But I know I am part of a minority here. I know that LOTS of people just generally dislike (or maybe go as far to say…despise) the gym. Or the (GI-ME) as my husband calls it.

So what to do? You know you need to take some sort of action to improve & focus on your health, but you really, really, really, hate going to the gym. And here’s the thing. If you hate doing something, consider what your chances of following through on doing that thing long term are? Probably somewhere around the 0.000006783% mark.

Luckily the gym is not the only option when it comes to getting in shape and improving your health. Below are 4 options for you to consider (and then hopefully act & follow through with consistently)!

1. Go for a walk – Stop over complicating things. If your goals are simply to feel better about yourself and your body, lose a few pounds, getting out for regular walks can make a huge difference. If you are starting at the beginning after a long break with exercise even 20-30 minutes of walking a day can make a huge difference. Once you build that into a regular habit, increase it to 45 min or maybe an hour. Add some hills, swing your arms when you walk, go at a good pace so your heart rate is elevated. Unless you have advanced goals relating to a race, specific sport, competition, body composition or otherwise, you really don’t need a complicated workout regime. Start and master the basics…CONSISTENTLY…and then you can build from there at a later point. But focus on getting really consistent with the standard stuff first.

2. Get outdoors – No one said you had to be in a large sweat box to achieve the healthy lifestyle youdesire. There are a plethora of options that you can do outdoors. In the Lower mainland I operate an outdoor bootcamp company. It’s likely very different than what you may be imagining in your head. There is no screaming, yelling or belittling people. A vein is not throbbing off to the side of my forehead while I tell people to drop and give me 20 push ups. That’s the image that made bootcamp popular back in the early 2000’s, but it’s advanced past that now. My classes are comprised of a very supportive & welcoming group of people who come together several times a week to sweat outdoors. It’s a group of like-minded people who like breathing in fresh ocean air and like a lot of variety in their workouts. The classes cater to all skill levels and every class can be modified depending on each person’s needs/ fitness level. There are likely classes near you as well, do a quick google search and see. Most companies will let you try out a class for free to see if it’s the right fit for you. Give it a try and attend a class or two before you make a (misconceived) judgement about it.

3. Workout at home. You don’t need a lot of equipment to get started. A small space, a few weights, maybe a kettlebell or a jump rope. There are ton of workouts online or you can hire a trainer to create a personalized program for you. What you do need though is to be consistent. Schedule workouts in your calendar and stick to them. They are important…your health is important. I have clients who have seen incredible results with a very modest home gym. The key is consistent and regular workouts along with good eating habits.

I have two posted on my blog to get you started. One here if you have a set of dumbbells and this one is great once you have purchased a kettlebell or two.

4. Focus on nutrition – Maybe your life is so chaotic that you just can’t fit in any time to go to a class or the gym, even if you wanted to, and the chances of you actually completing a workout at home are nil to none. If that’s the case, then focus your energy & attention on nutrition. It’s remarkable how much good nutrition plays into your overall health and any results you may (or may not) see. Many people think they can out exercise a bad diet, but that’s just not the case. If a workout isn’t going to happen anytime soon, choose one thing to improve on related to your nutrition and eating habits and be consistent with practicing that habit. Don’t try to overhaul it all at once, please don’t resort to detoxes, cleanses or other severe measures. Stick to the basics, do them well and do them consistently.

And a bonus #5

5. Challenge yourself (& your point of view)

Why is it that you hate the gym? Really – think about it, maybe even jot down some of those reasons on a piece of paper. Then go back and read over them and consider a) if those statements are true and b) if there is something you can do to move past it.

As an example, your list might look something like this:

1. I don’t know what to do when I am there –> Hire a trainer for a couple sessions (or ask a friend) to come and show you a few things.
2. I don’t like all the gym bro’s and girls in done up make up –> Eyes on your own paper! Everyone is there for their own reasons. Don’t let someone else’s goals, physical appearance, presence or anything else detour you from what you want. You do you, get your workout in, ignore everyone else and be on your way. Check yourself and see if you are there to workout or if you are spending your time judging everyone else #justsayin…
3. It’s boring –> Maybe. Also, maybe you go to the gym and spend 20 min on the treadmill and 20 min on the elipical, do a couple squats and bicep curls and call it a day. Maybe what you are doing at the gym is boring..not the gym as a whole is boring. Maybe you need a new challenge or need to learn a few things or a new way of doing stuff? Find a friend to workout with and challenge each other, try a new class, buy a book with a new training program or download an app (there are hundreds!) or of course, hire a trainer to show you a few things and put together a fun program for you.
4. Everyone is looking at me and I feel uncomfortable/out of place/fat etc –> Stop right there. Seriously. A) it’s not true. It’s just not. People might be looking at you because you are in a public space, just the same as I look at people I pass in the grocery store or at the gas station, but no one is judging you, thinking you shouldn’t be there etc. B) Go back to #2 above.

Happy Sweating! :)

It’s so easy for us to go back to old habits when we are tired & stressed….that’s why our snacks (especially in the evenings) often look the same. We are too tired to think of something new or creative, so instead we reach for the same old thing that we always do, (and grind that habit just a little bit deeper into our brains while we are at it).

The solution? Plan ahead and have some snack options on hand, so when you are tired or stressed you have something already in the fridge (or cupboard) to easily reach for.

Give these coconut oatmeal balls a try. They take about 15 minutes to whip up, store well in the fridge or you can double (or triple!) the recipe and put some in the freezer so you are fully stocked.

To help with healthy snacking ideas I’m going to create a little recipe book with some of my favourite options, but for now….get started and give these a try.

Ingredients

• 3 Medjool dates (or 5-6 smaller dates)
• 4 dried apricots
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 Tbsp coconut flour (or 4 Tbsp regular flour)
• 2 Tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground clovves
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 cup finely grated carrot
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut for coating

In the food processor bowl with the S blade, pulse together the dates, apricots, coconut oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Add oats, flour, hemp hearts, spices and carrot. Process until well combined and mixture sticks together when pinched between your fingers.

Roll mixture into small balls and roll in coconut to coat. Refrigerate for a few hours and eat.

The balls freeze well. Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating.

If you want to add more protein to these balls add in some peanut or almond butter (if you do this, increase the quantity of oats a bit), or add nuts to the mixture (if you do this, add another date or two, to keep the mixture moist enough to roll into balls).

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s made me stop and think about why women seem to default to light weights and I think it’s a combination of a few factors.

1. People don’t want to hurt themselves. They want to choose a weight that is safe, that they know they can do. Fair – I totally agree with this and I don’t ever want any of my clients injuring themselves from lifting weights that are too heavy for them.

2. Media has done a good job of marketing cute fit girls holding light weights. The secret I want to let you know here is that these fitness models are not achieving those physiques with 3lb dumbbells. The marketing mavens of the world believe that women should be seen being slim, delicate and dainty (because of outdated ideas and a male dominated industry), and I guess holding a big ol’ 30# dumbbell doesn’t really fit into that image.

3. There is a general lack of knowledge/education – You don’t know what you don’t know. If you go to the gym and see others grabbing 5lbs, you’ll probably grab it too. If you see models in fitness magazines doing exercises with light dumbbells that’s what you’ll grab too. Of all the things you need to learn and do in a day, researching weight-lifting and how to actually get the results you desire may not rank up there (no worries…that’s why I’m here :)

Below are 6 reasons why you should be reaching for more than 5lbs with your next workout.

1.If you want progress – Sticking with the same routine, the same weights and in your same comfort zone will only get you exactly what you currently have. If you are looking for something different, (different physique, improved health, stronger body, improvement in your chosen sport) you will need to push yourself outside of your current comfort zone. Continuing to do 20 reps of 5lb bicep curls likely won’t get you there.

2. Your weight-training program demands it – If you are only doing exercises that require light weights (i.e. using smaller muscles that aren’t capable of lifting more weight), then I would suggest you review the training program you are following. If you aren’t following a program, then there’s a good place to start. There are many programs available out there that will walk you through proper progressions, form, and workouts that will bring you closer to your goals. If you need help getting started in the gym with weights, check out Women & Weights.

3. You are stronger than you think you are. Flat out. Women are especially guilty of underestimating themselves. I see it all the time with clients. Larger weights are intimidating, I get it. New things often are. But you won’t know your true strength unless you try and see if you are capable of more. That doesn’t mean you have to jump into the deep end with heavy weights and risk injuring yourself, but each week see if you can try the next weight up. If you normally grab 5lbs, try 8 next week. If that feels ok, great! Next week try 10’s. As long as you can maintain good form and regular breathing, keep working your way up and see what your body can actually do. You may surprise yourself that you are quickly able to climb up to 20 or 30 lbs (or maybe more!)

4. You have more important things to do – We live busy lives! We all have 101 things to accomplish in a day. Kudos to you if you have made time in your schedule to focus on your health, that’s so awesome and half the battle! Now that you are at the gym, make the most of it. Challenge your body, make your muscles work, get the benefits that you came for. If you are going to carve out time in your busy day to hit the gym, make it worth your while!

5. You’ll be better at other things – Lifting weights and challenging your body will inevitably spill over into other areas of your life. If you are a runner, you will notice runs are smoother, faster, maybe you will have less aches & pain. Hiking on the weekend with friends will be more enjoyable. Playing around with your kids, weekend bike rides, heck even things like taking in the groceries from the car will be easier. You’ll have less aches & pain and feel stronger and healthier, enabling you spend more time doing what you love!

6. Because your self-confidence will fly – Realizing the strength that we have is so empowering. When you test and truly see just how strong you are, your self-confidence will spike, I guarantee it.

If you are interested in learning more about lifting weights and need a little guidance to get going, check my newest program Women & Weights. I have laid out everything you need to get you into the gym and lifting weights that will transform your body and your life. The program contains 12 weeks of training, a form & exercise guidebook walking you through proper form and a training nutrition guide.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

If you are like millions of others you may have a gym membership that has long been collecting dust. Perhaps you show up once or twice a year out of guilt of the monthly payments you are making, but you really don’t enjoy being in the gym. You aren’t sure what to do there and the biggest hurdle can be actually getting out the door to make it there.

One of the biggest factors for success in reaching your health goals is consistency. And one of the best ways to ensure consistency is to make things as easy as possible on yourself.

If getting to the gym is a hassle that you avoid it like the plague…make it easier. Buy a few small weights & workout items to have at home, so you can get a workout in without having to travel to & from the gym. You don’t need a lot of space, just a few key pieces of equipment and a bit of knowledge as to how to structure a good workout…or someone to provide one for you.

Living in Vancouver with limited space means I am picky about my purchases for fitness items that I will use and store in my home. I look for items that are high on functionality and low on storage space. As with anything, I prefer to purchase something that will provide good value for money spent and will be fun to use, and not just collect dust in the corner.

In my opinion, one of the best additions to your home gym is a set of kettlebells. As you progress and add you to your gym you might decide to expand your kettlebell collection, but to start, one (or ideally two) kettlebells will set you up well and will give you endless combinations of effective strength & conditioning workouts.

If you have never used a kettlebell before it would be worth your time and money to hire a trainer to walk you through the basics to ensure you are doing exercises with proper form to maximum your workouts and minimize risk of injury.

Once you have a kettlebell give the following workout a try:

• 10 x Kettlebell squats
• 10 x Push ups
• 10 x Staggered Deadlift with Kettlebell
• 10 x Bent over Row with Kettlebell
• 20 x Kettlebell swing
• Hold plank for 1 minute

Repeat circuit 4 times

*If you don’t have a kettlebell you can sub dumbbells in for most exercises, and replace the swings with 1 minute of skipping or steps up on a bench for the cardio component of the workout.

Kettlebell squat

Keep elbows in and hold kettlebell at your chest. As you inhale, lower down into a squat., keeping your weight back on your heels. As you exhale, press through your heels and squeeze you bum as you come up into a standing position.

Push up

Place hands a bit wider than shoulders. As you inhale lower down toward the ground, when you exhale, press through all five fingers and press up into high plank.

**If you cannot do a full push up from the group, do an incline one. Check out this post on how to master a proper push up!

Staggered leg deadlift

Stand with legs about a meter apart, center your weight over your front foot and have your heel up on your back foot, using the back leg primarily for balance & support. If your right foot is forward, hold the kettlebell with your left hand.

Hinge forward, keeping your spine neutral. As you exhale press through your front foot and squeeze your bum. Complete all reps on one leg before switching sides.

Bent-over row

**You can sub the dumbbell in the photo with your kettlebell for this exercise

Hinge forward, keeping spine neutral. As you exhale pull the weight towards your chest, as you inhale extend your arm straight out. Try to focus on keeping the hips & shoulders square to the ground and do not rotate through the torso.

Kettlebell Swing

Start with the Kettlebell out in front of you, spine in neutral position, and feet wider than hip width.

Swing the kettlebell toward yourself, keeping the bell as high as possible in the inner thighs. Spine stays neutral throughout the whole movement and the focus is on the hip hinge. Push the hips out behind you until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings, at that point press through your heels and squeeze your bum as you come up into a standing position. Keep arms straight and allow your lower body to do the work and generate power here versus pulling the weight through and up with your arms. Kettlebell does not need to swing higher than chest height.

**The Kettlebell swing is a complex exercise and you would benefit from having a trainer or someone with some experience show you proper form.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

We have all been there – you are so busy running between errands, kids' activities, work meetings and 1001 competing priorities that you grab some food on the go and wolf it down. You reach for another french fry, the other half of the sandwich or another chug of your juice (or pop) and it’s empty. You barely remember the first couple bites and now it’s all gone. Or maybe worse yet, you don’t even remember eating, you are on auto-pilot and it doesn’t register at all.

Today I want to share with you the simplest and quite possibly the most effective nutritional habit that you can implement in your life, which can have a massive impact – slow down. Seriously, that’s it. Whatever speed you currently eat at, slow it down.

By doing this one habit consistently over the past 6 weeks I was able to lose 4.6lbs. This was at a time when I indulged in many of my mother in-law’s to die for Nanaimo Bars, had drinks with friends and delicious meals with friends & family. I didn’t increase my physical activity (however I did do something active most days even if it was just a walk or playing around in the snow!)

That might not be a flashy 20lbs down in a month, but it is slow, sustainable weight loss. The good kind, the kind that you can maintain in the long term because you didn’t have to drastically change your life to achieve it.

The ONLY thing I changed was slowing down my eating pace (and linked to that, I stopped eating when I was full).

There are several good reasons why this simple habit will have a huge impact on your health:

• Your stomach needs time to process the food that it is getting and send signals to your brain when it’s full. When you eat in 10 minutes flat (or less!) these signals don’t have a chance, and your chance of overeating is about 97%.
• You can actually enjoy the food you paid for. What if you took a few extra moments and savored the food you are eating.
• It’s safer…seriously. Slow down and chew your food fully before swallowing. First aid responders and concerned family members will thank you.

Need some strategies to help you slow down? Try some of these:

• Put your fork down between bites.
• Don’t eat while on your phone or in front of the TV.
• Try to not eat in your car (multi-tasking is dangerous to others on the road with you and you are more inclined to eat quickly and not focus on the food).
• With each bite stop to think about the food you are eating, the flavours, spices, herbs used, how the different textures feel.
• Time yourself. Ok sounds a bit silly, but if you don’t know how can you improve right? See how long it typically takes you eat dinner and then see if you can make it take 5 minutes longer the next day. This isn’t a long term technique, just something to give you a tangible baseline for where you are at and how you can improve.

If you have tried everything under the sun to lose weight and it hasn’t worked, why not try the opposite of what you have been doing? Try doing this one small habit, consistently (consistency is key!)

If you struggle with the consistency or accountability part, let me know, I love assisting with that stuff.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

If you’re like me, over the years you’ve tried many things to get in shape, lose some weight, eat better and generally live a healthier life. Maybe you tried a weight loss program or done a cleanse or detox. Maybe you’ve tried a challenge where you had to drink shakes in place of meals. You’ve likely tried spin class, maybe joined a bootcamp class or signed up for a run, gone to some yoga classes etc. As much as we are creatures of routine, we also crave some variety (or maybe that’s just me and my super strong A-type genes?)

Here’s the thing. Most of us are busy buzzing around looking for the next best thing to get us to where we want to go. The grass is always greener on the other side.

• ‘That co-worker of mine just dropped 20lbs? Oh, I should find out what she did and try that. If it worked for her, it will hopefully work for me.’

• Your best friend just did a cleanse and feels better now than ever before. ‘Great, I want that too – where can I buy it?’

We, as humans, have shiny object syndrome and are constantly distracted by the latest craze, tool, diet, or quick fix that comes in front of us.

Will any of the previously mentioned techniques work to help you lose weight? Very possibly, yes. However the #1 reason why you haven’t seen the results you desire today isn’t because you haven’t done what has worked for John or Sally or Geoff or Barb, it’s because you haven’t been consistent with what you have tried in the past.

Far too often the cycle goes something like this

1. Wow, I really need to do something about my health. My clothes are fitting tighter/ I am getting some back pain and I’m too young for that right?/ I feel uncomfortable with how my body looks/ I can’t keep up with my friends or kids or grandkids etc.
2. Ok, this is the week. I am going to go to the gym four times, make some healthy meals at home and bring my lunch to work.
3. Week 2 – Got to the gym 3 times last week and brought my lunch twice. I sort of overdid it on the weekend, but it’s a new week and a new start to get back on track.
4. Week 3 – Life got crazy last week. I got in an accident/work was really stressful/my kid ended up in emerg/ I got in a fight with my partner/the new episode of _______ was on Netflix and I really needed to binge watch it all.
5. Week 4 – Still feeling the effects of the craziness of last week. Things are starting to settle though, I will let myself relax and recover this week and I will get back on track next week.
6. Week 5 – Refer to #1

Often when we try to do everything at once, we end up doing nothing well.

This is the true problem I see with all the quick fixes out there. They require drastic changes to your current life. Sure, if you stick to them for a week or two or 30 days you will see some results. But the true magic is finding something you can stick to for 6 months, a year and then a lifetime. I believe to be successful at changing your health in the long term you need to make small changes that don’t feel like you are overhauling your life. The results won’t be as dramatic as the quick fixes. I don’t know about you, but I would rather opt for long term health vs short term success and a continual ride on the diet roller coaster.

So here is my suggestion. Pick ONE THING. Just one. One simple thing that you know you have a 90% chance of success of sticking to for the next two weeks. Something that even when life goes sideways (because doesn’t it always?) you can commit to doing at least that. Practice that new habit everyday. When you are consistent with it (and only then), you can add a new habit.

There are no end to the options you could chose to focus your attention on for the next two weeks. Everyone’s life is different, as will be everyone’s focus. The key, as I mentioned, is to chose something so easy that you are super confident you can do it.

Don’t worry if it seems too small or too simple. If you are currently not doing any exercise, commit to doing a 10 min walk a day. You can find 10 minutes to focus on your health right? If you rely on fast food & restaurant meals most days of the week, see if you can commit to cooking one (or two?) meals at home next week. Make it easy on yourself to be successful.

If you need some suggestions check out this PDF which gives 7 easy ways you can Change your health, not your life – 7 tips

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

A balanced plate (and diet) can go A LONG way in helping you achieve your weight-loss or health-related goals.

But what does a balance plate look like? Do you know how much carbs, protein, veggies and healthy fats should you have on your plate? And if you do have an idea, how do you measure that without looking like a food-obsessed freak?!

A major problem in North America is that more often than not our serving sizes are out of control. So even when we are trying to make the right decisions and choose less-processed options or opt for home-cooked meals, we are eating way over and above our body’s caloric needs for the day.

Ok, so you need to know what food to put on the plate and approximately how much of it to eat.

First, let’s get back to the basics and break down the four major groups that should be included in all (or at least most) of your meals:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Vegetables
• Healthy Fats

A simple way to estimate the serving sizes is to use your hand (please note this is a rough estimate only and you should use your own discretion and listen to your body if you are full with less or may need a bit more depending on your lifestyle and activity levels).

When planning a meal think of protein first. Women should look to eat 1 serving of protein approximately the size of the palm of your hand. Men should eat 2 palm-sized portions per meal.

Next, add on veggies. Again you can use your hand. Women should aim for at least one fist sized portion of veggies and men, two fist sized portions. If you are really hungry and think you need some more food on your plate I suggest adding more veggies before the other categories. Veggies are high in fiber which will help keep you full longer and I have yet to meet someone who gained weight eating too many veggies (side note – these veggies should be raw, steamed, broiled, grilled etc. A massive plate of deep fried cauliflower coated in batter isn’t exactly the type of veggies we’re going for here).

Carbs – ohhhhhh…it almost feels like a dirty word these days. It seems everyone and their dog are staying clear of carbs. Here’s the thing…carbs aren’t evil. Yes, some people do react differently to them, so if you are sincerely allergic to them then obviously steer clear. Carbs get a bad rep in the diet world because so many people link carbs to white bread, pasta, rice and other highly processed options. Carbs are much more diverse than that and include grains, starches, beans & fruit. There are plenty of healthy options that will fuel your body and provide you with energy whether you are going for a run, smashing some weights at the gym, doing kiddo drop-offs and pick ups or trying to stay engaged through a meeting at work. Aim to get one hand-cupped serving per meal for women and two hand-cupped servings for men.

Fats are a good addition to your plate with each meal, however healthy fats should be limited as it’s easy to load on the peanut butter on your sandwich or morning toast a little too think, pour a few too many glugs of olive oil on your salad or just want to eat all the avocados. all the time. For healthy fats, aim to eat a thumb-sized portion for women (per meal) and men should eat two thumb-sized portions.

Practice makes perfect, so practice making each meal a nice balance of the above categories. If it feels like too much work, then just commit to focusing on one meal a day. When that becomes second nature you can aim your sights higher Common sense is not common practice. So to help you remember this guideline for portion sizes, I’ve included this super simple page you can print off and place on your fridge as a helpful reminder.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

The best way to help yourself be successful and stick to an exercise routine is to remove as many barriers as you can, making it as easy as possible to follow through on your intentions.

If getting out of your house and to the gym is a major challenge, make it easier by having some fitness gear at home and a few go-to workouts that you can do with limited space and time.

Today I am sharing a simple circuit that will help challenge your cardiovascular system, assist in improving your strength and leave you sweaty in 20 minutes or less!

For this circuit you will need 2 sets of dumbbells – one lighter and one heavier. The weights you choose will depend on your current strength & fitness levels.

To complete the circuit do the first exercise for 45 seconds with the heavier weights. Then swap your weights for the lighter pair and complete the second exercise for 30 seconds. Repeat the pair once more before moving on to the next pair of exercises (or complete each pair three times for an extra challenge!)

Rest up to 1 minute between sets if need be, but try to keep the pace quick, the goal is to challenge yourself in this short but effective workout. Here are the pairs of exercises: see below for photos and a brief description of the exercises if you aren’t familiar with them.

• Bent Over Row
• Push ups

***

• Lunge Repeats
• Mountain Climber

***

• Squat Thurster
• Reverse Wood Chopper

Bent over row

Start with palms towards each other, bent over & spine in neutral position. As you exhale, bring the weights up towards your chest.

Push up

Keep elbows towards body slightly at a 45′ angle. Inhale as you lower, exhale as you extend your arms. Use a bench or table if aren’t able to do full push ups yet. (Check out my blog on how to progress from a kneeling to a full push up!)

Lunge Repeats

Find your balance on your front foot and step back, having your heel up. As you inhale lower down, keeping the front knee aligned over the ankle. Exhale and stand up, pressing through your front heel.

Mountain Climber

Keep upper body stable as you move your legs in a running motion underneath your torso.

Squat Thruster

Hold weights above your shoulders and as you inhale, lower down into a squat. As you exhale, press through your heels and squeeze your bum as you stand and press the weights overhead.

Reverse Wood Chopper

Keep your lower body forward, as you twist through your obliques to the side. Inhale as you bring the weight to the side of your leg. Bring weight diagonally across body, exhale as you raise weight.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

One thing I hear time and time again from my female client is “I’m not good at push ups”.

Our conversation after usually goes like this:

Me: "Ok, how often do you work on them”

Client: “Not that often, they are just soooo difficult for me”

Me: “Are you usually really good at things you don’t work at”?

Usually by this point I have a little smirk on my face and the client cracks a smile too and realizes that yes, just like everything else, we need to work at things we want to get good at.

The bottom line is women don’t have as much natural upper body strength as men. The truth is, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Just because you were born with a genetically stronger lower half of your body, doesn’t mean you can’t improve the strength on the upper portion. It will take some purposeful work and practice. However, with the correct exercises and proper form, I promise you that if you focus on it, you CAN do push ups, and do them well. Just think about how great you’ll feel when you can finally knock out a set of 10 perfect push ups!

Here are my top 5 tips to progress from ‘girl’ push ups from your knees to full blown proper push ups.

1. Inclines are your friend – If you only ever practice push ups from your knees, you will get really good at….push up from your knees. When you do push ups from your toes you engage the whole line of your body down from the crown of your head to your feet. Practicing this engagement is key to being able to do a full push up from the ground (not on your knees). I suggest starting at a height that enables you to do a push up in good form. It might be a kitchen counter top, a coffee table, chair or better yet, stairs. Stairs are perfect because you do pushups at an incline and as you get better and the pushups get easier (they will, don’t worry!), you can decrease your angle and put your hands on a lower stair. This is a great way to gradually work your way down to a full push up.
2. Squeeze your bum – Most people think of push ups as a great chest & upper body exercise, and they are. But the benefits extend well past your chest when done correctly. A push up can be (and should be) a full body exercise. You should squeeze your bum to engage your glutes, press through your heels to keep your legs straight, pull your shoulders down your back (keep lots of space around the ears & neck) and slightly pull your belly button in, engaging your core.
   
3. Use your breath – Timing your breath can help add some ‘umph’ to your push up when you need it most. As you lower your body to the ground (or table/chair/counter/stair) inhale. When you push yourself away with your hands exhale. Use that exhale as a little bit of extra power to get out of the depth of the push up.
4. Engage all 5 fingers – Often the tendency is to make the ring and pinky fingers do most of the work when pressing back from a push up. That’s not fair is it? Those two fingers pick up the bulk of the effort while the other two and thumb just hang out there? Typically people put most of their weight and pressure into those outside fingers and the outside edge of their palm, leaving extra power & available energy on the table by not using their full hand. When you set up for a push up, spread your fingers wide, feel each finger tip press into the ground and keep them engaged throughout each rep.
5. 45 not 90 – Women, for some reason, tend to have their elbows flare out at a 90 degrees from their body as they do push ups. Proper form is to have your arms come back towards your torso at about a 45 degree angle. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, weird and likely much harder the first couple times you try it. Your body has gotten used to the other movement pattern you have taught it. Stick with it and over time you will get better at it and it will feel more natural. When your arms come away from your body at 90 degrees it puts your wrist into an awkward angle and places a lot of strain on the joint. It also often leads to a scrunching up of the back of the shoulders (traps), which prevents you from coming down fully into a push up.Correct arm position – arms at 45 degrees Incorrect position – arms flaring out at sides

I have a short video available here which walks through some of these tips. Check it out and keep practicing! Remember, you can’t get good at something if you don’t put in the work and effort to improve it.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

I am a firm believer that living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t need to be so difficult. Small changes over time, done repetitively, will lead to huge results. However, there are 3 key things that you need to do to lose the weight, keep it off and live a healthier life.

1. Commit

Have you ever had impressive success with something you have half-heartedly put effort into? You have to want to make a change. You have to want it for yourself, for your own health and longevity, for your own quality of life. You can’t pretend to want it because someone else pressured you into it, because you think it will get you the girl or the guy or some other reason that you feel partially committed to. I recommend looking at your goal and asking yourself why it is important to you at least 3 times (maybe even up to 6 times!). Each time you break your goal down to a new level, ask why that is important. Once you get to the root reason behind you goal, if it’s something you can fully get behind with all your heart, it will be so much easier to stick to. i.e. Living a healthy life so I can be on this planet as long as possible and be a positive role model for my kids is a much easier goal to commit to than lose 15 lbs.

2. Consistency

Once you have committed to a goal you need to work at it consistently. Likely, most things that you have done or accomplished in life took a little while to do and required a bit of consistent effort along the way. Learning a new language, figuring out your new job tasks & responsibilities, building a great relationship with friends or a partner, training your dog, teaching your kid manners and boundaries all required consistency. Take the last example, if you were consistent with your child around manners for a month or 6 weeks and then got tired of focusing on it and stopped doing anything around it for about 3 months, then decided you wanted to focus on it again for another 4 weeks, how do you think that would turn out? Teaching yourself a new skill, a new way of looking at things and new habits takes time and most importantly consistency.

3. Coaching

If you are learning something new doesn’t it make sense to ask for guidance and assistance to help you get there? Most people when learning something new need resources to help them learn that new skill. You don’t necessarily need an in-person coach per say (but I had to stick to ‘C’ words for this blogs sake), you can find information online if you don’t mind doing the research. There is SO MUCH information out around fitness, healthy eating and weight loss. You could literally spend days sifting through it all. Find an online workout program, pick up a book or read some blogs, then commit to it and do it consistently. If you are overwhelmed with the information out there and want someone to sort it out for you you can work with a health coach or personal trainer to help weed through all the information and provide a personalized approach and focus.

So there is it. The three things you need to have to lose weight, eat healthier and live a healthier live. You need to commit, you need consistency and you need to know what you are doing (coaching). A personal trainer can help you with #2 or 3, but most importantly, #1 needs to come from you first. If your desire to get healthy isn’t in your heart you will have a hard time following through on the second two steps.

Marisa is BCRPA personal trainer and a fun-fitness-fanatic living the active dream in beautiful Vancouver, BC. She hikes, swims, runs, bikes, bootcamps & yoga's as much as possible, outdoors when possible, and believes everything is possible. Find her on the web at www.motivatedmovementpt.com and on Facebook and Instagram.