Stayfitanywhere’s Blog

My lacrosse team, the Ladner Pioneers, was eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday and our season was over.  Not a great start to the August long weekend.  We played well but just didn’t capitalize on the mistakes the Tri City Bandits made, and the Bandits capitalized on all of ours… in the end the most deserving team won.  It is tough when you spend 6months of the year working towards a goal, winning a national championship, and you come up short, a lot shorter than you expected.  This happens to athletes every year, but this feeling isn’t exclusive to athletes it happens to everyone.  You put in a tremendous effort just to fall short and it doesn’t feel good.  You deserve to be upset, but you can’t stay down for long.

I spent most of Friday slothing around with little motivation to do anything, I was still devastated.  As the day passed and the sun shone brightly I knew I couldn’t resist the call of the beach, so I met with some great friends to celebrate a birthday.  It was nothing fancy just spending a few hours at the beach with a BBQ, a stereo, and a cooler.  Not a bad way to spend a Friday evening in Vancouver and at the end of the evening lacrosse was the farthest thing from my mind.  Whenever you are attempting to reach a goal having a support network (friends, family, coworkers, teammates, etc) is absolutely essential to helping you reach your goals and just as important when you fall short.  No matter what your goal is (fat release, correct posture, pain reduction) you need to find at least one person to keep you on track and to get you back on track when you lose sight of the final destination.

I woke up Saturday morning not wanting to do anything but sleep.  Might have overindulged a little Friday or it might have been the toll a lacrosse season takes on your body or it might have been a bit of both, either way Robyn made me get up and head out for the day.  So we went for breakfast, hung out at the beach, had dinner at a friend’s and walked to the English Bay to watch the fireworks.  I kept busy throughout the day, and only had a few free moments to think about what I could have done different.  By the time the last firework had exploded I felt like I had come around full circle and was ready to start preparing for my next goal, without the help of my support network and some time to reflect on what could have been done different I might have been stuck in a rut for a while.  This reminds me of one of my favourite sayings “If nothing changes, nothing changes.”  Obviously something has to change during the next lacrosse season or I will be back in the same predicament next summer, so if this sounds familiar to you remember the above quote and figure out what needs to change if you actually want to change!

When Sunday arrived I was ready to move and be active again.  After lunch myself and 3 friends went to a park to throw a Frisbee around.  We spent 30minutes whipping the Frisbee around and getting warmed up, this warmup culminated with a game of “500”.  Do you remember this game?  Do you remember the last time you played?  I played this game tons as a kid and have actually played it quite a few times as an adult.  It is very simple to play you gather a group of participants at one end and have a thrower at the other end, the single thrower throws an object (Frisbee, football, baseball) and calls out a number between 1 and 500.  The participant that catches the object gets the points and the first participant to reach 500 points becomes the new thrower.  After a few matches we were ready to play a modified version of Ultimate (luckily Robyn showed up to give us another body) so we played 3 on 2 ultimate with 1 person always being on offense.  We switched teams around often to keep the games interesting and after an hour of running, changing pace/direction, jumping and throwing we were all spent.  The spent feeling didn’t last long as a couple hours after that we went down to the beach and played some pepper with a volleyball.  The running commentary of the day was that we were all “staying fit anywhere” with the amount of activity we were getting done (Robyn did the Grouse Grind in the AM and another friend played squash earlier) and it just goes to show that a gym is not necessary to stay fit, all you need is some friends, some space, and some imagination!

The weekend was full of ups and downs but being surrounded by good friends, sunshine, and fun gave me the opportunity to battle through a momentary setback to one of my lifelong goals.  I will always have the goal of winning a National Box Lacrosse Championship but for now I am looking for a new goal for the next 3-6months, got any ideas?  Share them with me, I am always up for something new.

Live to Move, Move to Live,

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

Monday and Thursday #FitTip at www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

This Sunday the Delta Jr. A Islanders (www.deltaislanders.ca) crushed the Grouse Grind as a team, 21 players and 2 coaches raced their way to the top of the mountain.  The players and coaches did a fantastic job considering less than 12 hours before the start of the climb the team had lost a hard fought game to the New Westminster Salmonbellies 6-4, who currently lead the BC Jr. A Lacrosse League Standings.  The winner of the race was Nate Clare and in a close second place finish was rookie Sean O’Neil.  As Nate and Sean caught their breathe at the top a flurry of players arrived to cheers with most players finishing under 55minutes.   The players weren’t finished when they crossed the finish line they still had a 30min yoga session to be completed.  Annika Hodgson from Duquette Strength showed the players what it takes to push their athletic careers to the next level.

For many it was their first attempt at the Grind and Yoga, and they showed tremendous determination and concentration in accomplishing both tasks.  With this kind of effort on and off the floor the Delta Islanders may just surprise a few teams on their road to the Minto Cup.

Check out pictures of the team on our facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/StayFitAnywhere/50493916136.  If you would like to book a customized active activity for your team or group please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

Monday and Thursday #FitTip at www.twitter.com/stayfitanwhere

I have had my Vibram Five Fingers Sprint anti-shoes (www.vibramfivefingers.com) for a little over 2 weeks now and I have used them to train clients, go on bike rides, walk the streets, play in the creek and many other things but I finally had a chance to really put them to the test yesterday when I wore them hiking The Chief in Squamish (http://www.tourismsquamish.com/stawamus-chief-provincial-park).  Well they certainly passed the test!  Throughout the day I had lots of comments on my shoes, what are those?  Are you crazy?  Where is the support?  Do your feet hurt?  Where do I get those?  And my answer to the questions were: they are my barefoot shoes, yes I am crazy, the point of the shoes is that there is no support (you have to work harder), no I am comfortable in bare feet, and mountain equipment coop.  I dug my toes into rocks, dirt, sticks, and everything else you could find on the mountain with outstanding grip and no pain in the soles of my feet an experience that I wouldn’t have got in my normal shoes and an experience that I am looking forward to trying during many more adventures.     

It was also my first time hiking The Chief and I must admit it was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and challenging activity.  It is comparable to the Grouse Grind however it isn’t quite as developed which makes the experience more natural and unique.  There are is a great variety of obstacles to overcome including, manmade stairs, rock stairs, rock faces, trees, tiny bridges, ladders, and more!  There are 3 peaks to hike to and we picked the second and third on this trip and we were not disappointed, both peaks provided a different look at Howe Sound and Squamish.  I have posted some pictures on facebook but they don’t do it justice, it really is something you have to see for yourself!

Take a hike, a bare foot hike!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

PS.  It took 13000 steps to go up and down The Chief!

This past Sunday the SFA team took a group of 15 up the Grouse Grind and the group included 4 first time grinders.  It was a very busy Sunday on the trail but each participant was able to push themselves to conquer the mountain, those who had done it before all broke personal bests and the first timers enjoyed the experience so much they vowed to take the challenge again this summer.  My favourite part of the Grouse Grind is the final quarter, and I have two reasons for it.  One, you have made it this far and there is no turning back!  Second, because you are so close to the top it is time to turn up the volume and really push it.  I am sure some would disagree with me, but I just love finishing all of my workouts strong.  So here are a couple of ways of finishing your workout strong: do as many pushups as you possibly can, run as hard as you can for 2 minutes, hold the plank for as long as you can, or do as many step ups as you can in 1minute (hint: Grind prep exercise!).

Grind it out and finish strong,

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

On Friday, July 17th, I presented ‘Fitness Considerations for Seniors’ to the South Granville Seniors Centre.  The seminar was one hour and I had about 15 attendees.  I’m really beginning to love presenting to seniors because they are truly a fun audience.  I suspect that most of those seniors in attendance were 75-90 years old, and at that age, they’ve had enough serious stuff and want everything they do to be fun & enjoyable (It’s a real fine line between making the presentation serious and not overly serious).  There were many practical components in the lecture, and I provided many simple and easy exercises for them to implement.  Most of them found the exercises that I provided very useful, and they seemed to be really engaged throughout the lecture.  For the most part, we shared a lot of laughs and we all had a great time.  For me, that was the best lecture that I have presented to date, and looking forward to the next one!

On Sunday, July 19th, we had our ‘Grouse Grind Challenge’.  For me, this would be my first ‘Grind’ of the year, so I didn’t want to go all out.  I have done the Grouse Grind many times and I know from personal experience how to approach it in such a fashion so that you feel great when you finish (not like death).  So here, I will share with you 3 tips on how to make your Grind experience more enjoyable (and less painful)

1) Use a heart rate monitor.  Watch your heart rate, and try to keep it as low as possible initially.

2) Start SLOWLY and focus on DEEP BREATHING!  I can’t tell you how many people start off too quickly and end up hitting a wall.  If you are doing the ‘dog-panting’ breathing- you’re done!  If you go slowly for the first 15-20 minutes and focus on a good breathing rhythm (3 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale), you will achieve somewhat of a steady-state of exercise and YOU will be passing the people who passed you later on. 

3) Move at a consistent & steady pace and take efficient steps.  The Grind doesn’t have to be a race, but if you focus on taking solid steps (movement economy) and a steady pace (tortoise vs the hare), you will get up to the top in good time and feel great!

Happy Grinding!

-Andrew

I had the pleasure of taking my sister, Chloe, and her boyfriend, Matt, to Grouse Mountain this afternoon so that we could do the Grouse Grind.  It was their first trip up the mountain and they did a fantastic job and we had a lot of fun.  This Sunday, July 19 at 9am, the SFA team will be travelling up the Grind with any willing participants, we will be giving away some draw prizes at the top, so grab a friend, a family member, or a co-worker and take a hike with us!  If you have never done the Grind before or are looking to improve your time try these few tips:

·         Use the first 5-8 minutes as a warmup, go at a moderate pace and as you start to warm up you can kick it up a notch

·         To quote my teammate Greg Duncan, “don’t Frankenstein your way to the top” use your arms to help generate momentum

·         Focus on your breathing, try and maintain a steady cadence as you go

·         Plan your next step… you should always know where your left foot is going to go by the time your right foot hits the ground

·         Take it ONE step at a time, you can’t reach the top in one step so don’t worry about how much farther it is to the top

·         If you think you are going to take more than an hour bring a diluted sports drink (50%water, 50% sports drink) or a little snack to eat at the 60minute mark

·         Have fun while you are working hard, the reward at the top is well worth it!

See you at the top!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

I’d like to share with you an incredible new ad from Lance Armstrong and Nike, you can view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI5xSdhwdjY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Flivestrongblog%2Eorg%2F&feature=player_embedded.  Lance Armstrong has won multiple Tour de France races and is a cancer survivor and there is no doubt that he set goals for himself though out his many accomplishments.  Just like you he may have even dedicated his goal to someone for extra motivation, but just like the ad says, when it comes down to it: It’s About YOU.  YOU are the important piece of the puzzle when YOU are striving towards a goal, YOU will need a great support network but YOU are the one in the driver’s seat, YOU are the one who ultimately decides the final destination.  This afternoon I had a client accomplish her goal of completing the Grouse Grind, I was there for moral support, guidance and to give her an extra push, but I certainly wasn’t the one climbing the steps for her, those were her legs.  I love to help people set, develop, and achieve their goals (I’d be an awful personal trainer if I didn’t) and when my clients achieve THEIR goals I am ready to congratulate them on all of the hard work that THEY did and even more eager to help them on THEIR effort to achieve THEIR next goal!

It’s About YOU!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

The hot weather is finally here.  Hope everyone is getting out there and basking in the sun.  I hear it’s also pretty toasty in Ontario.  Yesterday morning, a friend and I attempted to do our first grind of the season.  I for one, don’t really like doing the Grouse Grind.  Every time I start it, I wonder why I start it but every time I finish, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.  Hiking to the top just over 1100 meters and 2.9km in under an hour, 57mins to be exact, is something that I am proud of.  Plus I averaged a HR of 165 and burned 1134 calories while doing so.  I’d like to get it below 50mins by the end of summer.  So that only means that I will have plenty more mental battles of “why am I doing this”.  Sometimes we get to comfortable just going through the motions, it’s time we each do one thing to challenge us, it’ll keep life interesting.

~joe