An Article about Creative Custom Athletics for the Blenz Blog!

Getting Personal with Sasha

 December 10, 2010 | Posted by blairk

Are you one of those people who think that you can do things on your own like build furniture, bake without a recipe or maybe create a gym routine? Sure, anyone can do these “things” but there are professionals out there who can train you to accomplish more, the correct way. I am always open to learn something new and now, after over a decade, I decided to surrender and try working out with a personal trainer.

Sasha Tymkiw from Custom Athletic Training Strategies  was who I decided to surrender to.  She has 6 years of experience in the industry and is full of positive energy. I have never wanted to work out with a trainer because I thought I was doing everything right at the gym.  I never knew why I was doing certain exercises, but everyone else was, so I thought that I should too!

Motivation was something that is hard for me, and I know that this is something that other people struggle with.  When I asked Sasha about motivation she said, “Motivation can be tough for anyone, even me. I'm just like anyone else who exercises: I hit lows, mentally and physically, I can start to notice I'm not looking or feeling as fit as two weeks before. What I do, however, when I hit a low, is I take action, and action always = change. A change in location, routine, or something new always keeps me inspired. Hit the web! Look out for new classes and just go! Also, a session with my personal trainer always gets me out of a rut.”

She made some amazing points. Action does equal change and that is something that people often strive for. So, I booked an hour session with Sasha and changed the way that I work out. I met her at a private gym that is used as a personal training facility. It was a beautiful space and everyone in there was working out with a trainer. There were no lines for machines, the music was great and everyone there shared a common goal, they were taking their health to a new level.

We went over my fitness levels and I told her what I usually do to exercise (yoga and running for the bus and sometimes the elliptical).  I went on the treadmill and bike to get my heart rate up and, oh boy, did it ever. We then worked on the bosu ball with some weights and the medicine ball and I even did a little boxing!

All of a sudden it was 1 hour later and it felt like I just got there. Working out with myself the time would drag on, but with Sasha the time flew by. She taught me how to perform certain exercises properly, chatted with me, and encouraged and supported me.

I recommend that everyone try working out with a trainer, at least once. Sasha is amazing and really listens to what your health goals are. Sasha agrees, “Trainers (good ones) make you feel like a million bucks both physically and emotionally. Your relationship with your trainer is a very close, vulnerable one-- you are standing within a foot of them dripping with sweat! Because of this closeness, many advantages to your program can be added as this fitness professional, will know your body better than anyone. Your trainer should get you results, and get them started when they meet you.”

When you are ready to get personal with Sasha, you can find her elite coupon atwww.livingfreecanada.com, under the Fitness section.

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

We Gonna Run This Town Tonight...

  Labour Day Weekend is upon us and some (some is code for most) are getting their last little vacay of summer in. Weekend trips can be made into anything you want them to be: booze-fest, snooze-fest, food marathon, kink explorations--the list goes on ad infinitum.

We go on vacations of varying length to "get away" or "recharge", why then do we usually come back groggier and in worser wear than we left? Because we leave the "business" at home, why not use getaways as an opportunity to get back into our skin and take care of ourselves.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably looking for some "fitness tips", so I'll cut to the chase; jog around the city/town/ temple you are visiting. It may seem like just exercise but it is far from. Many triathletes and marathon runners train outside because seeing and experiencing new places adds more purpose to their training--thus increasing motivation to train. Us mere mortals can relate to this, as studies show that going to new places and mingling with new people increases serotonin levels. This raise in serotonin can lead one to take more chances and experience more increases in serotonin--and a happy person this does make.

 Taking to the streets to be among the everyday of the city you are visiting will let you submerge yourself in all that is different from your hometown- upping the overall escapism of your vacation, and leaving you refreshed to come home.

As I find myself reaching for the block of cheddar...I wonder about this pole-dancing thing

Hello fellow earthlings,

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather! 

If you read this blog, you may be well be aware of the fact I am a personal trainer and boot-camp instructor around the lower  mainland. 

I know how much trust participants put into the instructor to get the most out of their hour. As I am also a consumer, I know that sometimes we can be let down with lengthy instructions or just plain stinkin' boring classes ( have you ever had an adrenaline rush from working out and been irritated? Danger). In the midst of a busy schedule-- I find I can lose inspiration for innovation; life and its schedule can leave little time for broadening my scope of practice. I know I'm at this point when I'm not exited to teach, and interestingly, also when I'm buying large blocks of cheddar at the grocery store. Like I've pointed out in my blogs, fitness mirrors other areas of our life-- if we aren't inspired or excited about that area, what can we expect of other areas?

 Because I'm human I need to switch it up; but how can I do this while being of service to you? Well- I can put everything Vancouver has to offer in fitness to the test--and I'm talking e-v-e-r-t-h-i-n-g. I'm going to hit up every "training center", hiking/biking/roller-blading route, pole dancing lesson, kick-boxing Dojo in my quest. I'm going to commit to an activity 5 days out of the week for 2 weeks. I'm going to blog at the one week mid-way point to deliver you a workout similar to the ones I'm participating in, so you can do it on your own. 

At the end of the two weeks, I'm going to summarize the overall toning effects, recovery time, what/where I've  attended and what works/ what doesn't. I'll then let you know what's next on the list and we will push onwards. Its going to rule. OH- but one thing- since you read my blog, what should we start with?

Truly,

Sasha

Self-Reflection Through Fitness, Fitness Through Self- Reflection.

If you look back at your life, or even at your present day: what things do you notice about the times that you felt happy? The majority of my clients talk about a time when they felt confident and ready to take on the world. Were they fit at these times? Usually, but this parallel isn't going where you may think- as being fit and looking hot does not a happy person make. It doesn't make someone happy, but it can definitely help, because it was the new things my client was doing-the chances they were taking in keeping fit-- that ultimately led to their happiness. This observation also seemed to work in the reverse, as a new love interest, job, or vacation gave people the gusto to try out something different when it came to being active.

I'm a firm believer that one's fitness mirrors other areas of their life, and since I am a trainer I focus on this order. If I didn't do it this way my  blogging would probably result in a collage of Family Circus and Garfield clippings arranged in no particular order to help "guide" you through life. Maybe The Far Side clippings too. 

So Garfield is cute and all ( sooo cute), but whats the deal? If life is kinda giving you the bad-day blues, but for longer than a few days, what is really going on? A sure fire way to get those problem solving juices flowing is to switch things up--and since we were once a hunting/gathering species, getting physical will reveal more than you ever expected about your life. Once you start dismantling your workout routine and building it into something exciting and new-other areas of life, rancid yet or just waiting on an expiry date, will begin to shift. 

If a client asks me to shoot them a workout right then to switch things up, I always tell them to go pick up a fitness magazine. Since I can't be there with them, fitness magazines are the next best thing. Almost all magazines ( SHAPE and SELF are the best) have a total body workout for that month, with pictures and step by step instructions. The workouts usually consist of 5-8 exercises and when combined with  cardio-intervals: can really get the job done. Try this routine: 

Note: Make sure you have all weights and equipment near each other and ready so you can jump off treadmill, power through exercises and hop back on for second interval-maintaining your heart rate and intensity throughout.

Treadmill Warm-Up: 10 minutes

 speed 4.0 for 5 minutes, Incline 2-3

 speed 4.0 for 2 minutes,  Incline 14

 speed 4.0 for 1 minute,    Incline  7

speed 4.0 for 2 minutes, Incline 14

Complete exercises from magazine once through for 45 seconds each

Treadmill Interval: 6 minutes

speed 6.0 for 1 minute, Incline 10

speed 8.0 for 1 minute, Incline 2

speed 4.0 for 1 minute, Incline 2

Repeat again once

Complete exercises from magazine but in Pyramid 6,4,2,4,6.  

(6 repetitions of each exercise, then doing 4 of each, then 2 of each, back to four of each, then 6 again)

Treadmill interval: repeat first interval of 6 minutes

Complete exercises from magazine for 1 minute each

Best wishes and the prevention of sun-stroke,

Sasha

Techno and Meatheads and Spandex-Oh My!

     Named by Passport Magazine as “the fittest city in the world”, Vancouver is literally plastered with gym billboards and boot-camp flyers. The vast majority of people here are indeed members of gyms or have once signed up for a boot-camp: the sad news is these companies really don’t care about your level of fitness, they get your automatic payment whether you attend or not- it is called the fitness business, after all.

      Though I still love a good emo tune, there is a way to be proactive about your camp/gym selection before signing up. Every reliable center ( except for some community centers because they are government funded) should give you a minimum one week free pass and some flexibility within the first month after that week. This flexibility is important because as humans, the first week of being in a new atmosphere is a rather optimistic one: our adrenaline, plans for future-bikinis and overall wishful thinking is really running the show- but our basic personalities are still there. As we are, sometimes we ignore the red-flags that will later turn into excuses for us to avoid the gym: the bad techno that is always blasting too loudly, the fluorescent lights that are too bright, the location being a bit off your commute or the overall atmosphere that is just plain sucky.  

      When you are settling down with a gym, make sure you want to go to the gym because you like your gym. If you actually can stand getting your foot in the door—the workouts will follow.

 

Love love,

 

Sasha ( "The Slayer") Tymkiw

The "trail-mix" of your workout ( and who doesn't like trail-mix?)

If you’ve noticed a theme to my blog, it's that of avoiding gym burnout. All too often we hit a stride at the gym and then suddenly, out of the blue… we stop.

From the volume of clients I have that report this problem to me, I’m tempted to call it a phenomena. Fortunately, Sci-Fi is WAY 1990's ,however,  this problem becomes an almost certainty for new or returning gym members.

"Gym-fatigue" affects everyone who passes through the gym doors, even…. Personal Trainers.

But what makes the difference between those who stop being active and those who continue onwards? It’s two things: accepting that your current program won't keep you satisfied forever, AND recognizing when this boredom is approaching- so you can DO something else.

 

A few years ago I read about switching up gyms, just for a week, to resurrect your life-less motivation. I’m the type of person who is really all or nothing, so I took this suggestion knowing that I was hitting a “low” in my routine ( and stretchy pants would soon follow-suit!). I took this suggestion one step further and got a guest pass to a new, nearby boutique gym. For one week I shut my head off (moving quickly without thinking has this power) and began submerging myself in new classes, faces and amenities of the gym.                         Did I join when the week was up? Nope. But it was just like a mini-vacation which let me come back to my gym, my responsibilities and my life re-energized and enthusiastic. Who knew that this one week could make such a difference? 

So back to you- I have a challenge for you. If you begin feeling avoidant of your gym at all, or are feeling just blasé about life- try the one week gym-pass vacation. Make a commitment to yourself: bring your workout clothes to work, change into them before you leave your work building ( trust me on this one) and turn off your phone.

After you’ve hit your first class, look at the class schedule and pick your next class before you leave the gym. Make your plan fool-proof: write it in your agenda and do it again tomorrow.

Not only will this strategy improve your glutes, but you'll also learn a few life lessons: like if someone asks you if you are interested in joining their gym and you say no.. You are still allowed a one week pass! Or you can say yes and lie, but I'm running an honest blog here ( Pssst. just tell them you are "looking around at different gyms" its the truth and no dishonesty!) There,! BAM! 2 life lessons!

You are welcome!

Love Sasha

Parks N' Recreation

  If you've read my previously blog posts, then you know that people generally workout less in the summertime. This may seem quite contradictory as summer time is generally when people wear the least amount of clothing, but I don't make the rules: I merely find ways of moving around the rules- my teenage angst lives on!!! Take that Dr. Fisher!

A common excuse I hear from clients is "It's so nice out...Ya know? I don't want to be inside" ( I literally hear those exact words with little to no alteration EVERY time). 

There is a happy medium here, however, as Vancouver is blessed with beautiful and well kept parks that are actually here to be used! Many Vancouver parks even have fitness circuits, tracks, stairs or at the very least benches that are great for a summer routine. Added bonuses to a outdoor routine are vitamin D, renewed enthusiasm for your fitness and the added self-confidence which comes from taking your workout to a whole new playing field (ahaha..I kill me).

As I mentioned, some parks in Vancouver have their own circuits, such as Carnarvon Park. If you are keen on doing a park circuit, try this workout;

Warm-up:

-Lap around park perimeter ( 5 out of 10 exertion)

Workout:

-Complete circuit once through 

-1 minute rest

-Lap around park ( 7 out of 10 exertion)

-Complete circuit second time through

-1 minute rest

-Lap around park (8 out of 10 exertion)

Cool Down:

Walk around Park to cool down

The above should take you about a half hour to complete. 

If you aren't doing a pre-planned circuit, create your own using what you have and adding in laps around the park intervals style.

In the worst case scenario you'll only have a bench, so lets work with that:

Warm-up:

-Jog around perimeter of park ( 5 out of 10 exertion)

Workout:

-Step ups on bench, leading with left leg for 15, repeat with right

-Push-ups with feet on the bench, hands on ground

-Tricep dips off the edge of the bench

-Jump-ups onto bench ( Jumping onto bench from ground, landing with soft knees in a squat)

-Mountain Climbers 

Lap around park 7 out of 10 exertion, 

REPEAT TWICE!

Being a natural Vancouverite, I find myself getting the rainy day blues in a major way, or even the sunny day blues sometimes.

The energy resurgence and release that comes from a new outdoor workout is a great measure in self-care and overall self-awareness. Hopefully this suggestion will not only have you feeling great about yourself, but great about your city too!

Truly, madly, deeply,

Sasha