Any fitness professional has an exercise that they claim to be the BEST for firming and strengthening the glutes; however, when these claims are made, do they provide you with reasons behind why their exercise is so great? Not only is the glute bridge great for strengthening the backside, but is has
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With the weather in Vancouver finally starting to warm-up and we head into a long awaited summer, many of you will be heading outdoors for exercise, sports, and various activities around the city. This is great, but those of you planning to start an outdoor exercise regimen or join a sport for the
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It’s common for a person to hear a food is filled with fat and then avoid it like the plague (or at least try to). When buying yogurt or other items at the grocery store, how many of you stare at the two choices of regular or “fat-free/reduced-fat” and just buy the “fat-free” v
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This week I would like to talk about a problem that I sometimes notice in clients, friends, and family, that is overtraining. Now I don’t want this to discourage anyone from beginning or maintaining a regular fitness routine, the people who I am aiming this article towards are those who are expe
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Other than avid “yogi’s” (those who partake in yoga on a regular basis), many people neglect the flexibility/stretching side of their workout routine. I have written previous articles on the importance of performing dynamic stretches for pre-workout warm-up and static stretches for pos
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There are so many false weight loss myths out in the universe that I disagree with, but the saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" I actually agree with.
Why is breakfast important?
1. Reduce hunger cravings later in the day and reduce overall caloric intake
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Well it's April now and seems like the weather is slowly starting to warm-up, which means summer is hopefully right around the corner. Summer means clothes get smaller and bathing suits come out, but why wait until summer to prepare your body for more skin exposure? Why not get started on it right
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There are three different kinds of muscle contractions:
• Concentric: A muscle develops tension causing movement to occur
• Isometric: A muscle develops tension while its length remains unchanged, thus producing no external movement
• Eccentric: A muscle lengthens while producing tension, t
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It is very easy to find a stairwell anywhere, which is why this workout is great! Whether it be the stairs in your building at work or home, bleachers at the track, or a stairwell at your gym; stair training is always a great way to switch up your workouts and challenge yourself.
Try any combin
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People are always asking me about the best ways to maximize time in the gym and how to get the best calorie burn in the least amount of time. There are many ways to get in a good workout with minimal time commitment, but I always stress that a shortened workout schedule should never mean that effo
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A few weeks ago I had the chance to attend Mike Mahler’s Aggressive Strength Beginner Kettlebell Training Workshop in Tacoma, Washington and I truly believe it was money well spent! For the past few years I have been using kettlebell’s in my own training as well as with my clients; however, I ha
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Over the years I have trained a lot of females and almost every single one of them has asked me which exercise I think is the best for tightening their bum or toning the back of their thighs. It seems the newest craze is women wanting more curves, meaning adding a little more “junk in the trunk
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Traditionally water resistance training has been used for rehabilitation or for light aerobic training for senior citizens, but what about using the pool for regular resistance training? This article will take a look at the benefits associated with performing your resistance training in the water.
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In order to stay motivated in your fitness journey it’s very important to make specific goals with timeframes. They don't have to be huge goals of losing 50lbs or running a marathon, even a small goal is still an important goal as long as it is important to you. Goals as small as bei
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Have you ever had the feeling the day after (or in most cases 2 days after) a workout where you roll out of bed and regret doing so because every muscle and joint in your body is screaming at you? For the most part, anyone who has done any kind of semi-vigorous activity has experienced this feeling
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Are you eager to get back on your bike, but think it’s still a little too cold outside? Don’t have time to make a spin class at your local gym? Well I have a program for you that will simulate a spin class or riding up and down hills outside; however, this one can be done on your own t
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(Makes 12 Balls)
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
¼ sugar-free maple syrup
Optional: 1 Scoop Vanilla (Chocolate would work also) Whey Protein Powder
Optional: ¼ semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or Cocoa Powder
Optional: 1 Tbsp H
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A question I get on a daily basis is “what is your favourite ab exercise?” My answer to this questions is always “there are too many to choose from, but I prefer exercises that give me the most bang for my buck”, meaning I like exercises that work more than one body part at a time. The e
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There are many different ways to work out on a treadmill, but the kind of workout I find most effective, least boring, and torches lot’s of calories is interval training. If you are stuck working out indoors this winter, interval training can be done on any machine, in many different ways, and t
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Well it’s 2012 and I’m sure some of you have either not yet started your resolutions or have already fallen off the wagon. Was your resolution to lose weight in 2012? Get in better shape? Or just live a healthier lifestyle? Don’t feel bad if you are one of those whom the new year’s resolut
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This is a question I get a lot from clients and regulars in the gym, so I thought this would be a great topic to discuss to start off the year right. For starters, by free weights I mean dumbbells or barbells and by machine weights I mean large machines and pulley systems found in most gyms. Whe
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FITNESS MADE FUN AT BOOTCAMP
By Carolyn Cooke, Surrey NowDecember 22, 2011
Michelle Roots, fitness writer, trainer and owner of Core Condition, does a one-handed push-up. She's offering a new boot camp class in Newton. Photograph by: ADAM KVETON, for Surrey NOW
If you're contempla
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A common trend I see as a personal trainer is people falling on and off “the wagon” from season to season with regards to weight loss, eating healthy, and working out. Reasons for this could be that they choose a goal that is too hard to stick to long term, set too many goals all at once, or the
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This time of year is very busy for a number of people and many try to make excuses for not working out often leading to feelings of guilt, which then leads to overeating. “Well I’ve already missed my workout, I might as well just eat what I want and start fresh tomorrow”. Does this sound l
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ONLY 20 PEOPLE ACCEPTED PER CLASS SO SECURE YOUR SPOT NOW BY EMAILING MICHELLE@CORE-CONDITION.COM FOR A REGISTRATION FORM
Pricing:
1 class per week (6 sessions) $102.00 + HST = $114.24
2 classes per week (12 sessions) $180.00 + HST = $201.60
CLICK HERE To Sign-Up Online
CLASS
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Christmas is a time of year when people tend to loosen the leash a little bit in their regular diet, allowing for a few more indulgences. January is then a time when everyone wants to get back into shape and work off those “holiday pounds”.
If you have a loved one who is a fitness fanatic
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It’s hard to believe it, but Christmas is right around the corner and that means countless hours spent in the mall for many people. Don’t let long hours of shopping and Christmas stress keep you from getting regular exercise. Just 30-minutes a day of physical activity can go a long way; ther
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When is comes to diets, weight loss, and working out a word that is commonly thrown around is metabolism. A lot of clients ask me questions like: what exactly is metabolism? Why is it important? How do I speed it up? And does it get slower as I age? I felt this article would help clear up some myths
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It is a very common occurrence people head to the gym to perform their leg workout consisting of exercises that focus on strengthening the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstring muscles; however, what many people fail to recognize is the importance of building strength in the hip stabilizers to prevent i
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Well, cold temperatures are moving in and cold and flu season is almost in full effect. To prevent sore throats, sniffles, and body aches it is important to avoid the germs that cause these symptoms. Places shared by many people are often high-risk areas and the gym, as much as we wouldn’t lik
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People are always looking for ways to be more efficient in their workouts and burn more calories during a in less time. If this is you, then perhaps you should take a look at adding metabolic circuit training into you exercise routine. The days of low slow cardio are coming to an end, people are ver
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Sitting in Starbucks I was pondering what kind of fitness tip I could provide my readers with this week, when I glanced over into my gym bag to see my trusty Gymboss interval timer clipped in it’s usual place (the inside pocket). Perfect! I can’t believe I have not told you all about one o
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“The warm-up may be one of the greatest performance enhancers or detriments to an athlete’s performance” –Unknown
What is a dynamic warm-up?
A series of exercises geared towards getting the body moving in ways comparable with the demands of a specific sport. Body temperature
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Eating unhealthy snacks between meals or skipping snacks all together can truly be diet disasters. The more sugar you consume, the more sugar the body craves; therefore, snacking between meals on foods that are high in sugar and low in protein will not keep you full and will leave a craving for mo
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This is usually a topic that interests women of all ages; however, both men and women can reap the benefits of strengthening and toning their glutes. Women normally want tighter buns for the image of the popular “bubble butt”, but women should not be the only ones looking to increase muscle to
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If you exercise regularly then I am sure you have heard about the “fat burning zone” and that working out in this “zone” will burn fat and lose weight most efficiently. Most people begin working out or continue to work out for one main reason: to lose weight. The fat burning zone has bee
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The kids have gone back to school and everyone seems to be falling back into their regular routines or starting new workout and weight loss regimens. Goal setting is a vital part to success, but vague unrealistic goals will not get you to where you want to be.
Here is a great 5 step method to
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Circuit training is a type of workout program that combines cardiovascular fitness and resistance training. It is based on the idea of building routines with multiple “stations” each focused on different muscle groups and is designed to push the body aerobically, while still challenging streng
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HIIT has been a popular buzzword in the fitness industry for quite some time, but I still get many people asking what it is and why it’s so popular? HIIT is an abbreviation standing for high-intensity interval training. It is a form of cardiovascular exercise believed to increase fat burn through
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With this beautiful August weather I know it’s seems absurd to begin thinking about winter and all the sports and activities that come along with colder temperatures; however, there is no time like the present to begin preparing your body to decrease the possibility of injury and excessive muscle
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If you love pumpkin flavoured anything as much as I do, then you will love this parfait recipe! You can just use a little bit of granola instead of crunching up a granola bar if you want, just be careful with how much you throw in there ;)
ENJOY!!
Ingredients:
1 container (6 ounce
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Well it’s August and summer has finally arrived! It took a long time to get here, but now that we are spending more time in the sun and warmer temperatures it’s imperative that we drink more water! The average person should be drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day; however, increased ex
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One of the best quick breakfasts you can prepare is a bowl of oatmeal, especially if you are active and health conscious. Oatmeal is rich in complex, energy-sustaining carbohydrates, low in fat and high in fiber. What's more it is economically priced and easy to make! Pre-packaged oatmeal, alt
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Running is probably down right one of the best forms of exercise you can do to improve cardiovascular fitness and lower body endurance, as well as decrease body fat; however, all these great benefits can come with potential risks. Running can be very hard on the joints and increase muscl
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Getting sick of buying expensive protein bars from the store? Or hate eating all the unknown additives put in those bars to make them taste like chocolate bars? Try these out! They containe healthy dietary fats, no sugar added, and no artificial ingrediants!
YUMMMM!!
Ingredients:
5 tbs
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Most people can manage eating healthy throughout the day with well rounded meals and snacks; however, it’s after dinner when the “snacking bug” hits and will power is put to the test. Giving in to late night cravings can be diet sabotage preventing weight loss and possibly causing
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CORE('Kor): "the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything" www.dictionary.com
The muscles associated with CORE Stability are muscles that link the trunk-abdominal region to the shoulder girdle and pelvic region.
When people hear the word CORE they normally think about th
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The term “home gym” can be taken way out of perspective when people imagine what they need to have in the room they exercise in at home in order to call it a “home gym”. You do not need large pieces of expensive cardio equipment or weight machines to create a gym in your home; all you need
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I spend the majority of my time each day in the gym training my clients and tend to observe a lot of people performing exercises with poor form, occasionally to the point that I am worried some will result in injury. This gave me the idea for this week’s column: how to perform a squat with prope
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These muffins are a great healthy snack idea to keep you going between meals. Get creative with different flavors and let me know which are the best! I personally like making the chocolate banana muffins the most and occasionally add bluberries also!
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups egg whites
•
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