Fit Your Life

Research shows that up to half of the functional decline we experience between age 30 and 70 is due to lack of physical activity. HALF! Wild. It is also proven that children with active parents are more likely to be active themselves. By increasing our heart rates for a minimum of 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) per week, we can significantly decrease our risk (and therefore also our children’s risk) of over 25 chronic health conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, breast cancer, colon cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Now, this all sounds well and good…but I know what you are thinking. HOW are you going to come up with 150 minutes per week to move your body enough to sweat and discover these amazing health benefits while continuing to be the best mom, wife, friend, colleague, and/or whatever other roles you carry each week? I am going to go through my best three tips on how to begin shifting your mindset on creating healthy habits while raising chil...

A full sit-up is a very practical and functional movement for moms. However, it can be challenging to achieve this full movement with optimal control and connection.  Working on the mid- and top-point of the sit-up, with focus on the eccentric contraction is a great tool that might help you progress to a full sit up. After you develop a strong foundation of core connection and are able to move with intention through breath, then we can begin to challenge our core unit in other ways.  If you have questions about how to ensure that we are using the best strategies for finding our deep core connection through various aspects of the range of motion, ask us in class or send us a note at info@fityourlifefitness.ca. Enjoy!

I am not a mountain expert, and I most certainly am not a parenting expert. What I am though is someone who loves exploring, learning, and a good challenge. Five things that adventures in both the mountains and parenting have taught me: A few nerves are a good thing: they keep the adrenaline high and your ego in check. Be prepared, but keep an open mind: there will always be unpredictable circumstances that we cannot control.  Find joy in the peaceful moments: take a deep breath and soak it all in.  Quality time is so incredibly important: as an entire family, one-on-one with your spouse and each child, as well as with yourself. The biggest adventures make the best stories: enjoy the journey and all of the energy you poured into it!  Last week I had the amazing opportunity to take our 5-year old daughter on an overnight hike in Kananaskis. I was nervous and excited. I was nervous to not have my husband joining us (as I had not yet done a backpacking trip without hi...

Good morning Mamas! How are you feeling today? Rested? Exhausted? Exhilarated after the weekend? Dreading something upcoming this week? However you currently feel, do you know that by moving for 30 minutes today, you will feel better?! Thank you to Annika, of Born To Be Adventurous , who has asked me to lead this month’s Real Talk Series! Each week, on Monday, I post something related to motherhood and staying fit! Make sure to check out her amazing Born To Be Adventurous Mamas Facebook group where you can read all my posts, share with other adventuring mamas what is keeping you active, and also plan meet-ups in your community! Research shows that up to half of the functional decline we experience between age 30 and 70 is due to lack of physical activity. HALF! Wild. It is also proven that children with active parents are more likely to be active themselves. By increasing our heart rates for a minimum of 2.5 hours per week, we can significantly decrease our risk (and theref...

I love early morning workouts. Seriously. Yes, I have always been known as a morning person and really prefer to do anything first thing in the morning rather than in the evening! After becoming a mom, my routine had to shift and expectations had to change. As an early riser, I have began raising early risers, so if I want to fully embrace the morning and exercise alone I must wake at 5am! Is this easy? No! do I do this every day? No way! Am I thankful when I do? Heck yes! Exercising first thing in the morning boosts my energy, mood, and patience for the entire day. How does one come to make this a sustainable habit - to get up early and move first thing in the morning? Here are my best tips!! Prepare for success a) Set out your workout and your “regular” outfits the night before. This way you don’t have to think about your clothes in the morning – just get dressed! b) Have your coffee and breakfast ready. We grind our beans and prep our coffee maker at nigh...

If you have followed along with our Pelvic Health Series : Our journey to regaining strength, alignment, and function, you will recognize the name Jillian Palmer. Jill is the owner of Bounce Back Physical Therapy . She took the time to answer some of the most common questions we hear about pelvic health physiotherapy while sharing what she loves most about her chosen career! Grab a [hot] cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this fun guest post with Jillian! Who should be assessed by a pelvic health Physiotherapist? Pelvic Physiotherapy is a branch of Physiotherapy that describes the physical (neuro-musculo-skeletal) care of the “lumbo-pelvic-hip” complex and related structures. There are branches that address women’s pelvic health, men’s pelvic health, and children’s and adolescents’ pelvic health. I work specifically with women at this point in my career and so I can’t speak to everyone who should see a pelvic health Physiotherapist (although if you’re a man and you’ve h...

We love getting away as much as possible! Whether it is a weekend getaway to the mountains or jet-setting across the border, we look forward to recharging, unplugging, and enjoying quality time with each other. We work hard to move daily and fuel our bodies with nutritious food. We shouldn’t spoil all our hard work even though we are slowing down the pace for a few days! For this re ason, I have put together four tips to help ensure that you maintain your progress even while relaxing and taking some well-deserved time away! 1) Get outside! One of the best ways to be able to slow down and enjoy new areas is to go for a walk or jog through them. You will soak up so much more of your surroundings as opposed to driving by and with all the new things to look at you might even forget about the physical benefits you are achieving! Depending on where you are traveling to, you can search websites, blogs, or check out the local information centre for scenic hikes and trails to enjoy!...

Wow! What a journey this has been! Seriously! The conversations that have been started, the support we have received and the knowledge we have gained has been amazing and more than we could have ever imagined.  We have been inspired by those of you who have sought assessment and began your own journey of increased alignment and function. If you’d like to catch up on how our journeys began, check out our previous posts here .   In Kellie’s last post she discussed “graduating” from physiotherapy.  While I am not at the stage of graduation yet, (I am still working on healing my abdominal separation) I have had some very powerful moments.  Over the course of four months, I have learned so much about myself and my body, through working with Jillian Palmer at Bounce Back Physical Therapy.   This journey to regain strength, function and alignment has been eye opening, powerful, motivating, shocking, humbling, educational and above all empowering. My body awarene...