Vancouver Fitness Centre in Kitsilano Workout

Vol. 6, Spring 2008

Winter is on the way out and spring is just around the corner. It’s a great time to re-vamp your workout routine and kick it up a notch. With new equipment, personal training and 24 hour access it’s easy to get in here and get to work. You may have noticed that we have added some exciting new Free Motion equipment to the gym. We now carry the Free Motion Epic line of strength machines as well as the Free Motion Incline Trainer. If you’re planning on doing some hiking or just want an awesome workout, the incline trainer reaches an incline of 30 degrees and also allows for a decline of up to -3 degrees, perfect for training for the trails.
Refined, smooth and strong define the FreeMotion EPIC Selectorized strength line. Founded on the ingenuity and reliability of the FreeMotion design, this fixed isolated line provides another strength solution. You will feel the difference though fluid movement patterns and simple adjustments that can meet the needs of the beginner or elite athlete. If you have any questions about the new equipment feel free to ask us at the front desk and we can help you out. We’ve also brought in some new equipment for use by the personal training and group fitness department. Group Fitness now has a full set of exercise tubing which adds a fun new element to our classes. If you’re looking to improve balance, speed and agility, our trainers have some awesome new training equipment to help you reach your goals.

This month also saw the kick off of the Dream Vacation Weight Loss Challenge.
Participants are now on their way to their weight loss and fitness goals. Members participating in the challenge have the chance to win one of twelve heart rate
monitors donated by our sponsor Fitness Town. Other monthly prizes from our sponsors include a $50.00 gift card to Swim Co. and a $100.00 gift basket from Euro Health Club.
Three lucky members have already received heart rates monitors, an effective and useful tool for working out. The winner of the challenge will be going on a dream vacation worth $2000.00 to one of five tropical destinations. Watch for 3 upcoming lectures to help participants with some great tips on nutrition, motivation, and workout intensity. These lectures will be open to all members. We also hope to run a Fitness Challenge after the completion of the Weight Loss Challenge. Good luck to all the participants in our first ever Weight Loss Challenge!
In the last few months we have welcomed two new personal trainers to Kitsilano Workout. The personal training team now includes five trainers, the newest additions being Catherine Barr and Trevor Miles. You can read their bios on the following pages. The rest of the personal training department includes Linda Harvey, Deryn Macey, and Gemma Doyle. Gemma also does a wonderful job of directing the Group Fitness Department, as well as instructing a number of excellent classes.
This newsletter features some great articles on nutrition and working out, enjoy!
Yours in health and fitness,
Deryn Macey and Lynne Kulcheski, Membership Sales

Dream Vacation Weight Loss Challenge 2008

Lecture Dates
Open to all members.
Lectures will be held in the
group fitness studio.

Lecture One
Nutrition
with Catherine Barr

Saturday March 22nd
2:30 PM

Lecture Two
Cardiovascular Workouts:
Make the most of your time!
with Gemma Doyle

Saturday April 26th
2:30 PM

The Vegetarian Athlete

Founded in 1847, the vegetarian society claimed they created the word vegetarian, stemming from the Latin “vegetus” meaning lively. These early vegetarians asserted that their diets made them feel lively, hence the coining of the term “vegetarian.”

Over the years vegetarianism has increased in popularity for various reasons. People have switched their diets to vegetarian for religious or health reasons, animal rights and other personal motives. Many people saw the great “Mad Cow” scare as a cue to give up meat and become vegetarian as more information was released about the living conditions of live stock.

Like any other group with a shared lifestyle and/or belief, vegetarians face stereo types. Vegetarians are known as skinny, pale tree-hugging hippies, or lentil eating people living in communes. Many people believe that vegetarians lack energy, and instead of in the gym or competing in athletic events, you can find them writing lyrical poetry or painting sunsets. Well I’d like to sort those rumours out right now! I have been a vegetarian for almost 16years, and if any of you have seen me bouncing around the gym you will know I am none of the above. So like anything else, stereotyping vegetarians limits understanding of the vegetarian diet. Vegetarianism flourishes every year as more restaurants and schools cater to their dietary needs.

As a personal trainer and former professional dancer, I still get asked the same old questions regarding the vegetarian diet. “How do you get enough protein” and “don’t you get tired if you don’t eat meat” are a few of the frequently asked questions regarding vegetarianism. Getting enough protein and nutrients is easy with a little planning and preparation. Vegetarian meals can be filling, nutritious, and healthy. By eating the right foods a vegetarian diet can provide all the necessary energy for pre and post workout meals.

The Dietitians of Canada states that a vegetarian diet can provide health benefits by helping to prevent diseases. They also assert that vegetarian and vegan diets offer many nutritional benefits such as lower levels of cholesterol and fat, higher levels of folate, fiber, potassium, magnesium and antioxidants such as vitamin C and E.

To get their daily requirements fulfilled, vegetarians should choose foods like tofu, tempeh, miso, seitan, soy proteins such as soy milk and protein powders made from soy concentrate. For Ovo-lacto vegetarians, protein intake can consist of the above with addition of cheese, milk, eggs and whey protein. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids and should be eaten frequently to ensure all your nutritional bases are covered.

Gemma Doyle, Group Fitness Director YMCA, ACE, ISSA, Personal Trainer

Fat Cell Function

The physical effects of being overweight are obvious - reduced energy levels, joint problems, low self-esteem – and many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, have been attributed to excess stores of fat. However, researchers have discovered that fat tissue is not a passive mass but a dynamic organ. Fat tissue is now recognized to be the body’s biggest endocrine gland, secreting more than a dozen signalling proteins that elicit changes throughout the body.

The body’s seemingly infinite capacity to store fat is especially alarming. Increased fat storage results in larger fat cells – up to three times their normal size – which can signal nearby cells to divide once they have reached their size limit. These larger cells secrete excess amounts of chemical messengers that have adverse effects on the body. Among these effects are elevated blood pressure and inflammation, which increase the risk for heart attack and stroke, insulin resistance, which may lead to diabetes, and blood vessel and cell proliferation, which increase the risk of many different types of cancer.

A team of researchers from the U.S. and Britain have produced the first evidence that fat accelerates aging. These results are consistent with recent findings that fat cells are not inert blobs but are able to produce an array of toxic substances. The researchers believe that fat accelerates aging by speeding the unravelling of crucial genetic structures inside cells that wither with age. In fact, the more a person weighs, the older their cells appear on a molecular level – the equivalent of 9 years of age to a person’s body for obese individuals. The findings suggest that many health problems associated with being overweight – heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis – may result from fat cells hastening the natural aging process.

Catherine Barr, BSc.
Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor
The Toronto Star, June 14, 2005, www.medlineplus.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com

Why Personal Training?

I believe everyone can benefit from personal training. There is nothing like having someone to push you just a little harder than you can push yourself. Although I’m a personal trainer myself, I often hire our other awesome trainers to kick my butt, and it makes all the difference in a workout. When you’re on your own it’s easy to stop one rep short, slack on your technique and forget those key postural points that are so important. Here are 10 reasons why everyone should have a personal trainer.

Perfect your form. You will see results faster if you exercise properly. Remember, its quality over quantity when you’re in the gym.
Make the most of your time. A personal trainer will ensure you’re maximizing your time in the gym, when you’re busy and short on time it’s so important to get the most out of your workouts.
Education. A personal trainer can arm you with the knowledge needed to workout on your own, how to design workouts, information on nutrition, and more.
Accountability. By booking appointments with your trainer you ensure you’re making time to come to the gym, and your trainer will hold you accountable for those appointments.
Prevent Injury. A personal trainer makes sure you workout within your limits and follow a safe workout program.
Results. When you come to the gym and see a trainer, you’ll be extra motivated and push yourself harder than you would on your own, and therefore see results much faster.
Have fun. Personal training is always fun and exciting. You’ll constantly be learning new exercises and tips on technique. This prevents boredom and will keep you motivated to come back for more!
A healthy heart and a strong body. Personal training will take you to a new level of fitness by working your heart and building lean muscle mass. Whether you’re training for an athletic event or just want to increase your level of fitness, personal training is the way to get there.
Improve all aspects of fitness. By using a variety of tools and workout methods a personal trainer can help you improve you flexibility, agility, speed, strength, coordination and more.
Personalized workouts. Everybody is different, different people have different goals, you may have certain areas you want to work on, maybe you need rehabilitation. Whatever it is that you wish you achieve at the gym, the key to personal training is that it’s personalized. It’s about you, and we’re here to help.

Come see us to book your complimentary orientation.

Deryn Macey, BSc. CSCS, Personal Trainer, Nutrition and Wellness Specialist, Sport Movement Level 1

New Faces at Kitsilano Workout

Catherine Barr
BSc. Neuroscience
Can Fit Pro Personal Trainer
Group Fitness Instructor
Older Adult Specialist

Life can and should be an incredible adventure! It’s much too short to spend even one day feeling like you’re not meeting your potential. Being healthy & fit is an investment that reaps immediate and long term rewards. It’s the most wonderful thing you can do for yourself. I feel so lucky to have spent the last 6 years sharing with others the secrets I’ve learned to live life to the absolute fullest!
During university I had an amazing group fitness instructor who inspired me to become an instructor myself. That experience changed the course of my life. I decided to pursue a career in health & fitness rather than continue onto medical school. After completing my degree I became certified as a personal trainer and have since worked in university & college athletics, fitness clubs, community centres, and retirement homes.
I’ve trained everyone from high school athletes to new moms and feisty centenarians. I also spent 3 years as an environmental educator leading guided hikes in beautiful southwestern Alberta.
I love to be active, whether it’s lifting weights with my husband, playing intramural sports, practicing yoga outside, or dancing the night away with my girlfriends!
A giant hurdle between us and our goals is often our beliefs about ourselves. Do you believe that you’re “lazy” or “addicted to carbs” or “weak”? If you believe it, you conceive it.
Changing the way you see yourself can give you power beyond imagination! As my client, I will empower you with the knowledge to pursue a healthy & balanced lifestyle by making educated choices on fitness, nutrition, and personal balance. But knowing isn’t enough! The difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t isn’t what they know but what they do.

Together, we will develop an action plan for change and commence your personal evolution.

Trevor Miles
BSc. Kinesiology
Registered Kinesiologist
CPAFLA Certification
BCRPA Weight Trainer
Health and Fitness Certificate

Trevor has a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University. He is a registered Kinesiologist with both the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists and the Canadian Association of Kinesiologists. He also has a certificate in Health and Fitness and has extensive education in Health and Nutrition. He has his CPAFLA certification and is BCRPA certified as a Weight Trainer. He has extensive knowledge and experience with rehabilitation, chronic diseases and personal training.
Trevor is an expert when it comes to sports. He’s a former university rugby player, all-star: baseball, soccer, football, and hockey player; as well as a former sponsored skateboarder and snowboarder and now a sponsored skimboarder. He has competed at the provincial, national, and international level and knows what it takes to be a competitive athlete. Trevor is well diversified with all sports. All these experiences as well as the health professionals he has worked with while training for these sports and as a Kinesiologist, has give him the edge when it comes to sports specific training and rehabilitation.
Trevor loves working with children, seniors and everyone in between. No matter what your fitness level or goals, whether you’re an athlete looking for that edge, inactive and wanting to become healthier with more energy and less pain to go about your daily life, an ICBC/WCB patient in need of rehab, or just want to tone up and loose those few extra pounds, Trevor will work hard with you to make sure you meet and beat your goals. Trevor takes a holistic approach when it comes to health and wellness; this includes: physical, mental, social, spiritual, and an environmental approach to improving your results.

Trevor’s philosophy of life:
“No Guts No Glory. Go BIG or Go Home.”