For people just starting a personal training program in Vancouver or even for long time personal training attendee’s a great way to help keep you focused and motivated is by cross training. While personal training in Vancouver is an awesome way to ensure that you are staying active and keeping fit even throughout the winter months, adding in an extra activity or two can do wonders for your fitness goals.

Swimming is great exercise and a fantastic way to improve your posture. Conversely, improving your posture will help to improve your swimming. Here in Vancouver we’re lucky to have companies like Sea Hiker who teach the importance of staying streamlined while gliding through the water.

Photo Courtesy of Greg Livaudais

This is in marked contrast to my own barge-like swim posture. A friend, if you can call him that, once compared my swimming technique to that of a whale: sink; come up to gulp some air; sink again. But why? With so many years experience as a personal trainer in Vancouver, why do I swim like a frightened horse? The answer is my position in the water, my swim posture. To fix it I would need to work on my posture out of the pool as well. And so the teacher becomes the student with a little personal training of his own. Bad posture can be caused by spending too much time in the same position, hunched over a desk for example, or by repeating the same limited range of motion. Changing your body position and teaching your body to move in different directions can correct the imbalance. And that can lead to better swim posture. Consulting a personal trainer is a great way to learn what position you should be holding your body in and some great exercises to help strengthen your weaker muscles. And here at MFit, we have some of the best personal training in Vancouver.

A good swim posture has the body stretched out straight, the opposite of the question mark shape we adopt at our desks. Without the strength to hold proper swim posture, moving through the water can be more difficult and more exhausting than it needs to be. Fortunately for me, swim posture can be greatly improved in the gym by doing exercises like back extensions, supermans or planks.

Time spent in the pool, the lake or the sea is a great way to compensate for the hours stuck behind a desk. If you’re thinking of adding swimming to your healthy lifestyle it’s a good idea to tell your personal trainer that you want to concentrate on building your swim posture. Add specific exercises designed to strengthen your back and core. Better swim posture allows you to swim better and swim longer.

Teach your body new things by consulting MFit’s personal trainers here in Vancouver, and remember that getting active and being healthy is the best way to get the posture that you want both on land and in the water.

The great thing about personal training in Vancouver is that so many gyms and personal training studios have long business hours giving people the opportunity to get their workout in at a time that works for them. So far we’ve talked about how morning and afternoon workouts should effect where you choose to do your personal training in Vancouver. But what about the people who prefer to do their workout in the evening or at night time? It’s a trend that we’ve seen growing steadily in the Vancouver personal training industry and when trying to stick to a fitness routine location is just as important as the routine itself.

Personal Training in Vancouver – Evening

Personal Training in Vancouver – Night

While most people prefer to work out in the morning or after work, for a select few night time is the right time for personal training in Vancouver. And why not? We are fast becoming a 24 hour metropolis. Leaping onto the elliptical after 8 pm may not be right for nine-to-fivers (see above) but for those doing shift work in restaurants, health care or other industries personal training in Vancouver could well mean exercising after dark. The normal rules still apply, you’ll want to find somewhere convenient to your commute, neutral ground that gives you a comfort zone between the workplace and the home front. Then all you need to do is to find a gym that’s open late.

Photo Courtesy of ShawnHenning

We’re very lucky to live here on the west coast. We have a great variety of facilities allowing all of us to put the personal into personal training in Vancouver. Think about the kind of workout that best suits your needs and then build around that.

Personal Training in Vancouver and Momentum Fitness

Momentum Fitness, a personal training studio, is dedicated to helping you reach your individual fitness goals. We open the doors at 5:45 am and we take bookings right up until 7:30pm. Momentum is on 8th Ave near Burrard and Granville, within 15 minutes of most Vancouver neighbourhoods. Come in and see how we can personalize a fitness routine just for you. If you’re interested in learning more about what MFit and some of the best personal trainers in Vancouver can do for you click here to get started.

Now that you’ve read the pros and cons of the times you choose to book your personal training sessions tell us what time works best for you! Has it impacted your gym location?

We look forward to training you!

Personal trainer, Jon Webster, is possibly the most dynamic personal trainer in Vancouver. I have been Jon’s client for the past three years and have loved every workout! With Jon, nothing gets old and nothing is easy! Jon kept me coming back for more personal training because he has a way of keeping workouts unpredictable but targeted to my goals. Over the years, my personal training goals have ranged from losing belly fat, strengthening my knees, improving my posture, gaining endurance, climbing the Vancouver Grouse Grind in less than an hour, surviving the West Coast Trail, and most recently, doing the Sun Run in less than an hour.

Jon starts every personal training session asking me how I’ve been doing in reaching my goal. He creates a workout based on my response but he is very good at analysing what my fitness needs are. For instance, I told Jon that I finally ran 10km without stopping but my ankles really hurt after the first 5km. Our workout that day included a lot of strength training to support my ankle. In addition, Jon kept a close eye on how my ankles functioned and corrected my ankle alignment.

I recommend that if you live in the Vancouver area and have never thought a personal trainer was worth it, try a personal training session with Jon. You will love how closely he pays attention to your form and, more importantly, to your needs.

I think the main reason that I have been personal training with Jon for this long is because he personalizes each personal training session, just how it should be! Jon is very good at listening to his clients and making them feel comfortable in the gym. I believe that most of Vancouver’s inactive people can gain the confidence and motivation they need to change their lives because of Jon’s personal training style.

Part 2 – Personal Training in Vancouver: Afternoon

Morning vs Afternoon

In our last blog we talked about the importance of the time of day you prefer to schedule your personal training sessions is to the location of your gym. If an early morning workout is not for you perhaps an afternoon of personal training is better suited to your schedule. With so many different types of jobs having “unconventional” work shifts, afternoon personal training in Vancouver is more popular than you may think.

When looking for a convenient Vancouver location for afternoon personal training workouts, try to find a facility you can walk to. If walking is not an option for you, you will still want to be no more than 20 minutes away no matter what mode of transportation you take. Any more and it will be too tempting to put it off on those low energy days.

Who likes the Afternoon?

Personal trainers in Vancouver are generally much less busy in the middle of the work day. If you have the kind of job that falls under “conventional” work shifts but allows you to take enough time during your lunch break to get a full workout in, this can be a great time to do it. It’s also an optimal time for those who work from home, shift workers, retirees or parents who can arrange child care.

For the record, midday workouts are becoming a favourite from a scientific stand point. Several studies have shown this to be one of the best times to exercise and have success. It’s also been found that energy levels typically bottom out mid-day so the quick endorphin hit can pull afternoon exercisers out of the doldrums leading to a more productive second half to the work day.

Afternoon Personal Training at Momentum Fitness

Our personal trainers at Momentum Fitness are dedicated to helping you reach your individual fitness goals. We open the doors at 5:45 am and take bookings right up until 7:30 pm. MFit is on 8th Ave near Burrard and Granville, within 15 minutes of most Vancouver neighbourhoods. Come in and see how we can personalize a fitness routine just for you. If you’re interested in learning more about what MFit and some of the best personal trainers in Vancouver can do for you click here to get started.

We’d love to hear from you! Tell us about your favourite workout time and how important location is to you!

Part 1 – Morning workouts

This is the mantra of every person buying or renting a home, a place to live; a place to raise a family; a place to have friends and family over. How much does location need to be factored into your personal training regime? A lot more than you think; adherence to a fitness program has as much to do with accessibility as it does the right personal trainer.

The first thing that you need to know is what time of the day you want to schedule your personal training workout. Once you have determined the time of day then the location to do your personal training in Vancouver will be obvious.

Read the 1st in our 3 part blog series and learn what you need to know to have the fitness success that you deserve!

If you want to do personal training in the morning:

Find a gym or personal training studio close to your house preferably before midway to work. People start to wake up and think about their day as they drive in and if you allow yourself to get past the half way mark to work you are less likely to exercise before work. You may argue that the gym at work is the better choice but this is not the case, most people will stop at the office first to drop off their briefcase or laptop and the lure of emails and blinking message lights are too much too resist!

The goal is to be in the gym and warming up before you are awake enough to realize what you are doing to your body. That being said you don’t want to skip breakfast, the gold standard to starting your day off right; you need some fuel before you hit those weights. Some people skip breakfast before the workout but this will only make you hate your workouts as you will have no energy due to low blood sugar and you will suffer from a lack of results due to poor fuelling.  Breakfast doesn’t have to be huge 100-150 calories of a primarily carbohydrate based fuel source will give you what you need to have a great workout, make sure to fuel after your workout to top up those muscle glycogen levels for faster muscle recovery. Check out this MFit article on Fuel For Exercise for some great tips.

Another thing to consider is amenities, a personal training studio with nice amenities such as showers and towel service and the other creature comforts needed to get your day started, make it significantly easier to pack what you need for work and not worry about your shampoo spilling in your bag!

Tell us your morning workout stories!

Personal Trainer, Eleanor Bates, is an abundance of knowledge. I was lucky to have Eleanor for a Health Assessment because she really knew what she was doing. I felt that not only was Eleanor educated, but she was also very enthusiastic about personal training.  She taught me a lot about how my body works and where it needs work. I felt that it was her enthusiasm that motivated me to learn more about fitness and staying healthy. My Health Assessment started with a body fat percentage test. Like many, I was hesitant about this part because I find my confidence in my body image is very much determined by the times.Eleanor really brought me back down to Earth! She explained what my body fat percentage should be as a female and informed me on which tests are more accurate than others.

Eleanor has a very versatile personal training style. She has a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy so she can help you with both your rehabilitation needs and fitness needs. I found that Eleanor adapts very well to her different clients. She is very thoughtful and knows when to push a client and when to let the client set the pace. I would recommend her to anyone who needs an excellent personal trainer!

I’ve heard from many of Eleanor’s clients that they are grateful for her expertise and attention. They feel that she has helped them come a long way. If you have ever been hesitant to try personal training but know you need to get your life back on track, Eleanor is the personal trainer for you. If you feel like your body image will never improve, Eleanor can surprise you!

Training with personal trainer, Keven Fitzpatrick, was very refreshing. Before our first workout, he asked me what exercises I liked and which ones I disliked. I had never been asked that before and I had just assumed that if I don’t like a particular exercise, my personal trainer would make me to do it so that I could get better at it. I remember telling Keven that I disliked the rowing machine because I was not very good at it. I was challenged by my previous personal trainer to row 600 meters in 3 minutes and I rarely achieved that. At some point in our workout, Keven put me on the rowing machine and just told me to row like I normally do. Gradually, he asked me to go faster if I could and he let me ‘drive’ at my own speed. The whole time I felt that I had control.

At some points in the row, Keven would get me to row very hard for a short interval. The row seemed tough but emotionally, I had achieved mind-over-matter. Three minutes passed and Keven changed the display on the rowing machine to show that I had actually rowed beyond 600 meters in that time!! I could not believe it and I did not even feel that I was about to die

I truly believed my training session with Keven was a unique experience because I struggle with the mind-over-matter aspect of fitness all the time. I love being active and pushing myself, but I fall victim to my own negative self-talk. Keven pushed me through that and I felt amazing when I overcame it!

I must not forget to mention that Keven also does quite a bit of research on what new exercises are out there. Based on his research, he opted to use the TRX straps during our workout. I learned the many different ways I can use one piece of equipment and my own body weight to get a great workout. So if you want a refreshing workout, both physically and mentally, Keven is one of the most refreshing personal trainers in Vancouver.

This is the first year that I will be running the Vancouver Sun Run. I have never been much of a runner. I used to die after 10 minutes on the treadmill! But I am more fit now than I’ve ever been and I am actually enjoying running. Nevertheless, I was always worried and almost convinced that I would have to endure a lot of pain in my knees and ankles. I was excited to have a personal training session with Anthony Toth because I have heard he is a tri-athlete and that he is knowledgeable in proper running techniques. Anthony explained the logic behind every technique he showed me. After our session, I felt like I had gained a lot of knowledge myself and I didn’t look at running in the same way.

Like all the personal trainers at Momentum Fitness, Anthony really focuses to make sure that you have the proper form for every move. To give an example of how accurate he is you could say he is the first personal trainer I’ve met who can actually count your repetitions (if you know the running joke)! Most of the weight training I did with Anthony left me sore in places I did not know I had muscles! He was tough but he teaches as he trains so he keeps you distracted when you are sweating through a set of impossible oblique crunches.

I’m personally really interested in doing more sessions with Anthony so that I can learn to run for 20 minutes and not experience ankle pain! Did you know that if you are properly aligned, you should not be feeling any pain? Anthony had a close eye on my alignment as my knees don’t usually line-up with my hips. If it wasn’t for him, I would probably really hurt myself training for the Vancouver Sun Run. If you are doing a run for the first time or if you are just concerned about joint pain during exercise, Anthony is the personal trainer for you!

Don’t be fooled by his soft voice and calm, Vancouverite manner, Dylan Fredericson will make you sweat! I always knew our clients liked training with Dylan so I thought I’d see what the fuss is about! I’ve had hard workouts before and I’ve been seeing a personal trainer for the past three years. I knew I would have to work hard with Dylan as with any Mfit trainer, but I never thought I’d be panting as quickly as the 5th minute into the hour-long session! In fact, I remember telling Dylan that he was the first personal  trainer that made me look at my watch three times in a session, checking to see if the hour was over! Of course, I don’t mean the workout was bad, quite the opposite, it was too good to handle!

Dylan’s training style is very unique. The first half hour of the session was a circuit/bootcamp/go-go-go style workout. This is when I was panting, sweating, and feeling the endorphin rush! Dylan was constantly checking to make sure I was doing alright so I knew I was in good hands. What I especially found surprising was that Dylan, the ever-so-calm trainer, was on the move during our session. Each exercise had about 12 good, hard repetitions. During that short time, Dylan would have the next exercise set-up and ready to go no matter how crazy it was! He was determined to keep me going without stopping and I liked that! He was one organized personal trainer!

The last half hour of the session included slower, postural exercises. By the time you get to this point in the session, you are more than ready to take it slow. I don’t really think I had more in me to go any faster. I loved the postural exercises because I never take the time to strengthen the muscles needed for good posture. I recommend his postural exercises to everyone!

All in all, you really feel like your hour with Dylan works your every muscle. After the session, I felt really good about myself. After pushing through the tough workouts, I felt much stronger physically and emotionally. I’ll always look forward to a personal training session with Dylan (and I don’t mean the end of the session ).

Lub-Dub… Lub-Dub… Lub-Dub… It’s a sound we’re all familiar with. It’s the sound of a beating heart. It’s the first sound parents hear from their children during that early pregnancy visit to the doctor’s office. It’s the sound a child hears when they first press a toy stethoscope to their own chest. It’s the sound of the miracle of life. Throughout our lives the sound remains the same, although it picks up a beat when we’re exercising. Or when we’re standing next to that special someone. Lub-Dub.

Every February we’re reminded how fragile this rhythm can be. The Heart and Stroke Foundation uses this month to urge us all to keep our hearts healthy and beating strong. Momentum is involved in spreading awareness with Heart Month and is helping to raise funds by providing pedometers and unlimited cardio to members who donate $20 to the HSF. Join us as we see how far we can walk as a group.

But even while we learn more about heart disease and health issues, I think we should also take some time this month to reflect on the joys that life brings us. February marks the end of the dark days of winter here in Vancouver. We start to see more sun and we slowly break out from behind our desks, emerging like butterflies from our cubicle cocoons. It’s a perfect time to hit the slopes, to go snowshoeing or just to stroll along the seawall with friends.

We’re truly blessed here on the West Coast. We have over 4000 restaurants serving every cuisine in the world. We also have fantastic live theatre and February is the best month to combine the two. I have tickets to the Broadway musical Avenue Q and dinner reservations through Dine Out Vancouver on the 5th. The 6th is Super Bowl Sunday. And of course, the big day, February 20th is my birthday. An event we should all celebrate.

So this February be sure to donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and make sure you have all the facts on heart disease. That’s important. But also take the time to embrace the great parts of life and to get out there and enjoy our awe-inspiring city. Go ahead and find what raises your Lub-Dub and remember to always live life to the fullest.

Happy Heart Month.