rpadmin, Author at MOVATI Athletic

Anti-Inflammatory Salad with Fish

NUTRITION

Check out this new recipe!

Ingredients

2 cups mix greens
4 oz wild-caught fish (salmon, trout…)
Seasoning (thyme, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper)
Fresh basil
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup sweet potatoes (cooked – cubed)
1/2 an avocado (sliced)
1 cup raspberries
2 Tbsp walnut pieces

Dressing

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
1 tsp fresh garlic (mashed)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp raw honey

Instructions

FISH:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Spray a baking pan with olive oil spray and place your fish. Add lime juice. Sprinkle with seasonings and bake for 20min
Make your salad with mix greens, avocado slices, sweet potato cubes and raspberries
Add the cooked salmon
Add the salad dressing
Add the walnut pieces

DRESSING:

Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for 30 min.

Fruit Tips!

NUTRITION

While fruits are healthy and packed with nutrients, the low-glycemic fruits such as blueberries, cherries, grapefruit, apples, apricots and plums are better for your blood sugar. Higher glycemic fruits such as dates, watermelon, cantaloupe and mangoes are still good for you too, just make sure you are not over consuming them (there is such a thing as too much natural sugar!)

Keep fruits to 2-3 servings per day to avoid overworking your pancreas, feeding yeast, or flooding your blood with too much insulin.

*Glycemic-index is a value that ranks foods by how much they increase blood sugar levels.

Nutrition for Ramadan

NUTRITION

In medical science, fasting is sometimes used as a form of detoxifying the body & giving the body a break from food for a length of time. In some cultures, fasting is associated with spirituality and a way to cleanse your soul.

On Friday April 1st, 2022, many Muslims around the world will begin fasting for one month.

During this month, your body needs more nutrient dense foods such as: whole grains, vegetables, legumes, healthy fats, protein, and fruits. Hydration is key & water is always the best choice.

To help our members who are celebrating Ramadan achieve all the health benefits from fasting during this month, use MOVATI’s Ramadan sample meal plan to help you continue towards your health and fitness goals.

RAMADAN SAMPLE MEAL PLAN

SUHOOR

Start with a cup of warm water & lemon
A bowl of oatmeal topped with ½ cup of fresh berries and some walnut pieces
Vegetable omelette made with 2 eggs, 1 Tbsp olive oil, a cup of chopped

vegetables with sliced cucumber and tomatoes on the side

Drink at least 2 large (ideally 3) large glasses of water

IFTAR

Break your fast with a warm cup of water
Enjoy a cup of herbal tea with 2 walnut stuffed dates

STARTER

A cup of homemade chicken broth and vegetable soup
A bowl of garden salad made with lettuce, tomatoes cucumbers, tossed in olive oil and lemon juice. Add a dash of feta cheese for taste

MAIN MEAL

A serving of lean protein like chicken breast, fish, or lean meat
A serving of starch such as rice or sweet potato
A serving of steamed or roasted vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower,

green beans, carrots, zucchini

BEDTIME SNACK

Option one: Protein smoothie with fresh fruits & nut butter
Option two: Greek yogurt with fresh fruit & nuts
If you are planning on exercising after Iftar, enjoy a smoothie

as your pre-workout meal and have your main meal post workout.

Make sure you hydrate before, during and after your workout

HEALTH TIPS DURING RAMADAN

1. Don’t skip your Suhoor

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

3. Be mindful of your portions

4. Avoid high-fat, high-sugar content, and highly processed foods

5. If you have a medical condition consult with your doctor before you fast

Tip: If you are planning on exercising after Iftar, enjoy a protein & fruit smoothie as your pre-workout meal and have your main meal right after your workout. Make sure you hydrate before, during and after your workout.

What is your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) Number?

IN CLUB

In MOVATI’s Speed & Power cycling class, learn more about your cycling with your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) number.

What is the significance of knowing your FTP?

In cycling, FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power. Or an easy way to think of it as your hardest sustained effort or power output over a 30-to-60-minute period. We measure this in unit of WATTS.

FTP is an important metric for cyclists, since it is quantifiable way to measure your fitness on the bike, and to gauge the level of difficulty for any particular ride for any given day.

When getting ready to start the FTP test, it is important that you have prepared before hand by warming up your body; muscles and increased heart rate. Sprints and RPM pickups will help with the warmup, as you build to the start of the test. Once the test has started, you want to have a enough resistance to maintain the effort and the pace / pedal rhythm from start to finish, keeping your watt output constant, and in a seated position. Do not start out too hard at max output, our it will be difficult to maintain the effort to the end of the test, become short of breath, and burn out. Also, you don’t want to take the test too easy where you feel like you could have pushed yourself significantly more at the end.

To reiterate, you want the test to be your maximum sustained effort from start to finish, where you feel between breathy (able to speak) and breathless at the end.

For our indoor classes at our clubs, the FTP tests can range in duration from 3 minutes 5 seconds to 5 minutes where the rider is at their hardest sustainable effort. The average watts for this duration is measured, and then a calculated FTP result is made for the cyclist. For this example since the rider has not performed the test the 1 hour, the calculation is based on what the effort would have been IF the test was for 1 hour. Thus, your FTP result for that particular class that day will be approximately 80-85% of the effort.

In that same token, if the duration is increased to an FTP of 20 mins, the result will be 95% of the effort, since you are riding at your hardest sustained effort for a longer period of time, slightly less effort than if you were riding up to a 5 minute FTP.

Now, you have an FTP number. This is your personal fitness measurement when it comes to cycling. What do you do with that number? You FTP number can now be used as training tool. Now you can work in different training zones, or intensity zones.

Zone	Percentage of FTP	Use for
1	<55%	Active recovery
2	56-75%	Long, endurance rides
3	76-90%	Tempo rides aimed at improving endurance at high effort
4	91-105%	8-30 minute intervals focused on improving FTP
5	106-120%	3-8 minute ‘V02 max’ intervals
6	121-150%	30sec-3minute efforts focused on improving anaerobic capacity
7	>150%	Efforts less than 30 seconds, sprinting, neuromuscular power

Try to maintain your FTP number or improve it when you ride in a power cycling class. Remember it also depends on how you feel any particular day. If you are feel great, crush your FTP score!

One thing to also remember is that FTP is also dependant you your body mass. As you decrease in weight or mass, your FTP score can go down as you are pushing with less power to go at the same speed.

So don’t worry, it is you vs you! Enjoy the bike, enjoy the class, get the most out of your FTP score, and keep pedaling!

Find a Speed & Power class using the Group Fitness Schedule on MOVATI website or through the MOVATI member app.

Written by Brian Pfuetzner

Chocolate is on the Menu

NUTRITION

Chocolate provides many health benefits, but don’t go all out and buy a bunch of chocolate from your grocery store.

Canadian Athletes ‘Break the Bias’ and Score Gold

LIFESTYLE

On March 8^th, we celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme for this year is ‘Break the Bias.’ The past few years Canadian female athletes have broken barriers, and they did it again at this year’s Olympics in Beijing.

Image: Captain Marie-Philip Poulin celebrating her first period goal. Photo by Mark Blinch/COC

Team Canada’s Long Track Speed Skating female team, consisting of Ivanie Blondin, Valerie Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann, won gold in the women’s pursuit making it Canada’s first Olympic medal in the event in 16 years! They did it by posting an Olympic record time of 2:53.44 in the final against Japan.

This trio had some setbacks as they fell second place in the quarterfinals and started a little slower than the Dutch in the semifinals, but did not give up and with determination, they were able to pull through and managed to get their spot in the finals.

For Weidemann, this is her third medal of Beijing 2022, adding to the silver she won in the 5000m and her bronze in the 3000m. She is Canada’s first triple medallist of the Games and is the second Canadian to ever to collect a set of gold, silver, and bronze medals at one edition of the Winter Games.

Another accomplishment we need to highlight is our TEAM CANADA Women’s Hockey team taking home the gold. They celebrated a 3-2 win over the United States in the finals. Even with stiff competition each Games, this marks Canada’s fifth gold in women’s hockey at the Olympic Games.

Shout out to Captain Marie-Philip Poulin who scored twice to lead Canada to their 3-2 win. Not only was Poulin a star, the goalie, Ann- Renee Desbiens, stopped 38 of 40 shots! Congratulations to this team, we are sure this was quite the celebration.

Fun Fact: Ever since women’s hockey was added to the Olympic program in 1998, Canada and the United Sates have met in six of the seven gold metal matches. During the 2002 USA vs Canada ice hockey match for women’s gold, Canada won. However, at the World Championships, the rivalry has recently been dominated by the USA who have won 7 of the last 9 World Championships. United States has won 4 championships in a row. The United States lost to Team Canada 2-1 while outshooting the Canadians 45-23 in a group stage matchup in the 2018 Olympic games.

Main Image: Team celebrates gold medal in the team pursuit at Beijing 2022. Photo by: Andrew Lehodynski/COC

How Exercise Plays a Role in Heart Health

WELLNESS

Keep your heart healthy with exercise! The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends “adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more. The activity doesn’t have to be non-stop, such as an aerobics class. You can do 10 minutes or more at a time throughout the day to reach your daily total.”

Benefits of Exercise on the Heart

There is no limit to the benefits of exercise on the health of your heart, but we’ve highlighted a few key ones…

Exercise decreases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Exercise helps to lower your blood pressure and improve your blood flow.

Being physically active is known to help lower your cholesterol.

Incorporating exercise into your life will help promote other heart-healthy habits.

Exercise reduces the incidence of heart arrhythmia, like atrial fibrillation.

Regular exercise helps improve your overall aerobic performance.

Best Exercises for Heart Health

Like all muscles, the heart needs a good workout too! A combination of aerobic exercise and strength training is what’s best for improving the health of your heart.

Aerobic exercise is anything that gets your heart beating faster and you breathing faster. Physical activity such as walking, running, swimming, playing soccer, or taking part in a group fitness class are all examples of aerobic exercise.

If you’re new to exercise, don’t worry! Any aerobic activity that gets you breathing faster is giving your heart a workout – so even just going for a walk is great for heart health! Start your day with a morning walk, take a stroll on your lunch break, opt for the stairs over the elevator or park farther away at stores. Even small bouts of aerobic exercise are great for your heart!

Tip: Finding aerobic activities you enjoy and adding some variety is a great way to keep your workouts fun plus you’re more likely to stick with it.

Don’t forget about weight training! Weight training is just as important as aerobic activity when it comes to heart health. Strengthening the other muscles in your body has benefits for you heart because it builds muscle mass and burns fat! Short on time or can’t make it to the gym? Use your own body weight for an effective weight training session. Push-ups, sit-ups and squats are fantastic muscle building exercises that you can do anywhere!

Whether you take part in a cycle class three times a week, go hiking with a friend, or start your day with yoga, regular exercise is so important for taking care of your heart.

*Remember, always speak to your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

All About Sleep

WELLNESS

We all know that we need sleep but how much do we actually require and what can we do to ensure we are getting the best quality of sleep each night.

Why is Sleep So Important?

Sleep enhances our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite.

Some of the benefits of sleep include;

Lowers blood pressure
Reduces stress
Reduces the risk of illness
Improves memory
Improves your mood
Aids in heart health
Aids in weight management

When we don’t get enough sleep, it significantly effects our health. Lack of sleep is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, immune system failure, stroke, heart failure, cancer, dementia, skin problems, and overeating…just to name a few! Sleep deprivation shows consistent bad outcomes. Even if you think you are gaining time by sleeping less, it’s compensated for with lower productivity and creativity.

Recommended Hours of Sleep

Newborns (0-3 months) 14-17 hours of sleep

Infants (4-11 months) 12-15 hours of sleep

Toddlers (1-2 years) 11-14 hours of sleep

Preschoolers (3-5 years) 10-13 hours of sleep

School-age Children (6-13 years) 9-11 hours of sleep

Teenagers (14-17 years) 8-10 hour of sleep

Young Adults (18-25 years) 7-9 hours of sleep

Adults (26-64 years) 7-9 years of sleep

Older Adults (65+ years) 7-8 hours of sleep

How to Improve Your Sleep

There are numerous ways to help improve your quality of sleep each night. We’ve narrowed them down to our top 6 recommended ways that are easy for anyone to try.

Eliminate Light – the absence of light tells your body it’s bedtime.

Keep it cool – the body loses heat as it sleeps. Keep the temperature low to help your body cool down and drift off. A fan can also be a great noise blocker!

Listen to music – playing relaxing music can help you drift off to sleep.

Stay off your device – blue light from screens can interfere with melatonin, a chemical essential to sleep.

Hide your clock – watching time pass when you can’t sleep causes anxiety that delays fatigue. Set your alarm but hide your clock!

Write or read – journaling your feelings at bedtime can help you let go and drift off. Reading a book can have the same effect.

Would you like to learn more about sleep? Our TRY IT TUESDAY for February is all about sleep! Visit the personal training desk for more details!

Make a List of Goals Instead of Resolutions!

LIFESTYLE

This year instead of making a New Year’s Resolution make a list of goals you hope to accomplish.

Why goals instead of resolutions? The difference is in the definition!

The definition of a resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something” whereas the definition of a goal is “an aim or objective that you work toward with effort and determination.”

When we make resolutions we often feel let down if we do not achieve them. How many times have you made a New Year’s Resolution only to feel defeated in the weeks that follow because you didn’t stick to it. When we feel like we have let ourselves down it can spiral into feelings of defeat and affect our confidence in our ability to accomplish anything.

A goal on the other hand is something we know we can continue to strive for. Goals allow for setbacks and the ability to refocus and continue to work toward achieving them – even if that means it takes months or even years to accomplish. Goals can be modified as our lives and environments evolve and goals can build on one another. Setting smaller goals to help you reach a much larger goal is an effective strategy for ultimately getting to where you want to be.

What are YOUR goals for 2022?

Are you trying to declutter? Eat healthier? Exercise more? Start a new career? Or maybe you are trying to do a little more self-care? Put your intentions out to the universe by writing them down in a journal, make a vision board, or create a goal list. Having your goals visible and reviewing them often helps to keep you on track.

Set goals that are specific, measurable, and most importantly realistic. And remember – your goals are unique to you and your life.

We wish you a happy, healthy and goal achieving 2022!

Posture and How to Improve It!

WELLNESS

Unsupported postures cause the loads on your spine to disperse incorrectly, weakening the tissues in your lower back. As a result, the intricate network of muscles, discs, and joints in your back tend to be pushed beyond their tolerable limit, causing pain. Common unsupported postural habits come from everyday activities that typically involves a combination of actions, such as walking, sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and lying down. Common habits that you may develop while performing these actions include:

• Slouching or sitting slumped on your office chair or couch.

• Lying on your stomach on the bed while working on a laptop/reading a book.

• Sitting on a bed and working on your laptop.

• Hunching forward while weeding your garden or washing dishes for a long time.

• Using your vacuum cleaner with one hand and long arm movements.

• Standing with the weight of your body concentrated on one leg.

• Walking in a hunched manner without supporting the head or the trunk.

• Lifting heavy objects off the floor by bending your back.

When you use incorrect posture, several areas of stress may develop within your muscle tissue, spinal joints (lumbar facets), and discs. These stresses may be relieved once the offending posture is corrected or may continue to accumulate, slowly weakening the affected structure.

Ask Yourself: Does the posture that I use increase the pain or decrease the pain?

Note: One of the more common postures that drives low back pain is flexion. A neutral spine

should be held in all aspects of training!

Follow these tips for supportive posture

WALK TALL – poor posture can contribute to chronic back pain. While walking, it is important to look straight ahead and to keep your head balanced above your spine. Keep your spine straight and relax your shoulders. Make sure to land on your heel and then gently roll forward to push off the front of your foot. With each step, a gentle spinal rotation must be achieved by reaching the opposite arm forward.
LIFT CAREFULLY – common everyday activities like lifting your groceries or picking up your child can cause low back problems. It is essential to lift correctly in order to avoid injury. To lift a heavy object from the floor, squat down in front of the object by keeping a straight back and bending your knees. Hold the object close to your chest while you straighten your knees to stand up.
SIT WITH SUPPORT AND GET UP EVERY HOUR – while sitting and working on an office chair, keep your back flush against your chair, your head over your spine, your shoulders rolled back, and shoulder blades down. Bend your arms at a 75 to 90-degree angle at the elbows. Your legs must be hip-distance apart with both feet flat on the floor. If you are unable to reach the floor, use a footrest. Try placing a small pillow or rolled-up towel to support your lower back and maintain the lumbar curve. Aim to get up every hour and walk a short distance to relieve pressure off your discs.

If you have questions about this blog or would like to speak to a Personal Trainer regarding exercises to strengthen your lower back please visit the Personal Training Desk or fill out our Personal Training Enquiry Form.