Stayfitanywhere’s Blog

I hope everyone had a fantastic Canada Day and are prepared to enjoy a great weekend!  I am heading out of town on a vacation and wanted to share a few things with everyone before I go.

·         This morning I trained Rob Daly  for the first time in 2010.  Rob has been training with me since I first started training clients and has been instrumental during my evolution as a trainer/coach.  To welcome Rob back to training (not that he wasn’t training while he was working in LA) I decided to test him out with one of his favourite workouts http://blog.stayfitanywhere.com/?p=578 and he crushed it!  If anyone is looking for a photographer check out Rob’s website www.robdaly.com to see some of his work.

·         A friend of Mine Cam Beals is leaving for the Calgary Stampede tomorrow and if you know the dates of the Stampede you will wonder why he is leaving so early??  Well he is riding his bike from Vancouver to Calgary to take part in the festivities of the Stampede… Good Luck Cam wish I could have taken part in the journey with you.

·         If you work in the Health Care field take a look at this website for some resources on preventing Healthcare Associated Infections www.haiwatchnews.com.

·         My lacrosse team the Ladner Pioneers is gearing up for the playoffs and as soon I return home we will be starting our first playoff series and I would love to see you in the stands email me or check www.wcsla.ca for dates and times of games.

·         The sun has come out FINALLY here in Vancouver and I have spent most of the morning on my bike zipping around the Seawall from English Bay to Kits beach and I saw tons of cyclists, rollerbladers, runners,  walkers, skateboarders taking advantage of the weather.  I also saw tons of kids playing in the playground, throwing footballs/Frisbees, kicking soccer balls and just generally having fun.  Thank you Vancouver for the reminder of why I love living in this city!

I want to leave you all with one last thing to think about… when you train hard, you need to recover hard!  With that being said I am off to enjoy a vacation but I will be back soon and ready to train and play hard!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

I went to my first yoga class in a couple of years last night at Semperviva in Kitsilano.  It was a Vinyasa Power Flow class and it was definitely a challenge but I think I did pretty well.  I have to admit that I am by no means experienced in the practice of yoga, I have been shown a few things by yogis and trainers I know, taken a handful of classes including 1 Bikrams class (turn the heat down, jeez!).  So I would attribute my small success to my current fitness level (Kettlebell lifting, movement based training, sports, biking), an excellent instructor, and trying not to get shown up by Robyn, she won. 

This blog post isn’t about my triumphant return to the mat, after all I was never there in the first place, but it is about a story the instructor told before we started the class.  The instructor, Clara, began telling her story by mentioning that she had been teaching a class and noticed that one of her regular students wasn’t quite right.  To me this was the first sign that she was going to be a good instructor: attention to detail and her students.  Clara proceeded to tell the class about how she approached her student to find out how she was doing and the student said “things aren’t going very well in my life, but I need to come back to the mat to continue practicing yoga.”  When I heard this I immediately thought of the times I have heard people say I am just not well right now and need to stop exercising.  It was inspiring to hear about someone who is in a tough place in their life but continues to practice what she loves in an effort to help her overcome challenges.  Clara then recited a poem about the importance of practicing no matter what the situation is in your life, and the class began.  I spent the next 90 minutes practicing poses and doing my best to match Robyn pose for pose with some success and some failure and at the end of the class Clara recited the poem again (I tried to memorize the words of the poem but I just couldn’t keep up, sorry). 

Certain types of exercise aren’t for everyone and if you don’t like something you don’t like something; however, there are endless ways to get your body moving, the key is to find something you truly enjoy.  Go play the sport you loved as a kid, go play a new sport, go dancing, go biking, go swimming, go running, go hiking, go climbing, go lift weights.   You will eventually find something that you love to do, something that makes you happy and you will find any excuse in the world to spend more time doing it!  Whatever form of movement you chose you may just end up like Clara’s student and use that practice to transform challenging times in your life to happy ones.

Live to Move, Move to Live!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

I have spent the holidays in Calgary with my family, and although we have indulged in big meals, treats, and drinks we still managed to get some activity done on a daily basis.  Following are the activities we did, some can’t be done in every city in the world but if you need help finding some activities contact me and I will create a fitness solution specific to you and your location. 

·         Went to the gym with my dad for a workout.  A gym is a great place to get a workout done but you don’t need a gym, great workouts can be done anywhere, ask me!

·         Shovelled snow off the driveway.  This isn’t the most fun workout but it is a workout and can be a great way to sneak an extra 10-15minutes of movement into your day.  (Unfortunately I missed out on the big snowfall in Calgary that had the whole block out shovelling in order to get cars out of the driveway, shoot!)

·         After Christmas dinner we grabbed the toboggan and walked to the ravine and went sledding for 45minutes and then walked home.  Fun to go fast down a hill, and then the added benefit of walking/running back up the hill!

·         We headed to Lake Louise to snowboard/ski.  Sunshine, great snow, and amazing views all while getting a great workout… and because it is so much fun you spend all day doing it!

·         I taught my mom some simple exercises that she can do in the living room, she even saw the improvements in her skiing technique from these exercises.

The one thing I missed out on this year during my stay in Alberta was skating on an outdoor rink, maybe next year.  There are plenty of ways to incorporate activity into your day, the key is finding activities that you truly enjoy.  A great goal for 2010 is to perform at least 30minutes of activity every day, it doesn’t have to be 30minutes straight, it can be broken down into 3 – 10minute segments.  So grab a calendar and plan out activities for the month of January!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

It is always a tough decision when deciding what running shoes to buy.  You have to take in to consideration what you will be using them for, then you have to decide how much you want to spend, then you need to try them on to see how they feel, and if you are so inclined you have to make sure they look cool.  Now when I choose a shoe I first have to decide what I am going to use them for, are they going to be for running?  Are they going to be for training?  Are they going to be for competitive play?  After I have made that decision I try them on to make sure they fit and are comfortable, and from then on the price really doesn’t matter too much because after all I am probably going to be wearing these shoes a ton and I want a pair that is going to work for me.  Your feet are the foundation of your body, you wouldn’t want a contractor to skimp on the foundation of your house would you?  And yes I don’t really care what my shoes look like, for those of you who have seen me lately you will often find me wearing my Vibram Five Fingers  or no ahoes at all!  So if you are in the market for some new shoes take a look at this great website http://www.therunningclinic.ca/en/recommended-shoes/.  The shoes are ranked using 3 categories, and you will find that the Vibram Five Fingers are #2 only to the painted foot (aka a bare foot with a shoe painted on it).  There is a ton of other useful information throughout the website so spend a few minutes browsing around.

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

It is Thanksgiving weekend and I am on vacation in Westbank with my family, and just because I am on vacation doesn’t mean I am going to completely relax.  I woke up this morning with the sun shining and I stepped out onto our patio to have a look at the lake and after seeing how beautiful it was I decided it was a perfect time for an outdoor workout.  I borrowed a toque from my dad and took off on a really short run along the lake… the reason it was short was that I wasn’t really getting anywhere fast because I couldn’t keep my eyes off of all of the incredible homes and the hills across Lake Okanagan.  After running for 25 minutes I came back to the condo to grab my skipping rope and park myself on the end of the dock in order to workout at a good pace while still soaking up the view!  From this amazing spot the following workout took place: Skip for 1minute, do 20 pushups, skip for 1minute do 18 pushups, and this continued until I reached 2pushups and a final minute of skipping.  This workout lasted 18minutes, and included 11minutes of skipping and 110 pushups.  It was a tough workout and by the end I could barely hang out to the rope… if you are pretty good at skipping and pushups this is a great challenge, if you are just perfecting your skipping and pushup skills try these two different workouts before you advance. 

Beginner: 30seconds of skipping with a drop pyramid of 10 to 1 pushups.  This will get you 5:30 minutes of skipping and 55 pushups.

Intermediate: 45seconds of skipping with a drop pyramid of 12 to 1 pushups.  This will get you 9minutes of skipping and 78 pushups.

These are great workouts that can be done in under 20 minutes, so if you are pressed for time over this long weekend or any other day grab a skipping rope find a nice view and get to work!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

The Thanksgiving long weekend is approaching, it is great time to relax, spend time with family, and of course enjoy a delicious feast!  Now just because it is a holiday that revolves around an incredible meal that notoriously has individuals stuffing themselves full of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc it doesn’t mean that your health and fitness goals should suffer.  There are 3 days to get a workout accomplished, as most do they plan this weekend around Turkey dinner so do the same and plan 2-3 workouts.  You can stick to your normal routine or you can try something new and get all of your friends and family involved… Granville Island Turkey Trot 10km run/walk www.turkeytrot.ca, create your own Turkey Trot with your friends and family, touch football game (classic Thanksgiving day activity), a simple bike ride or drop in to Saturday’s 90 minute WinterFit class.  If you can find a way to make your workouts fun they might not seem like work!

Now that we have your fitness options covered over the long weekend it is time to cover some strategies for the big dinner.

·         Don’t starve yourself throughout the day, still eat 4-5 times a day 2-3 hours apart

·         The majority of your plate should be covered with vegetables

·         Go for yams instead of mashed potatoes

·         Be careful with gravy

·         Slow down while you eat and converse with your family and friends

·         After you finish your first serving wait 10-15 minutes to see if you really need a second serving

·         Eat desserts in moderation

·         Plan a 30minute post dinner walk

You will be able to find more strategies like this in Andrew Burchell’s free downloadable E-book, 12 Keys to Fat Loss, which will be available at the end of 2009.  Enjoy the long weekend, keep active and eat well.  Gobble gobble!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

I played in an indoor soccer game on Wednesday and I heard “I thought I was in shape.”  I often hear this statement after someone completes a short burst high intensity form of exercise, which could be anything from a few sprints up and down the gym in a soccer game or when attempting to do Kettlebell swings for the first time.  This statement is often followed up with “I’ve been hitting the gym hard for the past month.”  Being in shape is very specific to what you are training for, so if you have been grinding it out slowly lifting weights and running long distances you are likely going to find yourself gasping for air when playing in a short burst fast paced sport.  This same holds true for an avid basketball player who decides to try out a yoga class for the first time http://blog.stayfitanywhere.com/?p=596, sorry Andrew it was just too easy.  What this means is that your fitness level is very specific, so if you train fast you will be fast, if you train slow you will be slow.  It is very important to create your workouts so that they replicate the situation you are training for, so if you want to be in indoor soccer shape you should work on stopping/starting, changing direction, and footwork amongst other things.  This doesn’t mean that when you train for a certain activity you can’t find some crossover benefits to other activities; but don’t be surprised when the first time you try a new activity that it is difficult.

If you have been hitting the gym hard to train for a sport/activity remember you are training to be an athlete not a body builder!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

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

Sunday night marked the close of our first StayFitAnywhere Walk Challenge and it was definitely a success, altogether we accumulated over 13 million steps in 3 weeks!  To all of you who participated in the challenge thank you for participating and congratulations on keeping your body moving.  It was my first time participating in a walk challenge, and although I didn’t win (I hate not winning) I had a great time trying to sneak in a few more steps throughout the day, from going for a walk around the block just before bed or marching on the spot while waiting in line for the ATM.   Following is my notes from the challenge (I wore my Vibram Five Fingers, www.vibramfivefingers.com, for almost every single step I took)…

It was a lot of fun reading everyones comments and seeing how they got all of their steps in over the 3 weeks, be prepared for our next walk challenge in 2010!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

It has been an awesome busy week and I have had a great time training clients, athletes and myself!  All of the training took place at a number of different locations throughout the lower mainland and following are the locations and a little information about what happened at each spot.

·         King Ed Village – In an apartment buildings gym I took my client and her 1 year old daughter through a workout

·         Kitsilano Beach Basketball Courts – Trained Rob D in preparation for the Half Ironman Triathlon in Cancun, as well as a quick 30minute butt kicking, and a partner Kettlebell session

·         Target Fitness – Trained lots of clients 1 on 1 and partner sessions… and had a wicked pushup/pullup/skipping workout myself

·         Granville Island Apartment – Trained a couple in their Racquetball court (Agility Ladder and Medicine ball!) and the games room of their apartment building

·         Coopers Park (under Cambie St. Bridge) – Kettlebell and ballast ball workout

·         Charleson Park – Another 30minute butt kicking!

·         Newton Athletic Park – I was in Surrey running the conditioning component of Wild West Lacrosse College Prep Lacrosse Camp (www.wildwestlacrosse.com) and 25 young men got put to the test before they took part in lacrosse specific drills with Cliff Smith (Projected first rounder in this year’s NLL pro draft), Jordan Hall (Former NLL #1 draft pick, Orlando Titans) and Bart Sullivan (Coach at Bellarmine University in Kentucky).  Cliff and Jordan are also training with me after they are finished vying for the Mann Cup!

·         Douglas Park – Evolution Bootcamp on the basketball courts, fitness circuit workouts, and a Rob D cricket pitch Ironman prep workout.

·         Seawall (Science World to Kits Beach) – Another Rob D Ironman prep workout with stops at Various places along the way.

·         Balaclava Park – Awesome circuit workout with 2 Kettlebells, Ballast ball and a band.  Did my own personal workout here as well… Kettlebell Swings, Kettlebell Cleans, Kettlebell Presses, Kettlebell clean and presses, and Kettlebell Snatches… while I was at the park I was inspired to write a blog post on Where I find the Energy? Stay tuned!

·         Granville Park – Not really a workout but an attempt to teach Marley (dogsitting for a few days) how to fetch a ball, but ended up running in circles with her and a bunch of little kids, still tons of fun!

·         Delta High School – Coaching Final Practices for BC U19 Selects in preparation for the National Championships over Labour Day Long Weekend in Winnipeg.

·         Seawall (Kits to Spanish Banks) – Quick Bike Ride out to Jericho Sailing Centre and then a run to the end of Spanish Banks and back (in my Vibram Five Fingers, www.vibramfivefingers.com) and then back on my bike home

There are tons of locations for workouts, if you go by a spot that looks like a place you’d like to try a workout and aren’t sure what to do let me know and I will provide you with the solution!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere  

It is about 30 degrees Celsius outside today in Vancouver, and I took professional photographer and incredibly fit individual Rob Daly (www.robdaly.com) for a run/workout around the seawall.  We have done this workout a few time before but never in this heat, which is perfect because Rob is in training to participate in the Half Ironman Triathlon in Cancun at the end of September.  We met at Science World and I loaded my backpack up with Rob’s water and Gatorade and the rest of the equipment for our workout (medicine ball and resistance band).  Rob was going to run the seawall while I biked and set up stations for him along the way.  Following is Rob’s workout:

·         Run from Science World to the stairs below the Cambie St. Bridge and Sprint up and Down

·         Run to the little hill just before Monk’s and perform 30seconds of Lo to Hi Chops on each side and 10 burpees

·         Run to Charleson park and perform 10 Medicine Ball twist and throws and 10 burpees

·         Run to Granville Island and perform 10 box jumps and 10 burpees

·         Run to the Nautical Museum and perform 15 Russian Twists and 10 burpees

·         Run to Kits Beach basketball courts and run 4 sets of suicide sprints with half recovery time between and finish off with 10 jump pullup leg raises

·         Run back to Science world hitting all of the same stops along the way

It was an incredibly tough workout but Rob nailed and is looking good to complete his first Half Ironman Triathlon.  If you would like to try this workout find a partner and go for it, but be sure to follow Andrews tips for exercising in the sun (http://blog.stayfitanywhere.com/?p=274).

Enjoy the Fireworks tonight,

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere