UM Rec Services Personal Training

You’ve been a beast in the gym for a while now, but you’re starting to see your progress stall? Some minor tweaks to your lifestyle and training routine can help push you through. Sleep So let’s start by evaluating where you are right now – be honest! How has your sleep been these last few weeks? Are you dead asleep the minute your head touches the pillow, or do you toss and turn endless for hours? Are you up until 1am finishing that paper (or that beer) instead of tucked into bed by 10pm? Many people say they function fine on six hours of sleep, but the average amount of sleep a person needs to set themselves up for a good day is eight hours. And don’t fool yourself, it’s nearly impossible to “catch up on your sleep” on the weekends. [1] Diet Take a look at your diet next. It’s difficult choosing well in our fast-paced lives, but if you’re subsisting off of burgers and pizza more than whole grains and lean proteins, you may want to revisit high school health class...

by  Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CPT  Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator,  Recreation Services  at the University of Manitoba Did you know even some personal trainers utilize personal trainers? Personal training is not just for the rich, the elite athlete or the gym beginner. Some people use a trainer to start a fitness journey, to learn a safe and individualized program, to hold them accountable or to make sure they are progressing appropriately. You can use personal training sessions in any number of ways. You can meet with a trainer every workout to make sure you are regularly going as well as working safely and at a proper intensity. Some people meet once a week to check in periodically while some people check in once a month. Our prices at the Active Living Centre are among the cheapest in the city, giving you the freedom to train as often as you need. Until recently much of the benefits of personal training have been docum...

Think of the things you wished you did more or less to be healthier, more productive or happier. Why don’t we just do it if we know it’s good for us? Research shows that it takes an average of 66 days to make a good new habit. That is a long time to stay vigilant with a conscious effort. Here are some tips on how to make the most impactful habits and have them stick. 1.      Start with “keystone habits”: The unique characteristic that makes a keystone habit is that it changes how you see yourself and improves your self-image. Exercise is one example of a keystone habit. These habits are a good change that often triggers other good changes without conscious decision. Charles Duhigg mentions in his book “The Power of Habit” that exercise leads people to unknowingly create other good habits. This means that some habits are more important in more global behaviour change. Many people will automatically improve their diet when they start exercising regularly. This ma...

by  Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS, CSEP-CEP Assistant Fitness Testing & Assessment Coordinator Recreation Services, University of Manitoba Personal training is an investment in your health. Just like your RRSP or mutual funds, you want a return on your investments. Below are some of the ways you get returns on your investment into personal training. 1. Efficiency: The most common reason for people not getting enough exercise is time. 64% of people who don’t exercise enough say it is because they don’t have time. People have school, jobs, families etc. But let’s do some math. The fact is we aren’t as busy as we think. It’s about priorities. The average person watches 2-3 hours of TV per day. We spend 25-33% of our waking hours doing non-work related activities ( http://www.cbsnews.com/news/youre-probably-not-as-busy-as-you-say-you-are/ ). A 1-hour workout is 4.16% of your day. If you are unable to exercise without extra commuting, 2 hours, including a workout and com...