Christmas and Hannukah are here, and we may wonder whether or not we should exercice during the holidays season. In the past years people have told us that they feel guilty about the wonderful pleasure they have had with friends and familly; that they should have eaten less and be more active. Most of the time our motivation to stay fit will pump us up to remain physically active, but sometimes we lose our stamina and keep making excuses for what we really know is important: Like staying healthy all year long. But we can't blaim ourself for this either; Christmas and Hannukah are about joy and pleasure after all..
Nowadays, with the recent apparition of Yoga - Meditation- Qi gong- Pilates as new forms of "soft" fitness training methods, our options are multiples to stay fit and healthy. These body mind methods are a wonderful way to be active around Christmas and Hannukah.
We don't always have to work out hard to be fit, and Zenergie team agrees that we all need to slow down periodically to help our body and our mind to recover. That is why, Yoga and Qi gong, for instance, offer great alternatives to keep our body flexible, functional, and mobile for the holidays season.
Knowing that we have many options available to remain in shape during the Christmas vacation, takes away the guilt of not exercising at all.
If you need some help with your training program , we will gladly spend some time with you to give you free advices to go through the festivities of the holidays.
Best Wishes,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Zenergie is a private fitness studio owned and operated by Christian Heno, BCRPA-Certified Personal Trainer, martial arts instructor, and practictioner of Tui-na, traditional Chinese massage. Zenergie's professional staff specialize in working with both the body and mind to enhance health, improve fitness, and restore capacity in our clients.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
More About Overtraining
Today's tip of the week is about overtraining.
The improvements in our fitness is not happening during the workout. It is happening during the rest time. During the workouts we create muscle damage (the muscle soreness we sometimes feel). and fatigue. When we rest, our body repairs this damage, and clears the lactic acid. If we don't allow enough recovery time, over time a state of overtraining will set in. It manifests itself as an elevated resting heart rate, constant fatigue, difficulties sleeping, lack of motivation to train, irritability...To avoid overtraining we must allow for a rest time and proper nutrition. A good nutritious meal (carbs and protein)should be consumed no longer then an hour after the workout when our body is the most receptive to absorbing the nutrients. Two consecutive rest days are always better then one. A light workout (active recovery) between hard training days is also fine. This could be easy swimming, going for a walk...
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
The improvements in our fitness is not happening during the workout. It is happening during the rest time. During the workouts we create muscle damage (the muscle soreness we sometimes feel). and fatigue. When we rest, our body repairs this damage, and clears the lactic acid. If we don't allow enough recovery time, over time a state of overtraining will set in. It manifests itself as an elevated resting heart rate, constant fatigue, difficulties sleeping, lack of motivation to train, irritability...To avoid overtraining we must allow for a rest time and proper nutrition. A good nutritious meal (carbs and protein)should be consumed no longer then an hour after the workout when our body is the most receptive to absorbing the nutrients. Two consecutive rest days are always better then one. A light workout (active recovery) between hard training days is also fine. This could be easy swimming, going for a walk...
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Injury Prevention: the Four Golden Rules
How do you prevent injury while you are training?
The Four golden rules:
Warm up: The muscle groups should be warm before every training session.
Maintain good posture: Incorrect posture can easily lead to injuries. If you start to lose your posture, stop the exercise and reposition yourself.
Listen to your body: If anything hurts while you're training, reduce the intensity of the exercise.
Stretch: It is important to finish your exercises with stretching.
If you need more information about how to implement the knowledge that we provide you, don't hesitate to ask one of our trainer at your next visit to the studio.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studi
The Four golden rules:
Warm up: The muscle groups should be warm before every training session.
Maintain good posture: Incorrect posture can easily lead to injuries. If you start to lose your posture, stop the exercise and reposition yourself.
Listen to your body: If anything hurts while you're training, reduce the intensity of the exercise.
Stretch: It is important to finish your exercises with stretching.
If you need more information about how to implement the knowledge that we provide you, don't hesitate to ask one of our trainer at your next visit to the studio.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studi
Awareness of Overtraining
I hope you have had a positive week. Today I would like to talk to you about tiredness due to overtraining, or a lack of recovery between your training sessions;
FACT:
Too much exercise will often cause micro trauma to muscles, and to the connective tissues. And without good recovery, areas of wear and tears become weak links and are more prone to injuries.
Signs of physical stress due to lack of recovery are:
Physical and mental agitation.
Irritability
Lack of sleep
Cramps
Palpitation
Mood swing
Lack of appetite
Clearly these signs are showing that your body is not recovering enough.You are accumulating stress.
What are the solutions?
Take a break, and get rid of the guilt if you don't train for a week..It is adding more stress to your life.
Don't wait until you feel tired. Skipping rest is the most common causes of overtraining injuries.
Used the periodisation method. Variations in the amount and intensity of exercises. Ask your trainer to help you.
Drink more water. If you are tired, you are probably also dehydrated.
Don't underestimate the power of recovery. In fact, it rejuvenates and consolidates the gains of exercises.
You need to find the right balance between training and recovering time. Listen to your body.
Look at your life. Are you working too much? How is your stress level?
This tips will help you to maximize your training gains while you are reducing the risk of over training.
Enjoy the long week end , have fun and get some rest.
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
FACT:
Too much exercise will often cause micro trauma to muscles, and to the connective tissues. And without good recovery, areas of wear and tears become weak links and are more prone to injuries.
Signs of physical stress due to lack of recovery are:
Physical and mental agitation.
Irritability
Lack of sleep
Cramps
Palpitation
Mood swing
Lack of appetite
Clearly these signs are showing that your body is not recovering enough.You are accumulating stress.
What are the solutions?
Take a break, and get rid of the guilt if you don't train for a week..It is adding more stress to your life.
Don't wait until you feel tired. Skipping rest is the most common causes of overtraining injuries.
Used the periodisation method. Variations in the amount and intensity of exercises. Ask your trainer to help you.
Drink more water. If you are tired, you are probably also dehydrated.
Don't underestimate the power of recovery. In fact, it rejuvenates and consolidates the gains of exercises.
You need to find the right balance between training and recovering time. Listen to your body.
Look at your life. Are you working too much? How is your stress level?
This tips will help you to maximize your training gains while you are reducing the risk of over training.
Enjoy the long week end , have fun and get some rest.
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Mental Fitness
About Mental Fitness;
Taking care of your emotional health is as important as exercising your muscles Think about the stress you are facing everyday and how it is affecting you. Try to recognize that dedicating even a short time every day to your mental fitness will rejuvenate you and bring you more confidence.
Here are few ways to remain fit mentally;
Give yourself permission to take a break from your worries and concerns.
Close your eyes for 5 minutes a day to find a a sensation of peace and tranquility.
Minimize your negative thoughts. Don’t try to block them , but don’t let them take over.
Have humour . Life often gets too serious, so when you hear or see something that makes you smile or laugh, share it with someone .
Pamper yourself:.Take time alone for yourself.
Last but not the least! Eat good food and enjoy life.
Have a relaxing week end
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Taking care of your emotional health is as important as exercising your muscles Think about the stress you are facing everyday and how it is affecting you. Try to recognize that dedicating even a short time every day to your mental fitness will rejuvenate you and bring you more confidence.
Here are few ways to remain fit mentally;
Give yourself permission to take a break from your worries and concerns.
Close your eyes for 5 minutes a day to find a a sensation of peace and tranquility.
Minimize your negative thoughts. Don’t try to block them , but don’t let them take over.
Have humour . Life often gets too serious, so when you hear or see something that makes you smile or laugh, share it with someone .
Pamper yourself:.Take time alone for yourself.
Last but not the least! Eat good food and enjoy life.
Have a relaxing week end
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Biorythms and You
Today I will talk to you about biorythm, which is the cyclic pattern of changes in physiology, and how it can impact your training routine.
Our biology has rhythms that vary according to the time of the day, the seasons, the weather conditions, and any external environmental fluctuation such as the tide for example. During a period of 24 hours your body goes through many changes: Blood pressure; heart rate, urine production and so on.
Your vital functions are set to a very precise internal clock, and any changes in its rythm can disorganise the entire system. For instance when you are fatigue, you are experiencing symptoms in your body which are signs that your clock is not tuned properly to your physiology. Each of us has a different biorythm, that is why it is important to listen to your body.
Ask yourself few questions to assess your biorythm when your are engaged in a regular exercise program: Am I feeling tired today? or do I have lot of energy? At what time of the day does my body can endure a better workout?
If you have experienced recently symptoms such as lack of sleep, cramps, heart palpitation, irritablity. Listen to your body, and take the proper action to reconnect with your biorythm in order to maximize your training program. Remember, your body knows what is good for you. If you need to take a day off, do it because it might be the time necessary that your body will need to reset the clock.
Our biology has rhythms that vary according to the time of the day, the seasons, the weather conditions, and any external environmental fluctuation such as the tide for example. During a period of 24 hours your body goes through many changes: Blood pressure; heart rate, urine production and so on.
Your vital functions are set to a very precise internal clock, and any changes in its rythm can disorganise the entire system. For instance when you are fatigue, you are experiencing symptoms in your body which are signs that your clock is not tuned properly to your physiology. Each of us has a different biorythm, that is why it is important to listen to your body.
Ask yourself few questions to assess your biorythm when your are engaged in a regular exercise program: Am I feeling tired today? or do I have lot of energy? At what time of the day does my body can endure a better workout?
If you have experienced recently symptoms such as lack of sleep, cramps, heart palpitation, irritablity. Listen to your body, and take the proper action to reconnect with your biorythm in order to maximize your training program. Remember, your body knows what is good for you. If you need to take a day off, do it because it might be the time necessary that your body will need to reset the clock.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
The Lessons of Paralympians
Soon the Paralympics will take place in our beautiful city. Although not as mediatique and popular as the regular Olympics, these games seem to be underrated.
In my mind the Paralympians overcome their physical challenges in the most impressive ways, and they deserve gold medals just for participating to the games.
I have had the opportunity to talk to an athlete with special needs a while ago, he told me that he never look at his physical disabilities as a life sentence. It seems like the consequences of his illness were less important than the attitude he used to overcome them.
Practicing a sport competitively as Paralympians to achieve remarkable performances is primarily based on inner strength more than on pure physical skills. In other terms, their body mechanics have been formatted to move according to a specific level of mental conditioning to deliver high level performances. Their clear intention to win defies logic and, surprisingly, being physically impaired seems to have the potential to release the best of the human machine.
There are no real boundaries and we are the ones who set up the standards. Being afraid to go beyond comfort zones creates limited space to explore ourselves and to achieve our dreams and visions .Thinking and acting beyond fears has the capacity to unleash potential creativity with no limit.
This is exactly what the Paralympians will demonstrate on March 11th, 2010
I am inviting everyone to watch the Paralympics as a tribute to life itself and its capacity to transform rock in pure gold.
Have an inspiring week end.
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
In my mind the Paralympians overcome their physical challenges in the most impressive ways, and they deserve gold medals just for participating to the games.
I have had the opportunity to talk to an athlete with special needs a while ago, he told me that he never look at his physical disabilities as a life sentence. It seems like the consequences of his illness were less important than the attitude he used to overcome them.
Practicing a sport competitively as Paralympians to achieve remarkable performances is primarily based on inner strength more than on pure physical skills. In other terms, their body mechanics have been formatted to move according to a specific level of mental conditioning to deliver high level performances. Their clear intention to win defies logic and, surprisingly, being physically impaired seems to have the potential to release the best of the human machine.
There are no real boundaries and we are the ones who set up the standards. Being afraid to go beyond comfort zones creates limited space to explore ourselves and to achieve our dreams and visions .Thinking and acting beyond fears has the capacity to unleash potential creativity with no limit.
This is exactly what the Paralympians will demonstrate on March 11th, 2010
I am inviting everyone to watch the Paralympics as a tribute to life itself and its capacity to transform rock in pure gold.
Have an inspiring week end.
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Lessons of the Olympians and Paralympians
Hope that you are all enjoying the Olympics! It is so inspiring and motivating to see what human beings can achieve physically. Most of the athletes who are competing have been training very hard for years, at least 4 or 5 hours per day, to be at this level of excellence . Discipline and hard work are not the only factors of success to become an Olympian. Great genetic predispositions combined with a very specific training program can contribute to unleashing the best of the human body.
After training intensely for 17 years as a Martial artist, I can relate to the high level of dedication and the commitment it takes for any of these athletes to reach their Olympic goals and visions. The truth is that we can all find the Olympic champion within us and win our "gold medal", as long as we set realistic goals for ourselves.
The Olympic formula for success is: "Higher - stronger - faster." What it means really, is that we "SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP".
Finding the champion within us is more an act of patience and perseverance than a physical performance. Society has set up very high standards of achievement, and sometimes these standards don't reflect the reality of life, such as PERFECTION for instance. Like an Olympic athlete we must realize that we cannot win our gold medal if we haven't connected with our inner strength first.That is what makes the difference between a TRUE CHAMPION and any other athlete. Our mind has much fewer limitations that our body, and so the power behind any success is: BELIEF.
Have a good weekend everyone. and go World go!
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
After training intensely for 17 years as a Martial artist, I can relate to the high level of dedication and the commitment it takes for any of these athletes to reach their Olympic goals and visions. The truth is that we can all find the Olympic champion within us and win our "gold medal", as long as we set realistic goals for ourselves.
The Olympic formula for success is: "Higher - stronger - faster." What it means really, is that we "SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP".
Finding the champion within us is more an act of patience and perseverance than a physical performance. Society has set up very high standards of achievement, and sometimes these standards don't reflect the reality of life, such as PERFECTION for instance. Like an Olympic athlete we must realize that we cannot win our gold medal if we haven't connected with our inner strength first.That is what makes the difference between a TRUE CHAMPION and any other athlete. Our mind has much fewer limitations that our body, and so the power behind any success is: BELIEF.
Have a good weekend everyone. and go World go!
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Saturday, 6 February 2010
The Olympics through Walking!
As we all know the Olympics are coming to town. What an exciting venue for our community! Already the traffic has become an issue, and soon it will be more and more difficult to drive around.
At Zenergie we think that this sport event is an excellent opportunity to adopt an “Olympic behavior”. If driving becomes difficult, why not walk everywhere you can! Instead of driving to run your errands, walk to the store. If you have to drive, park far away and walk to the store. Park at the back of the parking lot or if you are parking on the street, park around the corner. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Just walk as much as possible. Buy a pedometer, and record how many steps you take each day for the next 2 weeks. You will be surprised how a little change to your lifestyle such as this can make a big difference.
Here are few tips to help you get started:
• Warm up.
• Wear a good pair of shoes.
• Don't overstride. Let your steps fall naturally.
• Stand tall.
• Gently pull in your abdomen to keep your back from arching.
• For more effective walking, bend your elbows at 90 degrees and swing.
Benefits of walking:
• Walking can help you lose weight.
• Walking improves both muscle tone and strength.
• Walking improves your cardiovascular .
• Walking reduces stress.
• Walking improves bone density.
Have a nice week end everyone.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
At Zenergie we think that this sport event is an excellent opportunity to adopt an “Olympic behavior”. If driving becomes difficult, why not walk everywhere you can! Instead of driving to run your errands, walk to the store. If you have to drive, park far away and walk to the store. Park at the back of the parking lot or if you are parking on the street, park around the corner. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Just walk as much as possible. Buy a pedometer, and record how many steps you take each day for the next 2 weeks. You will be surprised how a little change to your lifestyle such as this can make a big difference.
Here are few tips to help you get started:
• Warm up.
• Wear a good pair of shoes.
• Don't overstride. Let your steps fall naturally.
• Stand tall.
• Gently pull in your abdomen to keep your back from arching.
• For more effective walking, bend your elbows at 90 degrees and swing.
Benefits of walking:
• Walking can help you lose weight.
• Walking improves both muscle tone and strength.
• Walking improves your cardiovascular .
• Walking reduces stress.
• Walking improves bone density.
Have a nice week end everyone.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Winter Sunlight Blues
The Winter Olympic fever is definitely among us, and it brings joy and vitality to our city Such an event enlightens our spirit, but our body is usually lacking natural sunlight during the whole winter season.( What a transition! ). What are the effects of the lack of sun on our metabolism?
The absence of sunlight has now been proven that it can affect brain and body chemistry. Depression and Osteoporosis are illnesses which can be directly related to the lack of exposure to sun.When you don't get enough sunshine, the body suffers from nutritional deficiency. Despite of what we hear about too much sun, we need vitamin D. "30 minutes of sunlight a day in winter" seems to be the minimum to bring back health and well being in our life.
Vitamin D is released in our body through exposure of UV rays. Vit D is vital to us, because:
• it balances the phosphorous and calcium levels in the blood.
• it remodels our bones.
• it enhances the amount of oxygen that is in our blood.
If you want to increase your level of Vit D in your body, drink skim milk products, and step outside more often (specially in winter) to expose your skin to sunlight (even if it rains). The human body was designed to be exposed to sunlight , not to artificial light.
If you make a point to get natural sunlight every day, you might experience a wide range of health benefits, such as:
• Improvement in mood
• Lowering of state of depression
• Increased bone density
Having said that, I also believe that our mind has always the last word. And even during a rainy and cold winter day, it is possible to keep our "sun within" shinning to keep us balanced physically and mentally.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
The absence of sunlight has now been proven that it can affect brain and body chemistry. Depression and Osteoporosis are illnesses which can be directly related to the lack of exposure to sun.When you don't get enough sunshine, the body suffers from nutritional deficiency. Despite of what we hear about too much sun, we need vitamin D. "30 minutes of sunlight a day in winter" seems to be the minimum to bring back health and well being in our life.
Vitamin D is released in our body through exposure of UV rays. Vit D is vital to us, because:
• it balances the phosphorous and calcium levels in the blood.
• it remodels our bones.
• it enhances the amount of oxygen that is in our blood.
If you want to increase your level of Vit D in your body, drink skim milk products, and step outside more often (specially in winter) to expose your skin to sunlight (even if it rains). The human body was designed to be exposed to sunlight , not to artificial light.
If you make a point to get natural sunlight every day, you might experience a wide range of health benefits, such as:
• Improvement in mood
• Lowering of state of depression
• Increased bone density
Having said that, I also believe that our mind has always the last word. And even during a rainy and cold winter day, it is possible to keep our "sun within" shinning to keep us balanced physically and mentally.
Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio
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