Your workout program will depend heavily on your specific health and fitness goals. Overall, a well rounded program involves lots of primary movement exercises; i.e., squats, lunges and chest presses. These exercises incorporate the movement of multiple joints and muscles. Once you feel comfortable doing primary exercises, start adding secondary exercises to your program. Secondary exercises, such as bicep curls, focus on single joint movements and target specific muscles or muscle groups. Consider starting off by doing 3-4 primary exercises, 3 sets and 15-20 repetitions, followed by an aerob ..read more

The July issue of our monthly e-newsletter – The Fitness File – is available now! This issue covers the following: get active this summer fitness tip: chest press nutrition tip: ceylon and cassia cinnamon club news: Angela’s retirement and new staff staff spotlight: Bahar Bakrani (Personal Trainer) studio Q&A: I think that I may have sciatica, what should I do? Check it out here. The post Fitness File – July appeared first on Body & Soul Health and Fitness ..read more

Many – if not most – people have been here at some point in their lives. “I want to lose fat in my tummy and thighs!” This is commonly referred to as “spot reduction” and unfortunately it is not possible. You cannot target areas of your body for fat loss. While doing 30-minutes of core workouts a day may help you to build your abdominal muscles, that alone will not give you a solid six pack. Your muscles are encompassed by fat which means that a layer of fat is covering your abdominal muscles and obstructing the view. In order to lose body fat, you need to be eating at a caloric deficit (burn ..read more

It’s not uncommon for people to be nervous about going to the gym. Following are three of the most common gym fears that you don’t have to worry about at Body & Soul. Feeling or look stupid: Looking at most Functional Trainers, you would expect them to transform and attack the city, but really they are a multi-purpose piece of equipment used for strength training. Without watching someone use this piece of equipment or being taught, how could you possibly know how to use it properly – and by that we mean safely and effectively? If there is one thing Body & Soul trainers are known for ..read more

The impact stress has on our bodies is well documented but may not be well known. For instance, did you know that chronic, ongoing stress can also increase your risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke, as well as negatively impact your nervous, reproductive, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems?1 To completely eliminate stressors from our lives is not possible, so instead we need to find ways to mitigate or manage the stress we face in our lives. Here are some tips to help you deal with your stress: Exercise: Through exercise, our bodies produce endorphins, which help relieve pain a ..read more

Stock photo of delicious breakfast with fruit, yogurt, cereal and a croissant You probably already know that in order to lose weight you need to follow a good nutritional routine that includes a caloric deficit (burning more calories than you eat), but did you know that nutrition also influences your strength goals, inflammation concerns and overall health? Strength: If you are hoping to improve your strength gains, then you may need to consider modifying your protein consumption. Protein is essential for gaining strength as it is what the body uses to build the muscles back up to react to ..read more

Did you know that high blood pressure (BP) can be the result of a variety of factors, including: health issues (such as thyroid or kidney problems), alcohol abuse, certain medications, etc.? If you have high BP then your trainer is responsible for creating a training program that keeps your BP under control to reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.¹ With high blood pressure, your heart has to work much harder to pump blood throughout the body and while the effort required will decrease over time – if you remain committed to your exercise program – jumping into a program witho ..read more

The May issue of our monthly e-newsletter – The Fitness File – is available now! This issue covers the following: ‘strength’ is the new ‘weight loss’ fitness tip: spider-man plank nutrition tip: the versatility and benefits of potatoes club news: studio closure, virtual training, reviews, custom small group training staff spotlight: Anthony McLoughlin (Quality Assurance Manager & Personal Trainer) studio Q&A: what are the benefits of percussion and vibration therapy? Check it out here. The post Fitness File – May appeared first on Body & Soul Health and Fitness ..read more

As the core has a weight-bearing function for your lower back, when the core is weak, you are more likely to experience back pain and back problems. Training your core improves your core stabilizers which act to support muscle action by providing a rigid base of support for movement. With a strong core, your back is better able to manage long days spent sitting (at your desk, in your car or on a plane). Core stability is provided by muscles in the torso that connect the spine, rib cage and pelvis. When standing, the pelvis and lumbar spine are oriented for maximal stability. The goal of train ..read more

Many different foods are a great source of protein, whether you eat meat, don’t eat meat (vegetarian), or don’t eat any animal by-products (vegan). Is one type of protein better than the other? Ultimately, there are some possible drawbacks to getting your protein from only one of the two sources, but neither is necessarily better than the other. While some animal proteins include high amounts of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, they also contain all of the essential amino acids necessary for your body to build protein.1 Conversely, plant-based proteins don’t typically include all a ..read more