be related to dehydration. It is always a good idea to drink 4-8 ounces of water before exercise and sip small amounts during your workout to replenish lost fluids. However, this shouldn’t be your only time to drink water. Maintaining your level hydration by drinking water throughout the day will not only help you stay alert and energized during the day, it will help power you through those workouts.
So the next time you feel dizzy, weak or hungry, try drinking a glass of water. You’d be surprised at how much better it makes you feel and how it can positively affect the numbers on your scale!
Cheers and Bottoms Up to that Glass of water!
Thanks Carol for this great information!
Deb
March Exercise Class Schedule
February 26, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
Click here to download MARCH CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Click here to download MARCH 2010 CLASS SCHEDULE
March 2010 offers some great NEW classes to CrossTrain Fitness!
You will enjoy some “old favorites” such as Repeat the Beat and Drums Alive combined with some NEW classes such as Pilates Plus and Step/Interval class!
Our classes are perfect for ALL fitness levels and promise to be motivating and FUN for all ages!
“You Can’t Out Train A Bad Diet!”
November 14, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Let’s us look at a case scenario to make my point. Let’s call it the Pizza VS Cardio contest between Carol (other CPT at CT) and myself! I love this test because I’m the one getting to eat the pizza….sorry Carol!
So Carol jumps on a treadmill and cranks it up to the absolute maximum speed with a slight incline (without falling off) and starts sprinting.
While Carol is busting her butt at 12.0 MPH, killing herself to lose fat, I am standing beside her consuming a box of pizza.
After about 3 minutes, I have consumed 800 calories (half a pizza) and Carol has burned 42 calories!
Get what Carol and I have said a million times…..you CAN out eat ANY workout…….
Moral of the story is – you CAN NOT out train a bad diet!
Carol and I know this from personal experience folks….learn from us!!!!
No matter what program you are following….one fact remains the same; if you are trying to lose weight you MUST burn more calories than you take in PERIOD! Nothing magical about that…..just the cold hearted truth!
So, if you are trying to lose weight here are some basic rules to follow:
1. Don’t starve yourself….try reducing you calories by 250 calories a day. This won’t make you feel like you are being deprived and yet by the end of the week it adds up to 1,750 calories…that’s a half a pound of weight that you should lose at the end of the week!
2. Burn off 250 calories a day with exercise. Here again this won’t make you feel like a slave to the gym, but will give you an additional deficit of 1,750 calories so now you will have lost 1 pound by the end of the week!
Now, there are many other things I could list that would help you lose weight, but if you can just start by causing a caloric deficit by simply reducing input and by burning some off this will be a sure way to kick your weight loss into gear!
Remember consistency pays…..do these 2 simple things and each week you should lose 1 pound….in 1 years time you could be 52 pounds lighter!!! Get started TODAY! By the end of this year you could be down 6 pounds starting the New Year off RIGHT!
Train Hard & Expect Results,
Deb
BOOTCAMP-HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING POWERED BY: WORKOUT MUSE
October 29, 2009 by Deb · 2 Comments
Interval Training consists of alternating between bouts of all-out high-intensity effort and low-to-moderate intensity active recovery periods.
Interval Training has long been proven in both scientific research and real world case studies to be the most effective way to maximize fat loss AND improve overall conditioning while taking less than half the time of the long, slow, and boring steady-state aerobic training alternative.
It’s not about time… IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENSITY!
The key to our Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp Workouts is INTENSITY. In both scientific research and real world studies, time and time again one thing is clear: Intensity is truly the only thing that makes your body change! Intensity is the key to ripping off unwanted body fat and gaining lean, muscle.
As much as we’d love to claim we’ve reinvented the wheel here, this intensity principle is nothing new in the fitness world. Even as far back as 1994 in the Metabolism Journal researchers discovered the following: each calorie you expend during high-intensity exercise burns 9 times more fat than the same calorie expended during steady state aerobic exercise!
The Role of HIGH-Intensity Exercise
- Embraces the Carb-Burning Zone: High-Intensity exercise rapidly reducing muscle glycogen (stored sugar) during training which promotes enhanced total body fat-burning at all other times of day.
- Burns a TON of Calories Both During AND After Exercise: This phenomenon is due to the post-workout “AFTERBURN” know as EPOC which describes the number of calories your body expends in the recovery of your metabolism back to pre-exercise levels from high-intensity training. The best part about EPOC is that you control it, meaning that the harder you work during training the more calories your body will burn BOTH during your workout AND for up to 24-48 hours after completing your workout!
- Creates the Optimal Hormonal Environment for Fat Loss: High-Intensity exercise puts your body in a “fight or flight” mode that forces your body to CHANGE as a means of survival. More specifically, your body releases catecholamines (primarily adrenaline) in response to interval training that directly mobilizes stored body fat so that it can be burnt off as energy during activity.
Traditional resistance training prescribes performing straight sets where you perform one set of an exercise, rest for 2-3 minutes, and the repeat for the designated number of sets before moving on to the next exercise in your workout. Metabolic Resistance Training combines the muscle building effects of resistance training with the cardiovascular benefits of interval training by using alternating sets of non-competing exercises. For example, you will perform one set of a lower body exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of an upper body exercise for 60s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of a core exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, and then repeat this sequence for the designated number of rounds. Using this alternating set format, by the time you return to the lower body exercise you will still have nearly 3 minutes of recovery from that exercise as in the straight set format, but instead of doing nothing, you have been working your upper body and your core while technically “resting.”
This time-efficient approach provides the optimal fat-burning effect by keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout as if you were performing cardio while allowing you to perform each resistance training exercise at peak intensity for the optimal muscle-building stimulus. “Strength Cardio” provides the biggest bang-for-your-buck so that you can simultaneously build lean muscle mass AND melt body fat. Essentially you will be performing interval training with classic resistance training exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.
Perform Total Body Workouts: For best results, you need to perform 3 total body resistance training workout per week with at least one day of rest between sessions. By working every muscle in your body each and every workout you will provide the optimal stimulus for both fat loss AND muscle growth. Not only do you maximize the number of calories burned during your workout, but you also maximize the number of calories your body expends recovering from your workout. These short-term increases in metabolism last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after your workout. In addition, by gaining muscle, you will promote long-term increases in metabolism as it requires significantly more energy for you body to maintain new, hard-earned muscle mass. This is how you build a faster metabolism and become a fat-burning machine 24-7-365.
This week we will offer FREE sample classes for you to try. See schedule for times.
This class is designed for those who want to take their fitness to a new level and for those who want to get an awesome workout done in a short amount of time! In order for this class to be effective you MUST get heart rate into the proper training rates and therefore we encourage the use of a belted heart rate monitor. * Class is NOT designed for the beginner. Modifications can be made however a good base cardiovascular system and heart rate monitor are highly recommended.
We will be offering Bootcamp six times weekly. You will sign up for either morning or evening classes. A class session will be eight weeks long making it a total of 24 classes. This class will come with a body composition and goal setting, measurements, and weekly self weigh- ins on Saturdays.
Pre-registration is required as class size is limited!
November Class Offerings:
Tuesday/Thursdays 5:15am-5:45am Saturdays 6:30am-7:00am
Monday/Wednesdays 6:15pm-6:45pm Saturdays 7:15am-7:45am
Hope you all have gotten a chance to try a class! I also have some HIIT formats on the circuit side for you to try!
Crank it!
Deb