Mar 26

Stretching 101

by Personal Trainer in Exercise, Inspiration 0 comments tags: barefoot fitness challenge, exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, home workout, how to, mobility, movement, routine, stretch, stretching, surf, surfing, tips, training, workout
Stretching 101 by Fitness Vida When it comes to stretching, the act is often overlooked by many that hit the gym or punish their bodies in the name of fun/sport. Maybe it’s lack of understanding or oversight? A proper stretching routine, paired with your fitness routine will go a long way for your overall health and the way your body feels. Since your body will adapt to whatever you do most often with it, not adapting a stretching routine with your workout routine could lead to many negative consequences like back /neck/shoulder tightness/pain, or even injury. Aside from that, it makes you FEEL GREAT when you do it often! Please read on for a quick primer on Stretching 101. What happens if you don’t stretch enough? While the act of exercise mainly puts focus on contraction (the squeeze) of the muscles, it is important to realize that solely contracting the muscles all the time can lead to serious limitations in how you move. Constant contraction will lead to shortening of the muscles, which causes muscle imbalances . With these in place, your posture will suffer and that will first lead to pain, and possibly future injury. If you are an […]
Apr 02

4 PVC Pipe Mobility Movements

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, get back in shape, home workout, mobility, movement, routine, tips, workout
4 PVC Pipe Mobility Movements  Nothing feels better than a good warm up in as little time as possible. One of my favorite go to pieces of equipment is the PVC Pipe. When you hold it your hands together , you can create force in different positions as well as keep an equal feedback between the hands and the muscles being stretched. Best part is they can usually be found for less than $5 at your local hardware store. Tips for using your PVC pipe: Go slow, take your time Always push the pipe away from your body through movements. This will help the joints move through their full range of motion Try and use good form Hold each stretch 2-3 seconds and perform 4-5x per movement (or limb)  
Jan 10

Fitness Vida Blueprint Month 1 Workout 1

by Personal Trainer in Blog 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, get back in shape, health, home workout, movement, routine, tips, training, workout
Fitness Vida Manifesto Month 1 Workout 1 Warm Up Movments Prisoner Squat Hinge and Reach Runners Lunge w/ Twist Hand Walk out> Cobra > Down Dog Y-T-A's Core Movements (1) Plank (2) Hip Bridge (3) Alt Leg March 1 Alt Leg March 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEDoaZ9VcGI (4) Reverse Cobra Cross Hold Resistance Movements (5) Single Leg Forward Lunge 1 Single Leg Forward Lunge 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voqaTnCcxTI (6) Push Up 1 Push Up 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMRtiqwwCY (7) Side Lying Hip Abduction 1 Side Lying Hip Abduction 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZlO9s9H40o (8) Inchworm Inchworm 2 Inchworm 3 (9) Supine Overhead Press 1 Supine Overhead Press 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaicfApxOas
Oct 04

4 fitness Mistakes & How to Solve Them For Ultimate Results

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, get back in shape, hiit, home workout, movement, routine, training, workout, workout wednesday
4 fitness mistakes & how to solve them for ultimate results Speding time in a gym for 50+ hours a week as a personal trainer was much as a daily ongoing study in human behavior for me. I could watch thousands of people a week come and get their workout on. Watch what they do, one after the other, day after day. The majority of people I saw were making major mistakes in the gym, but seemed very unaware. It is extremely important to not only do the movement practice, but do it with purpose and intent. Weather you are currently making them yourself, or working out and could become victim at some point,  here are the common 4 fitness mistakes how to solve them for ultimate results . Not Enough time. As with anything, time is of the essence. Contrary to popular belief, one does not have to spend hours a day to maintain a fit lifestyle. (3-4) one hour resistance/movement sessions and (2) 20 minute cardio sessions is all it takes for most people if, that is a big IF you train smart. Mix up your workouts and push a little harder on your cardio. Try adding circuit training […]
Apr 12

The Stand Up Paddleboard Workout

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: balance, exercise, home workout, routine, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, SUP, tips, training, workout
Stand Up Paddle boarding (or SUP) seems to be everywhere these days. Visit a beach, a lake or a river, and you will usually see many people SUP’ing. Maybe it’s because the learning curve is so shallow that almost anyone can be up and enjoying themselves on an SUP in just a matter of minutes. Or maybe its just because it’s just plain fun. You are on the water enjoying nature, all while getting a great workout for your body. Whatever the reason, it is much more fun to paddle when your body is conditioned properly. The Stand Up Paddle Board Workout was designed to help maximize your fun! Some serious movement conditioning will come in to great play if you plan on spending long periods of time out on the water paddling. If you are serious about SUP, this is a great workout routine that will help you not only stay out longer on the water, but do it stronger and more efficiently while reducing the risk of future injury. In order to understand the exercises, let’s first look at SUP from the body’s point of view Balance, agility, mobility, coordination, strength, physical conditioning and power all come in to play at […]
Apr 25

Monday Motivation #4

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, home workout, monday motivation, routine, tips, training, workout
So, how did we do last week? We’re you able to try and get your plank time above 45 seconds?   If you weren’t able to, that’s OK. No better time to start then the present. As always, we will introduce new tips to help motivate you into bigger change every single Monday. This week again is all about expanding on our current Routine.  Yoga has been a sacred practice for many centuries, but over the past decade has seen a huge explosion in North America. If you haven’t tried it yet, no better time. Get on Google and find a class. If you are out in the stix, or just simply don’t have the time, here is a great FREE intro class you can do right from your living room. Since we are big on posture, this class will focus on stretching the hamstrings(a major culprit in low back pain) and opening up the hips. Total time: 33 minutes. Also this week we are going to try to start an “Accountability Log” (or exercise journal). Since change is slow and methodical when loosing(or gaining weight) the correct and healthy way, this will help make sure that the things that need […]
Apr 04

Monday Motivation #1

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, get back in shape, health, home workout, routine, tips, training, workout
Let’s face it. Life is hard, very hard. Just simply keeping up every day can be a huge task. From the outside, if you are not currently living a healthy and fit lifestyle, the whole thought of it can seem so overwhelming. Working with people trying to change their lives has taught me one thing for certain : CHANGE IS HARD, but its much easier to do with a helping hand and some great tips. Today marks the first post of our new series titled “Monday Motivation“. As the name implies, each and every Monday we will add a few quick, healthy tips to add to your weekly routine.  Studies have shown that people who make small and gradual change over time have a much higher percentage of success then those that try to make drastic changes all at once. Even if you try 1 change/week and stick with it, big things will start to happen.
Dec 10

Level 2 Abdominal (ABS) Fitness Routine

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration 0 comments tags: abdominal, abs, core, exercise, fitness, get back in shape, home workout, post workout, tips, training, workout wednesday
Bored with your same old AB routine? Abs not getting as sore as they used to when you work them out?   Try this mix of strength and endurance exercises that is sure to get your heart pumping, and your abs burning.Since exercises are performed in a quick fashion, it also doubles as a perfect circuit routine to help build your cardio. Focus is on all of the core muscles front and back. This intermediate routine can be done at home (if you have access to a yoga ball and medicine ball ) or in the gym, while easily substituting items not available with things you can find around your house.  We recommend doing the entire workout routine top to bottom as fast as possible(2-0-2 rhythm). Keep track of the time closely resting 20 seconds between each set, and 30-60 seconds between exercises. As always, make sure to stretch and warm up for at least 5 minutes pre workout, and cool down and stretch after workout. Have fun and be safe!      
Jun 10

Benefits of Adding Balance Training to Your Workout

by Personal Trainer in Exercise, Inspiration 0 comments tags: balance, core, exercise, get back in shape, health, home workout, tips, training
Lets be realistic about this topic.  Although balance training for athletes is (or should be) common practice, not too many general fitness programs recommend elements of balance training to the greater exercising public. When I say general fitness, I’m not talking about Yoga. Many Yoga practices center around your core and balance. However, lets keep the topic to general fitness training for this post. Maybe the reality is that training for balance just doesn’t seem sexy. It won’t give you huge guns. It won’t blast out your chest, and it definitely won’t help you lose 30 lbs. So why would one want to train for balance then? Although the benefits may not seem very clear, training for balance can affect your life in many positive ways. First and foremost, it allows all of your muscles to act together as one the way they were meant to be. It can also help you from beating yourself senseless on every table, chair or ledge you walk by as poor balance can be a major cause of clumsiness. Lets also not forget the boost balance training can lend to your favorite weekend warrior activity of choice. Since poor balance can lead to muscle imbalances(where stronger muscles overcompensate for weaker […]
May 28

Workout at Home or Gym?

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, get back in shape, gym, health, home workout, tips
If you are new or getting back into fitness training, where you are going to be working out could be one of the most influential decisions you have to make when plotting your fitness plan. Without sounding dramatic, it could make or break your whole plan if you don’t choose wisely. Say for instance you don’t properly weigh the pros and cons , and you rush into buying a gym membership. Your first week goes by, you workout there, and you realise how crowded it is, and you are instantly not feeling the vibe. You stop going and don’t even finish your first month. Now you are locked in to that dreaded “CONTRACT” at a place that you can’t stand going to. Conversely, lets say you decide that you are going to workout at home. You go all in and buy the Yoga Mat, Yoga Ball, a few Kettlebells etc. First week goes by, and you are rocking with four workouts on the books! Second week comes,and you are a little tired from work and the addition of this new exercise thing you have been trying so vigilantly to do 3-4x a week. Then, tired as heck after a long day at work in your third […]