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by  Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin., CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba High intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is on trend these days; however it is not necessarily a new concept. Distance athletes have been using HIIT training for years, though it has gone by another name: fartlek. Fartlek is a combination of Swedish words that translate to speed play. Runners will often use this type of workout to get faster at their craft by running at various intensities for a shorter duration of a workout. So what exactly is high intensity interval training? We see HIIT as short burst of intense exercise followed by a brief period of recovery or less-intense exercise, typically in a 45-second workout to 15-second recovery ratio. Because of the time engaged in activity and the level of intensity, our bodies rely on carbohydrates as fuel for the working muscles. However muscles also produce by-products that lead to muscle ...

by Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin., CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba The Participaction Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth 2016 has reported on the overall findings of physical activity in youth in Canada, and some of the results are concerning.  Most children and youth in Canada have been found to spend more than the recommended amount of time in sedentary behaviours, do not engage in enough active play, and fall short of certain motor skills associated with physical activity. The good news is that these behaviours are easily modifiable with support from parents and caregivers. How Active Should Kids Be? The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology has created easy to understand guidelines for physical activity for all walks of life. For those children who are 5-11 and 12-17 , the minimum standards are very similar. CSEP recommends a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily, 3...

by  Hao-Yi ,  BSc. Human Nutritional Sciences Fitness Attendant with  Recreation Services, University of Manitoba The New Year brings new resolutions. Everyone has different goals and aspirations, and for some, losing weight is their goal for 2018. If you’re seeking out help in losing weight, that is great! But there are a few things to be aware of. The biggest is that “weight loss” industry is not regulated in Canada, meaning there are programs and diets out there which may be ineffective or even dangerous for your health. Here are five red flags that may indicate a weight loss program or diet may not be healthy and safe for you include: Huge promises about fast weight loss of more than 1kg or 2lbs a week, where the diet severely restricts your caloric intake. This can be dangerous to your health, and can be unsustainable, leading to “yo-yo dieting”. Does not encourage healthy lifestyle changes and makes you dep endent on their compa...

by  Andrea Dietrich , CSEP-CPT Fitness & Training Coordinator Recreation Services, University of Manitoba With New Year’s Resolutions just around the corner, it is not uncommon to hear the phrase, “this year I’ll get in shape!” brought into the mix. Regardless of whether this is one of your goals for 2018, any resolution you might make will benefit from setting SMART goals. Setting SMART goals can help motivate you when making lifestyle changes by defining your intention with measurable outcomes and deadlines. Read through the following explanation of the SMART acronym and create a goal that you would like to achieve in the new year. SMART goal setting brings structure and trackability into your goals and objectives.    Specific : Goals benefit from having parameters so that you know what you are aiming to achieve. For example the goal: I want to run faster could benefit with some more details. The goal: I want to run at setting 7.0 on the treadmill...

by  Daniel Jangula , CSEP-CEP Assistant Fitness Testing & Assessment Coordinator Recreation Services, University of Manitoba Regarding exercise selection, it’s far too easy to stick with exercises that may give you a good pump over working on a movement correcting an imbalance or helping fix poor posture. The temptation of spending your precious gym time working on developing your biceps, pecs or abs is pretty strong, and seeing your bulging muscles may seem to deliver a bigger hit of gratification over gaining a greater degree of thoracic spine extension or better control of the lumbo-pelvic region. I see this phenomenon particularly (although definitely not exclusively) with younger gym goers. With a lot of university students, it’s easy to get away with only working on chest and arms every time they’re in the gym, and maybe occasionally trying to squat or deadlift more weight than their form can tolerate once every other week. Poor exercise selection that feeds into po...

by Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS, CSEP-CEP Assistant Fitness Testing & Assessment Coordinator Recreation Services, University of Manitoba Research has shown that regular physical activity is important to our health and wellbeing, however because fitness is a life-long journey and not a specific point in time, finding motivation to put on your runners every day can be hard. Motivating yourself to complete tasks you may not be in the mood for can be a challenge, especially if there are no deadlines or immediate consequences to your inaction. Here are some proven tips to help you get active when you just don’t feel like it: Plan It. Pull up your calendar and make an appointment with yourself. Scheduling it in as part of your day may help you find the time to work out instead of leaving it until after work or school when you may be more likely to just want to go home. Partner in Crime. Don’t discount the power of friendship. Knowing another person is count...