Parker Personal Fitness

01/07/2022

Do you feel inundated by messages this time of year about making drastic changes, particularly in regards to your body? Does “new year, new you” sound familiar? There is no need for a new you.

These are times I would encourage people to focus on their health. Improving our health is always a good thing, and movement does so much for our physical and mental well-being.

As I age, I think more about what a gift it is to have the ability to move and what I need to do to continue being active in my daily life for many years to come. This is a reason I do strength training, as well as other activities.

This is me walking my dog - something I do at least twice a day, no matter the weather. Walking is a hugely underrated exercise. Yes, it is exercise. And it’s what I would tell people to do if they’re wanting to start some sort of activity.

Find something you like to do, then focus on the effort and avoid an all-or-nothing approach. Just get up and do the thing. Then do it again. Take small steps and build from there.

Happy New Year. Be kind to yourself.

01/11/2021

The start of a new year prompts many people to redirect their focus to a fitness routine.

I’d like to encourage people to focus on consistency. This is the number one factor that will keep you on track to reach your goals.

We won’t always feel like exercising, but if we do it consistently, we start to see progress, which helps it become part of our regular routine. That progress is also a motivating factor.

Just getting started can be challenging, so here are some tips:

1️⃣ Take small steps toward integrating movement into your schedule. Walking can be a great start.
2️⃣ Find activities you like. You’re more likely to stick to a routine if you’re enjoying it.
3️⃣ Be grateful for the ability to move your body and learn new movements.
4️⃣ Be kind to yourself. On those days you feel like you didn’t succeed or didn’t do what you’d planned or wanted to do, forget about it and keep moving forward. Tomorrow is a new day.
5️⃣ Life-long health takes a lifetime. Focus on that instead of quick results.

12/11/2020

Like many people, I’ve been enjoying a lot of walks outside to help me beat the pandemic blues, and I am reminded of the campaign to get us to walk like penguins whenever we come to a patch of ice. It’s that familiar feeling of tightening up the leg muscles and taking shorter steps to avoid falling.

This is where strengthening our adductor muscles becomes integral to helping us maintain stability on unstable surfaces.

There are so many exercise options, but here are a few to get you started.

1. Glute bridge with ball squeeze: You’ll need a squishy ball, a rolled-up towel, or foam roller for this one. I forgot to mention a pillow is a great option, as well. Remember to squeeze the glutes throughout.

2. Lateral sliding squat: By pushing down with the heel and full foot, instead of just the ball of your foot, you will get more out of this movement for your adductors. This varies from a lateral lunge (also a great option for the adductors), which involves moving one leg laterally and shifting your weight to the side.

3. Elevated side plank: Doing this from the foot is not something I would advise for people who are new to exercise, but the option from the knee is a great start once you’re ready to try this.

Stay safe out there!

10/09/2020

This little bench was the perfect height for some rear-foot-elevated split squats (RFESS) that I did during a beautiful walk in the trails.

The RFESS is a progression from split squats, where both feet are on the ground. The rear leg is raised, which provides less stability and assistance to the movement. Split squats should be mastered before attempting this version.

Some tips:
• rest the top of your foot on a bench or raised surface;
• keep the torso in line with the rear leg by leaning forward at the hips while maintaining proper posture throughout;
• think of bringing your ribs down toward your pelvis to avoid hyperextension and potential pain in the low back;
• try not to have an overly wide stance, which will help with avoiding hyperextension;
• push through the full front foot.

I typically do these with added weight, so I didn’t know what to do with my hands! Do whatever is comfortable for you. Start with bodyweight before progressing to dumbbells or kettlebells.

05/13/2020

Pandemic dumbbells! This is just one story coming out of our bizarre times: a family in southeast Edmonton is meeting the demand for exercise equipment by making dumbbells with concrete and metal rods. This is the 'raw' version - they are typically spray painted and marked with the weight.⠀
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They aren't pretty, but I think it's cool this family is able to continue making some money while helping people who aren't able to find commercial dumbbells in stock these days at a reasonable price.⠀
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These 10-lb. dumbbells went to a client who doesn't own weights and has been working hard at home over the past few weeks with limited equipment. We don't need much equipment to exercise at home, but I'm excited this will allow her to add more resistance beyond the bodyweight and banded exercises she has been doing.

04/28/2020

You may not feel like doing much, given the impact this pandemic is having on our lives, but even 10-minute bouts of movement can help. Try not to let yourself stay inactive for too long.

“If this pandemic is teaching us anything, it is that being in better health is protective.”

Prolonged pandemic-related isolation, physical distancing and workplace closures are leading a McMaster University researcher to raise concern over the health impacts of inactivity -- especially for older people.

04/07/2020

All the extra sitting we're doing throughout this pandemic will wreak havoc on our backs, but if you have a piano at home, you have a great tool for giving your back some extra love with back extensions.

You will create muscle tension throughout your entire body to execute these, but this specifically targets the erector spinae muscles responsible for extending and stabilizing the spine.

To set up, you will position your pelvis to allow downward torso movement, with the bony projection of your iliac crest beyond the edge of the bench. If you haven’t done these before, leave your hands on the floor for support as you go through the movement.

The range of motion here is limited - particularly if you have a longer torso than mine - but if you need more of a challenge, you can slow down the movement while descending and do isometric holds, as shown. You can also add weight.

Stay healthy, stay home as much as possible, and have fun with these.

03/23/2020

I’ve discovered a medicine ball is a useful tool for releasing anxiety and stress during these uncertain times. I’m thinking of all the people who have been affected by loss of work due to COVID-19, which includes personal fitness trainers like myself. I’m heartened to see people getting outside for fresh air but being mindful of keeping their distance. I hope everyone will do their part to diminish the spread of this virus so we can see our way back to our normal lives sooner rather than later.

As for these exercises, the ball I own is the bouncy type, so it removes the bonus of squatting to pick up the ball after each slam, but even with mostly an upper-body movement, you’ll be amazed at how much your heart rate will skyrocket.

I’ve shown how you can increase the intensity of the first ball slams by moving from feet planted to up on your toes to adding a jump. Remember to do both sides for the rotational wall slams. Please be mindful of your lower back and brace your core throughout. The goal for all of these is to move the ball as quickly as possible. This is a power exercise.

And you can definitely imagine the ball is the coronavirus.

03/18/2020

I have seen some online posts talking about boosting your immunity against COVID-19 by eating certain foods and taking various supplements, so this is just a reminder that all we can do is eat a healthy, balanced diet.

"Simply put, you cannot “boost” your immune system through diet and no specific food, supplement or natural health product will prevent you from catching COVID-19."

Take care of yourselves.

12/31/2019

As we reach the end of the calendar, some people take time to reflect on the past year and look forward to what will come in the new year. For others, this may be a time that brings feelings of anxiety from the pressure to make changes in their lives.

I encourage everyone to take things one day at a time. Try not to make drastic, sweeping changes. Start small and go from there. For me, it will be one step at a time as I tackle stairs more often as a cardio option in the winter months. I find stairs challenging - shortness of breath comes on pretty quickly and the burn in my quads accompanies soon after. Goals can be a great tool to measure your progress on something you want to accomplish, but an all-or-nothing approach to something like New Year’s resolutions can really become deflating.

When it comes to fitness, find something you enjoy and just do it. If you can’t do it as often as you’d like, build on it slowly and don’t stop because you think you’ve missed too many days to continue. The key is consistency, and it takes time to get there.

My plan is to embrace our long chunk of winter and enjoy the beautiful setting of our river valley ... and do these stairs, one at a time.

02/11/2019

It was hard to narrow this down to only four exercises for the 60-second time limit, but these are a few of my favourite core moves with a stability ball. Keep in mind these are not beginner exercises, but I’ve discussed some modifications below.⠀
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For all of these exercises, engage your core by drawing in your navel to your spine.⠀
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1) Stability ball rollout: This requires a good amount of strength and control from your core (this includes your back), as well as strength in your shoulders and triceps. We need a strong, neutral position in our spine for this one to ensure we don’t arch and compromise our lower back. Focus on doing a slight posterior tilt with your pelvis, which means the top of the pelvis moves back by pulling your glutes in, not sticking them out. Start with just a small rollout before trying to extend to 45 degrees or beyond.⠀
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2) Plank with circles: Draw circles on the ball clockwise and counter-clockwise for a determined number of reps or amount of time. You can write out your name or anything you’d like – “I love planks.” Try a wider stance with your feet for more stability. Make sure to master planks on the floor before attempting to plank on a ball.⠀
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3) Supine alternating leg lift: This is one I haven’t done in a while, and it looks like I could raise my hips just a bit more. Try to form a straight, tabletop position with your torso and legs. I’ve done this with alternating arms, as well, so give it a try once you are comfortable with just alternating your legs. It’s great to incorporate the march, as well as the isometric hold for variation. The glutes and legs will get a nice workout here.⠀
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4) Stability ball pass: This is a slight variation from the V-pass where you sit up in a V shape to grab the ball from your legs. I chose to lift my shoulders a bit off the ground and stay there while passing the ball back and forth. The longer your lever, the more difficult the exercise, so I’ve also demonstrated this with bent legs to make this a bit less challenging with a shorter lever. You can also opt to touch down your legs for some relief; otherwise, keep the ball off the ground.

Have fun!

02/05/2019

I have had clients ask me how much weight I can lift for certain exercises, or they’ve told me of the physical feats they’ve witnessed by other people at the gym, wondering if they could or should be doing the same.⠀
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Everyone has their own goals and their own exercise and training history, and those aren’t likely to match yours. This is why it’s so important not to compare ourselves to others. We need to focus on our goals and remember we are on our own journey.⠀
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I’ve fallen into this trap myself: thinking I don’t look like a ‘typical’ certified trainer (whatever that is) with bulging muscles and almost no body fat. Everyone has different genetics and body types, and what one person can accomplish easily, another person may take substantially longer to achieve. We don’t want to jeopardize our goals to try and emulate someone else, then find ourselves feeling defeated and giving up. We are all a work-in-progress, moving at our own pace toward the goals we want to achieve. ⠀
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Be grateful for your ability to move and embrace the time and effort it takes to work toward whatever you’re working toward. ⠀
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Celebrate your successes, no matter how big or small.⠀
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Focus on being the best version of yourself that you can be.