Health and Fitness – Page 3 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Snowboarding at Sunshine Village

So I finally went snowboarding this season. On Saturday, Robbie and I headed out to Sunshine Village to hit the slopes. I decided earlier this year that I would make a committed effort to snowboard instead of ski (which is a much more comfortable activity for me). With XC skiing in the schedule, snowboarding would be a welcomed change. I also own snowboarding equipment, so I figured I should really give it a go.

Thankfully the runs weren’t too busy, and I had lots of time to practice. Of course, there were many falls, and turning continues to be the biggest issue for me, but overall I felt quite comfortable on the snowboard. For having only gone twice last year, this was quite a surprise! Luckily there will be many more visits to the mountains, and my hope by the end of the season is to descend a green run while manoeuvring from heel to toe without falling. I think it’s doable.

P90X3. So. Stoked!

P90X3!

I can’t believe it’s already here. The release date was December 10th, and according to the interwebs, orders are being placed like crazy! Even though I had a disastrous go at P90X2 (i.e. injuring myself on day one and then never finding the motivation to attempt it again :S), I’m very excited about this new program. It has been quite a while since I’ve completed the many rounds of the original P90X, and though my activity level in general has shot way up with half-marathons, hiking, and other Beachbody fitness DVDs, P90X will always have a special hold on me. It was January 2010 when I decided to commit to the program and I completed my first round without missing a day. Success! I had awesome results, my nutrition changed completely, and I knew that going forward, fitness, health and athleticism would always be important in my life :). I continue to advocate for Beachbody programs because I know they work and can be truly life-changing.

And now it’s time to challenge myself again (and anyone else who wants to join!) with the same gusto as before. I’ve put my order in, and now I’m waiting patiently for its arrival. Until then, here are a few things I’ve learned about P90X3:

1. Workouts are exactly 30 minutes long, with the warm-up being the first two minutes. How awesome is that? After completing Focus T25, I’m loving the approach of completing intense workouts in a shorter period of time. And it’s 6 days a week. That’s only 3 hours a week of working out to get in the best shape of your life :).

2. P90X3 is for anyone, beginner or advanced. You do not need to complete P90X or P90X2 before conquering this program. It’s actually the opposite- according to Tony Horton, creator of the P90X series, P90X3 can actually set you up to have a stronger foundation for P90X and P90X2.

3. Some of the workouts include isometrics (strength/balance/flexibility), cardio with weights, and mixed martial arts. FUN!

4. The base system has 16 workouts, and the deluxe system includes 3 additional routines: Complete Upper Workout, Complete Lower Workout, and X3 Ab Ripper.

5. In the test group, 39 out of 40 people lost at least 10% of their body fat!

I’m curious to see the workout calendar. I believe there will be multiple goals from which to choose, whether that’s becoming lean, or building muscle. I’ve also decided to go with the Deluxe version for the extra workouts and the bands. My 2014 goals are in the formulating stages, but they centre around fitness and travel. The two are not mutually exclusive, and for me, travel is no longer a reason to pause the fitness and ‘let myself go’. The bands are easy to pack and will be great for those times away from my adjustable weight set.

Undoubtedly, this will be an awesome program. With the number of varied workouts, I think P90X3 will keep anyone interested and engaged for a full 90 days. And with 30 minutes a day, there are no excuses. We all lead busy lives, but carving out 30 minutes from the schedule to devote to working out is very doable and achievable. I can’t wait to get started!

XC Skiing: From Cascade Valley to the Loppet

Last year I tried cross-country skiing for the first time. I really enjoyed it, and although I didn’t get out to cross-country ski that often last year, I was determined to make a change for the current winter season. A few weeks ago I purchased a set of wax-able skis from Lifesport in Kensington and I’ve been itching to test them out. Last night I waxed up my skis (thanks Youtube for the instruction!), and was ready to go for today. I met up with friends Adriane and Lauren and we were off to Cascade Valley in Banff.

The temperature was cold (-10 Celsius) but the weather was great- super sunny and not very windy. I’m told these were quite ideal conditions. With an attitude of excitement, we stepped into our skis and were off. It took a while before the technique came back to me: leaning forward, shifting body weight completely to one side as you plant and kick off, and the general motion of that which most imagine to be classic cross-country skiing. At first, I blamed my struggles on the equipment: “Did I put the right wax?”, “Did I put enough wax?”, and “Is this the right sized ski with the right amount of camber for me?”. Of course, all of it was fine, and it was just me. Like the saying goes, “A bad carpenter blames his tools”. Slowly but surely, I got into the groove and it was lots of fun!

In the end, we skied for about 2.5 hours. One and a half hours to the river/bridge, and one hour back. The shorter return distance was due to a 3 km downhill, which really tested my ability to stay in control. Which I did not. And this resulted in a few falls during the descent. But alas, everyone falls at least once. Or twice. Or several times. And it’s crazy how much of a workout it was! Even though I exercise regularly and my cardio strength is good, my cardio was tested today. And my entire body was put through the wringer. As I write this, my everything hurts, especially my right hip flexor. Something is not right there.

That said, this is an activity I look forward to continuing throughout the next few months. I think I did pretty well for the first day out and I can only improve from here. The goal: to enjoy the wintry outdoors. I definitely haven’t taken advantage of the amazing winter wonderland that is the Rockies. But the other goal: to complete my first loppet. A loppet is a cross-country ski race similar to running races… but on skis! The ones I have in mind are The Kananaskis Ski Marathon (February 22, 2014- 15 or 24 km) or the Lake Louise Loppet (March 2, 2014- 10 or 20 km). It’s all dependant on scheduling right now, but if I can do at least one, that would be awesome.

Focus T25: Time for Gamma

So after a very successful Focus T25 round of Alpha and Beta, I decided to take a break. I initiated my yoga and stretch challenge, and all was great for a week! But then I thought- I need to do more. Not surprisingly, I got a bit antsy, and have now doubled up on my activity. Yoga and stretching are still important over the next few weeks as I head into day 10 of the challenge, but on Monday, I decided to start T25’s Gamma round!

Gamma is all about strength. Of course, the usual speed workout and high intensity cardio are still there, but now, many of the moves are done with weights- burpees and weights, balancing with weights, push ups with weights, and the list goes on. I may be tired these days, but I’m loving the amount of fitness activity this fall. Other than generally staying fit and healthy, there is a purpose to rebuilding my muscles, emphasizing stretching and yoga, and attending physiotherapy to get my arm all fixed up (I think I have a case of tennis elbow :S). It’s all in preparation for the new fitness regimen, starting January 2014. Oh there’s a plan… and I can’t wait!

My 30-Day Yoga and Stretch Challenge

One of the items on my list for quite some time has been to complete a 30-day yoga challenge. I always assumed that I would join a yoga studio and dedicate myself to 30 days of Bikram or Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in the company of other yogis where I, too, would be wearing my yoga gear and drinking coconut water. But alas, yoga is expensive. I’m not saying it’s not worth it, but it’s very pricey. And since I let my Bikram yoga passes expire *gasp*, I figured it would be best that I didn’t purchase another block of classes.

With that said, I realize that I am most committed when I have a fitness routine going at home. Ever since I discovered P90X, at-home workouts have kept me on track, and my living room has been the venue of choice. So why should my 30-day yoga and stretch challenge be any different? I’m equipped with an arsenal of fitness videos: P90X yoga, P90X stretch, Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown, and Focus T25 Stretch. And there are also many online yoga instructional videos if need be. So yesterday was Day 1 of my newest challenge, and I already know that it’s going to make a difference to my fitness once it’s all done.