Valerie, your fitness buddy

Patience and Encouragements the keys to Success

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:44:00 -0700

Patience and support. That's all it takes. Today I walked my dog Spot for the 1st time on the leash. It took us one and half hour to go to the park. As a fitness coach, I encouraged him all the time, trying to distract him when he didn't want to move his paws anymore. On the way home, Spot was proud to hold his leash in his mouth and shaked his tail all the time. I kept praising his effort and hugged him. He got back home in only 20min (!!) without pulling on the leash.

We all need to be supported, I thought it's funny to show you through this experiment with my dog that most of the improvement come from the support you can get from others. A good Personal Trainer is someone who encourages his client and makes them seek for more improvement.

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On My Way to a New Certification

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:31:00 -0700

I currently study the Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach certification; that's a nice complement to my Personal Trainer & my Group Fitness Instructor certification.

What is your opinion on that? Will you be more inclined to choose a Personal Trainer who owns this kind of certification?

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Healthy competition

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:55:00 -0700

We live in a world where competition is everywhere. The meaning of competition is explicit in Sports but what about work, relationship and life?

In corporate environments, there is often a clear hierarchy and employees who wish to climb the ladder must compete against each other. In matters of love, women and men compete to be more attractive in order to draw attention to themselves. When you ask a friend to play tennis with you, it is understood that you will compete against him/her to win the match. However, competition isn't always so overt.

I am a competitor. I compete every single day and it's how I improve. When I'm running and someone passes me, I try to follow him/her as long as I can, but I'm also careful not to disparage myself if I'm not able to keep the pace! The person might not know that I'm trying to compete, so even if I "win", he doesn't lose - and that's the best part ;)

There are various ways to compete covertly. You can simply challenge yourself by trying to reach a landmark before a dog, bike, or pedestrian. You can also compete against the wind or the rain by trying to walk, run, bike faster than usual against those elements. What I advocate is a friendly and healthy competition that will set your mood up and will give you a feeling of accomplishment which will help keep you motivated in the long run. So the next time you work out, set a goal and choose your competitor along the way. You can even try competing with a song by doing 20 pushups before it ends!

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Reviewing the basics of group exercise #fitness

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:37:10 -0800

Taken at Starbucks

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What is the best time to exercise?

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:16:00 -0800

For most people, the hardest part of the workout is the moment they decide to slip on their sneakers. As soon as they put them on, they become committed to exercise. No kidding, have you ever seen someone put on his sport outfit and quit the workout without giving it a try?

The reason why is because as soon as you get dressed to do sports, you set your mind to begin exercising. You can compare that with filling your car's trunk with luggage and eventually deciding not to go on holidays. Even if it takes a little time to get dressed, you don't want to have done it for nothing.

The best time to exercise depends on you, but for some of you who lacks a bit of motivation, I highly recommend working out in the morning. Why? Simply because what is done for the day, is done! It's like doing your household chores; as soon as they will be finished you will enjoy the benefits.

Over 90% of people who exercise in the morning stick with it. In the morning you still have energy; whereas, in the evening you may feel tired by an exhausting and stressful workday that has wasted all your energy and motivation and you will experience the urge to eat your dinner and go to bed.

Exercise may produce an adrenaline rush-- that is why if you work out in the evening, you could have trouble to sleep. Furthermore, exercises provide mental acuity; thus, if you are more aware after your workout, you have better benefits this time during your day to help you to problem-solve at work…

If your schedule doesn't allow you enough time in the morning, I recommend doing your workout before dinner. You have to set your mind that you will eat only when your exercise session is done. See your meal as a reward, but do not overeat and keep following a healthy diet.

Whenever you choose to work out, remember that the best time depends on you; it is when you feel you will be consistent.

Leave me a comment and let me know what is the best time for you to exercise and why.

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The pleasure to make your own soymilk

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:08:00 -0800

Since I was a child, I have always loved making things with my own hands, especially when it is about cooking. Even if you can find easily soymilk in a shop, cooking your own will give you the assurance that there is no junk in it.

4 servings

Calories: about 80 per serving.

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

½ cup dry yellow soy beans
Water

Directions:

Measure ½ cup dry yellow soy beans and wash them over cold water.

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Place beans in a container with a lid and pour water over the beans. The height of the container should be at least 2-3 times higher than the quantity of the soy beans since the soy beans will expand.
Let the beans sit for 8 hours (or overnight). Then drain and rinse beans.
Put the beans in a pot and pour water, about 5 times the volume of the beans. Cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.
Let cool down then put it in the blender and blend it.
Strain your blended soymilk into a large bowl with a very fine strainer.
Keep the leftover pulp from straining for later use. There are many recipes that use it.
Your soymilk can be flavor with honey, agave syrup or vanilla extract that will add few calories. Pour your soymilk into a glass container with lid and transfer it to the refrigerator and cool. Your soymilk should last about a week in the fridge.

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First step in the raw

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:45:00 -0800

For many years, I try to figure out how to improve my health by nutrition. I feel good but I wonder how could it be to feel really good, to have the highest energy level, a beautiful glowing skin and a stronger immune system.

A friend introduced me to the raw food diet. Eating raw is supposed to increase energy, improve digestion and skin appearance, help to loose weight and reduce risk of heart disease. Cooking destroys most of the vitamins and enzymes, whereas raw food brings you all the nutritional content of the food you eat.

Tonight I prepared a 90% raw food dinner: a soup made with carrots, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and different spices and a raw sandwich made with tofu, tomatoes, spinach, kale, pepper, alfalfa and millet and flax seed (this last two ingredients where the only cooked). Have you ever try to eat raw? If so, what did you eat?

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Delicious mashed zucchini with ginger

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:03:00 -0700

Today, I would like to share with you a easy and fast recipe. I’m fond of zucchini because it is low in calories and contains folate, potassium and vitamin A. Ginger adds a special flavor to the recipe: spicy and aromatic. Give it a try.

Serving: 4

Calories: 60 per serving

Cooking time: 30 min max

Ingredients:

5 Zucchini Squash
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
Ginger root
½ cube vegetable bouillon
Salt, pepper, Herbs of Provence

Directions:

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Wash and cut the zucchini into chunks about the size of your thumb
Peal the onion and the garlic cloves. Cut the onion into quarters
Pour water in the tank and place all ingredients in the steamer basket
Sprinkle with herbs de Provence and crumble half a cube of vegetable bouillon and set the timer for 20 minutes

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When the zucchinis and onion are cooked, put everything into the blender
Peel the ginger root and cut into about half an inch
Blend all and add a bit of salt and pepper and mix. Test the flavor and add the spices according to your own taste. Serve with steamed rice (preferably brown rice, which is healthier than white rice)

Bon appétit!

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A perfect treat without guilt-feelings

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:23:00 -0700

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Fruit-Organic-Bake-Dried-2-6-Ounce/dp/B0017IAMU2

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An Apple a day... is not enough, good health is a skill and everybody can learn it!

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:09:00 -0700

Teach your kids to be healthy... everyday!

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Becoming Flexible: How to Stretch without Injury

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:48:00 -0700

Most people neglect stretching as they work out. Actually, they don't see the benefits and think that people are either naturally flexible or not.

Let's review what stretching is. Stretching is the attempt to extend a body part to its full length. The purpose of stretching is to increase our range of motion in order to become more flexible. Additionally, it reduces the risk of injury and muscular tension and improves performance in all other activities because every movement you make is easier. Everybody can become more flexible as long as they work on it.

It sounds wonderful but how do you stretch and for how long? When? Before or after the physical activity?

Most people are familiar with static stretching, in which a position is held and you don't move. You maintain the position for 20 to 30 seconds before slowly releasing. The right way to begin is to go slowly and progressively to the point where you feel a mild tension without bouncing and relax as you hold the stretch. The tension should ease off as you hold the position. If it does not, release the tension a bit. Go slowly further in the stretch until a slight discomfort is felt. Never overstretch! This can be really harmful and results in tightening.

As you go too far in a stretch, the body reflexively tries to protect itself to avoid injury by contracting the effected muscles. This kind of reflex should be avoided because it may cause pain and tearing of muscle fibers that leads to a loss of elasticity.

According to Bill Holcomb, kinesiology professor, the best time to stretch is after the workout. In fact, it encourages a decrease of muscular tension and maintains muscle’s elasticity. Although performing static stretching before the workout decreases muscle strength, dynamic stretches (a type of stretch that uses the motion and the speed of movement to stretch muscles and tendons), performed immediately after a proper warm up increases the range of motion at the joints.

While you stretch, do not hold your breath. Breathe naturally and deeply to bring oxygen to your tissues in order to help muscle relaxation. Exhale during the exertion period of a stretch and inhale when releasing a stretch.

Don’t forget to keep your muscles in harmony with each other by stretching the opposing muscle group.

As you stretch, like anything else, remember the moderation rule: too much flexibility can result in hyper-mobile, unstable joints, while too little may cause shrinking and tightening of muscles and connective tissue. Remember to stretch safely and use your common sense.

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