UM Rec Services Personal Training

By Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services     We’ve all felt the effects of a bad sleep (feeling lethargic, overly hungry, lack of focus, motivation). Does poor sleep hygiene also affect our mental health, and susceptibility to depression and anxiety?  Research shows that sleep is heavily linked to mental health — so much so that researchers suggest that medical professionals analyze a person’s sleep hygiene (a set of behavioural and environmental recommendations that promote healthy sleep) before delving into a diagnosis of depression. Seventy-five per cent of people living with depression have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Prevalence in young adults (21-30 years old) is a little over half, and increases with age, up to 90 per cent in people aged 55-64. Depression affects what’s called sleep architecture. People living with depression have less short-wave activity (SWA) ea...

By Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services     In conjunction with Bell Let's Talk , we're emphasizing mental health with our content this month. Today I want to share some information regarding the relationship between nutrition and mental health. Nutritional psychiatry is a new and rapidly emerging field of nutrition and mental health. There's been a steady increase in epidemiological studies investigating the relationships between dietary patterns and mental states in the past decade.  The first thing we can do to improve or maintain our mental health is make our diets balanced and more natural. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that the more one eats a highly-processed diet, the more one is at risk for developing psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. Many aspects of a balanced and natural diet can help our mental health.   Carbohydrates...

By Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services Depression is the leading cause worldwide for disability—and that was before our lives were upended by a global pandemic. Increased rates of depression Aside from the direct physical effects of COVID-19, people are living with poor mental health more than usual. Inactivity can be both a symptom and a contributor to poor mental health. Conversely, an active lifestyle can be both a symptom and contributor to resilience that helps us cope with stress. Research has documented the effects of exercise on mental health for decades. Yet, it's an often-neglected intervention with regards to mental health.  The benefits Physical activity has been shown to have multiple effects that contribute to mental health. Some of the benefits of exercise include improved sleep, stress relief, improved mood, increased energy, increased alertness, improved self-esteem and cognit...

by Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS,  CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services Whether through exercise or from your occupation, shoulder and neck tightness is something most of us have to deal with at some point. Folks often look to massage to help alleviate the tension, but there are a few things you can add to your time in the gym that can further assist you.  The one I want to talk about in this post is hanging. Hanging is one of the best upper body stretches you can do. In fact, this is something you may want to consider incorporating into your daily routine.  There are many other benefits to hanging. They include increased grip strength, improved posture, Glenohumeral joint stability and Thoracic spine mobility. If you find you lack overhead reach range of motion, this is also a great exercise for you. However, hanging isn’t for everyone. If you have a shoulder injury from acute impact, you need time and caution to recover...

By Kerri Chase, B.P.E. This holiday season is undeniably different than years past. Traditional gatherings with friends and loved ones have been replaced with mingling of the virtual variety through FaceTime and Zoom. It's our current reality, but it doesn't mean we can't make the most of if it. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy and happy over the holidays. For some, the holidays can be a lonely time. For those that are newly isolated, it may be difficult to cope. Perhaps we need to make a concentrated effort to reach out to people for our own wellbeing and for theirs. Plan virtual meetings with friends. Set dates to FaceTime. Plan virtual games or activities. Put time aside to shop online or to get groceries. All of our tasks may seem overwhelming, but if we write them out and set dates to complete them, it helps to get things accomplished. It also makes down time much more relaxing because we know that things are taken care of. Try to maintain somewhat of a rout...

By Kerri Chase, B.P.E  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us aren’t working in our regular environment. Since the dawn of office-life time, we’re accustomed to having a dedicated space (office, desk) for our work. These spaces are often designed with your ergonomic health in mind. Your DIY WFM set-up? Probably not (and if it is, good on you!). Here are some tips to ensure your at-home work/study spot is as efficient for your well-being and performance as possible: Your eyes should be level with the top of your computer monitor. This is easier with desktop PCs, but a struggle with laptops where the keyboard and screen are fixed close together. You can raise your laptop up by putting something under it so your eyes are at the right level. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed and low. Don’t let them creep up. Think of keeping your neck long.  Your forearms should be parallel to the floor. They should rest on a support, rather than being held up. Don’t reach too far for your...

by Adam Toffan, M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS, CSEP-CEP , Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, UM Recreation Services With the ongoing pandemic, many of us are working and studying remotely. Some of us now find ourselves in much more sedentary environments than we are used to. Sedentary behavior is cyclical in nature: When one is sedentary, it becomes harder to be active. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that result from an overly sedentary lifestyle which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. The conditions include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, increased waist circumference and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Today, I want to discuss how standing or walking intermittently through the day combats these conditions. I also want to shed light on strategies you can use to squeeze short bouts of activity into your day.  We all know being active is important to your health. The largest issue people cite for not bein...