Our core muscle group is what supports our entire body.  Maintaining a strong core is essential for the proper form and strength it takes to perform movement correctly.  Without engaging your core muscles we overwork our other muscles and joints in our body, risking possible injury.

Learn why strengthening our core muscle group is so important and try using a few of these exercises from our expert contributors to keep your training effective.

Strong Core, Strong Body

To have a strong core you need to strengthen surrounding and opposing muscle groups including shoulders, back, abdominal muscles as well as the gluteal area. Exercises that I recommend include: planks (side plank as well as prone), bicycle crunches, Pilates exercises, back extension exercises (alternating arm-and-leg superman and superman) push-ups as well as squats and lunges. Focus on quality of the exercises over quantity done.

Core training can be done 4-5x/week as either a complete workout or added to the end of an cardio or strength training session. I also recommend clients work to work on their posture hourly; standing tall with a neutral spine and practice engaging abdominal muscles (imagine you are zipping up a snug pair of jeans and as you are fastening the button pull your abdominal muscles in and up). Work on core stability while you work and sit on a stability ball instead of a chair.

Keri Cawthorne, Owner, Iron Mountain Movement

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The Energizer Night Race (5K and 10K) held on Nov. 12 in Vancouver’s Stanley Park was the final race in Canada’s first series of these popular evening races. Top finishers and their times from both distances are below, and we salute you!

5K

Male Top 3 Overall

1. Brent Limbeek, 18:27.92

2. Matt Meffan, 18:50.19

3. Laurent De Weck, 19:01.58

Female Top 3 Overall

1. Chantal Mathieu, 18:58.25

2. Angela Hammond, 18:58.88

3. Daisy Laforce, 20:26.09

Male Under 20

1. Duncan Grainger, 19:26.02

2. Jonah Smith, 25:45.33

3. Sean Vanderluit, 28:01.18

Female Under 20

1. Kate Pickering, 23:18.03

2. Kiah Wheeler, 25:23.89

3. Courtney Milligan, 25:24.66

Male 20-29

1. Sean Wheeler, 21:58.42

2. Rafal Matuszewski, 22:23.03

3. Marvin Ng, 22:26.89

Female 20-29

1. Sue Safadi, 20:47.50

2. Danielle Jarvis, 26:05.84

3. Glorianna Anderson, 26:53.49

Male 30-39

1. Andy Bienefeld, 19:01.65

2. Dave Stirling, 19:37.72

3. Michael Geary, 20:24.26

Female 30-39

1. Jill MacKinnon, 22:29.44

2. Nicole Housley, 25:04.62

3. Christine Smith, 27:22.61

Male 40-49

1. Duncan Wood, 19:40.50

2. Brendan Farrelly, 21:44.60

3. Martin Cross, 22:10.36

Female 40-49

1. Keri Cawthorne, 25:26.15

2. Sandra Verschuur, 25:59.59

3. Beverley O’Neil, 26:26.91

Male 50-59

1. Gordon Flett, 20:49.70

2. Colin McLean, 20:54.31

3. Bill Chang, 22:25.17

Female 50-59

1. Darcey Dalzell Wood, 29:02.95

2. Sybil Henteleff, 29:09.23

3. Anne Vanidour, 30:05.27

Male 60-69

1. Dave Reid, 31:23.34

2. Pete Emmett, 31:42.20

3. John Lowe, 32:37.15

Female 60-69

1. Edna Mathews, 30:42.79

2. Marnie Mitchell, 33:42.85

3. Kelli Buchanan, 34:28.03

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If you’re a die-hard runner, nothing can ruin your trailblazing workout like not being prepared for the weather. Come rain, snow or shine, a waterproof jacket can keep you moving forward. Keep up your game and focus on your fitness and serenity by rocking the best running jacket that keeps you protected without trapping heat.

Lululemon

For a flattering fit that’s as fashionable as it is protective in any type of weather, look at Lululemon running jackets like the Inspire Jacket, says Keri Cawthorne, owner of Iron Mountain Movement in Maple Ridge, Vancouver, Canada. “The design is well thought-out, with little pockets for iPod, keys, etc., and they are reflective,” Cawthorne says. Water resistant, ventilated to keep you from overheating and made with a stow-away hood, this jacket has everything you need to kick your running game into gear.

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By Sherrell Dorsey

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13 More Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You

1. Anything goes. Sometimes, I review the order of my exercises. Sometimes, I just fly by the seat of my pants… no plan, just fun! Other times, I completely check out mentally during class.
2. Be careful what you complain about. When I’m cranky and short-tempered I’m more likely to make you do something hard and brutal because you whined about something else.
3. Music helps me bring some of my personality to the table. It also helps me connect with students; I take requests and will download songs for them. Who wouldn’t want an instructor to play their personal power song?!
4. I’m constantly learning. I prepare classes by reading, watching videos, attending workshops, and taking other instructor’s classes. I can’t tell you how many times my family’s walked into my office only to find me on the floor contorted into some unusual position for the latest ab or outer-thigh exercise that I have just discovered online. They used to ask what I was doing, but now they leave before I force them to give it a try.
5. When I don’t feel like teaching, I grab a straw and suck it up. People pay us good money to train them, so even on our “off days” we have to put on that smile and bring the energy.
6. Everyone started somewhere. Don’t worry if other people are using heavier weights, higher steps, or going farther while stretching. The fact that you are there participating at all is the most important thing. You have everyone’s respect as long as you show up and give your best effort, and no one can ask for more than that!
7. It irritates me the most when you refuse to try. Fitness is one of the only things in life where you can achieve success simply by trying harder than you did yesterday.
8. Work within your own limits and abilities. If I suggest a modification for an exercise, it would be helpful if you’d follow the suggested guideline. It’s for your own good!
9. Some exercises make people fart. Get over it. Reverse crunches do especially, most particularly while squeezing and lifting a fit ball. I think it means that they are working hard, and giving a huge effort. Some people I think are so mortified when it happens that they leave class that day and never come back. I wish they wouldn’t care as much. I don’t!
10. I’m not your doctor. I’m also not your therapist.
11. Be on time. Showing up late to class is rude and disrupts everyone. Plus, you miss the most important part of class — the warm-up! The best is when you walk in, 5 minutes after class starts, to set up your bike or your mat and you’re on the phone!
12. This isn’t my only job, and I wish you wouldn’t assume we’re all meat heads who enjoy working out 24/7.
13. We bear witness to embarrassment. One time, a yoga ball popped while a heavier gentleman was on it. (It was a “yoga” ball and not a standard, durable, Swiss Ball.) I was mortified.

One last thing, I’m pretty open with my classes. I find a healthy amount of openness with my students helps them see me as a person who just loves exercise, not some sort of Goddess on a pedestal.

By Amy Zerello

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Recently, I, along with several other fitness leaders, contributed to a Reader’s Digest article by Amy Zerello called “13 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You”. While I won’t tell you which quote(s) belong to me, I will tell you that I can relate to more than a few of them. Check it out..

13 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You

1. Follow my lead.

I get aggravated when students do a different workout than the one I’m teaching — and they’re in the front row! You come to class but choose to do your own thing… really, what’s the point?!

2. It takes a lot to be entertaining, funny, and likeable

all while trying to motivate people to do things that will cause them pain. I think the 80’s thong leotards and side-ponytails gave aerobics instructors a bad rap. We’re also not all super bubbly and rail-thin.

3. Leave your cell at home.

Can you not exercise for an hour without checking your text messages?

4. Yes, I’ve embarrassed myself.

I was chewing gum while teaching and it flew out and stuck onto the mirror in front of me during class. Oh, and it was bright green!

5. Coffee’s my friend.

When I don’t feel like teaching I have a GIANT cup of coffee. I usually don’t feel like teaching when I’m tired or run down, so caffeine usually does the trick. And if that fails, keep smiling. As the saying goes, fake it ‘til you make it!

6. Preparing is a lot of work!

Pre-choreographed classes, like BodyPump and Turbo Kickboxing, take hours of prep. We’re sent materials every 6 weeks and we have to review and learn all the music and choreography before we teach it to you.

7. Stop weighing yourself constantly.

Newbies expect miracles without realizing that while the added muscle may not make the scale drop, it will bring the pants’ size down. But you can’t change your physique simply by working out; 80 percent of any change and fat loss is the result of a clean diet.

8. I wish you’d be more vocal

when you’ve had a great workout, but save the moaning, grunts, and other weird noises for home.

9. Music matters.

When I want you to work hard, I use really upbeat songs with pounding bass. If we’re doing something that requires a slower tempo, I turn it down. If the music sucks it doesn’t matter how high energy or good the instructor is. It’s also about what I like. If it’s not something I’d work out to, it never makes it to the class playlist.

10. Dress appropriately.

Ladies, consider wearing a cami or additional liner under your low cut Lululemon or Lucy yoga tops. I get an eyeful I really don’t wish to see when you’re in downward dog. And guys, don’t forget your liner shorts! I don’t want to see anything poking through your gym shorts in class!

11. We don’t all have perfect relationships with health and fitness.

People assume we spend our days eating salad without dressing and train ALL the time. Sometimes I’m tired, cranky, hungry, or want a pizza but I have to put on the show. Sometimes I want to veg out and eat junk food, and sometimes I actually do!

12. When you’re sick, stay home.

You may want to sweat out your cold or flu, but I don’t want your germs, especially when you want a really good workout and position yourself in the front row and cough and sneeze your way through the class.

13. It kills me when you come into the fitness studio without water!

Proper hydration is just so important that I mandate a water break just after the turbo section of class. It’s my biggest pet peeve because I am going to make you sweat!

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Wow! Flattered and extremely excited, I shared my story on diet and exercise as well as my numbers with author Sally Sheilds, and she wanted to know everything; what I ate, how much, when, was I always thin, and if not, what I did about it. Did I drink a lot of water, use supplementation? What are my fitness routines, and did they include weight training? What attitudes and philosophies did I embody?

So today marks the official book launch and I am very proud to present “Is She Naturally Thin, Or Disciplined? Insider Secrets Of The Sexy And Slim”!

Pages 86 & 87

Visit www.sallyshields.com and order your copy today!

When I am on vacation, I usually use the opportunity to go and check out other instructor’s classes.  Since there are no classes going on at my facility this week, and I didn’t feel like paying $20 to drop in at the ladies only gym, I decided to make the short trek across my driveway and kick my own ass this morning.

With a long run scheduled tomorrow I decided there is no better time to do “The Accumulator”.  I use this workout every forth or fifth week in my Body Camp class and almost always receive a bit of hate mail.  It is a full body, bang for your buck, 54 minute, 72 set session, that can be done anywhere using little or no equipment. So better late than never, here is my Christmas gift to you..

The Accumulator

Each exercise is done for 30 seconds with a 15 second rest break between exercises.

Round 1: Side to side squats, jumping jacks, alternating right and left leg lunges, bicycle crunches

Round 2: Side to side squats, jumping jacks, alternating right and left leg lunges, bicycle crunches, plank

Round 3: Side to side squats, jumping jacks, alternating right and left leg lunges, bicycle crunches, plank, leap frogs

Round 4: Side to side squats, jumping jacks, alternating right and left leg lunges, bicycle crunches, plank, leap frogs, tricep dips

Round 5: Side to side squats, jumping jacks, alternating right and left leg lunges, bicycle crunches, plank, leap frogs, tricep dips, side to side shuffle

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Starting a new type of exercise can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be if you know where to begin. Running is a popular workout option because it’s rewarding and affordable—all you really need is a pair of sneakers. But there’s a lot to know before hitting the road. WD spoke with professional runners and exercise experts to find out how you can incorporate this high-intensity exercise into your life. Read on for tips on how to get started, stay motivated and avoid injury.

Who Can Start

While it takes little more than motivation and a pair of sneakers to start running, speak to your physician first. “Always get your doctor’s clearance when starting any exercise program—especially if you’re age 45 or above,” says Keri Cawthorne, fitness supervisor and running coach. If you have cardiovascular or underlying health problems, consult your doctor regardless of age. And, “if you’ve been inactive or are overweight, be cautious when first beginning,” says Ironman triathlete and author of Thrive Fitness, Brendan Brazier. Muscular and skeletal problems can occur if you’re not careful, as well as shin splints, back problems and mini or micro tears, according Gregory Florez, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

How to Get Started

• Walk: The best way to jumpstart running as a hobby is to refrain from doing too much too soon. After clearing it with your doctor, start out by walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, three to four times a week, over a four- to six-week period. Once you’ve built up your stamina after regularly walking for about a month or so, “alternate between running and walking until you know you can run the whole time,” suggests Brazier. It’s best to start week one by running for two minutes and walking for four minutes for the duration of your workout. Each week, add a minute to the running portion and subtract a minute from the walking portion. And remember, this is a general rule—the most important thing is to listen to your body and not overdo it.
• Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water is crucial for both your physical safety and your success as a runner. “Water is the most important thing you can put into your body,” stresses ACE-Certified Exercise Physiologist Fabio Comana. But it’s not enough to just drink water right before you hit the road. “Stay hydrated throughout the day—drink water before, during and after exercise. Never wait until you’re thirsty,” advises Cawthorne. Nicki D’Atellis, private trainer at Reebok Sports Club/New York seconds that and can’t stress enough the importance of water: “Drinking eight 8-oz glasses of water throughout the day (more in the summer) is a good rule of thumb,” she says.
• Don’t Overdo It: Many people start to really love the sport and have a tendency to overdo it. Stick to the 10 percent rule: “Never increase your time or distance more than 10 percent from week to week,” says Brazier. For example, if you run 30 minutes, three times a week, the next week you shouldn’t be running more than 33 minutes for each workout. Even Brazier admits his intense training schedule isn’t too rigid. When his body needs a break, he takes a break. “It’s OK to miss a day when you’re too busy at work or with the kids—don’t beat yourself up,” he insists. Really get to know your body—when your muscles are hurting, it’s time to rest. Remember: Running can be tough at times, but it’s not supposed to be torture.

How to Stay Motivated

• Vary Your Route: Brazier suggests changing up your running route to keep things interesting and to maximize results. “You’ll get bored and become disinterested if you’re running the same path over and over again,” he says. Not only will a good balance of hilly and flat runs keep you coming back for more, but “running on different surfaces helps work the stabilizing muscles which can be overlooked and even neglected when running on flat surfaces,” explains D’Atellis.
• Races: Getting involved with charity and local races is a great way to keep the momentum going and push yourself to the next level. Start out small (5K/3.1-mile races or less) and work your way up. Utilize the Internet and running books for your training plans—The Smart Coach Training Tool from RunnersWorld.com calculates where you’re at with speed and distance, and customizes a plan that’s right for you depending on the type of race you want to run.

How to Prevent Injury

• Warm Up and Cool Down: With a high-intensity workout like running, warming up and cooling down are critical to preventing injury and improving your endurance. “Warm up with five minutes of brisk walking and cool down with five to 10 minutes of the same,” Cawthorne recommends, which will help get your blood flowing and loosen your muscles. “Warming up prepares the body for the physical activity to come. Five to 10 minutes of brisk walking is always good to get ready to run,” suggests Pete McCall, an ACE-certified exercise physiologist.
• Stretch: In order to prevent common running injuries such as runner’s knee, shin splints, ankle sprains and stress fractures, the best thing you can do is stretch. Focus your stretching on the primary muscles used while running—the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus and calves. Check out our video series ” Stretches for Joggers” to learn some essential moves. Or try yoga, which also strengthens muscles, builds flexibility and improves posture.
• Invest in Good Shoes: Running in old sneakers or shoes not meant for your specific foot type can lead to all types of injuries. “A proper running shoe can improve performance, protect a runner from injury and provide comfort to the runner—they’re made specifically to enhance the foot and body motions associated with running and to support motion in a forward direction,” explains Karen Langone, DPM. When choosing a shoe, comfort and fit should be your first consideration. After that, the shoe should attempt to provide what your body lacks. If your foot pronates, which means your ankle and foot roll in and the arch flattens, then a supportive shoe would be beneficial. If your foot supinates, which means your ankle and foot roll outward, then a shoe with cushioning can be helpful. “Consultation at a knowledgeable running store can be extremely beneficial to the beginning runner,” Dr. Langone says. Another great resource for determining the type of shoe support you need is the American Podiatric Medical Association’s website runners’ section.
• Strength-Train: Strengthening primary running muscles, from your core to your hamstrings, can help prevent injuries. “For the first few weeks of a running program, you’ll want to back off strength training until your body adjusts, but after that, upper-body, lower-body and core exercises should be incorporated into your weekly routine,” Cawthorne says. Try exercise moves that you can do at home, like squats and lunges for the lower body, push-ups for the upper body, planks for the core and seated rows for arms and back. “The exercises can be modified to suit any level of fitness and can be done anywhere,” Cawthorne says, adding that you should strength-train two or three times per week to improve your performance and prevent injury.

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By Olivia Putnal

Gearing up for your first 5K, 10K, Half Marathon or Full Marathon? Congratulations!

With lots of great races scheduled nationwide, I went directly to the pros for tips and guidelines on how to stay focused, build stamina and meet (or exceed!) your goals. And since running requires both physical and mental exertion, we’ve got you covered in both categories for each distance.

Good luck and don’t forget to share any of your tips, tricks and words of wisdom with us on how to best reach that finish line!

Half Marathon – Mental Preparation

Keri Cawthorne, running coach and owner of Iron Mountain Movement (www.ironmountainmovement.com).

• Long runs are best with company. Run with a local running group, buddy or music, the time will pass much more quickly.
• The week before the race, ignore psychosomatic aches and pains, your body is just telling you it is ready to run.
• If possible, drive the race route before and visualize yourself crossing the finish line.
• Find your mantra, something to keep you calm and focused during the race , whether it’s ‘Just Do it’ or ‘Finish Strong’. For the Vegas Marathon I used ‘Don’t Think, Just Run’!

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By Susan Gernhart