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

 

I'm With the BAND....

     Hello All!

     It appears here in ol' Vancouver, sporadic monsoon season is upon us ( lasting for the next 365 days), so that begs the question- what do you do when it's raining so heavily that leaving your home could cost you an eyeball? Well..you can workout at home of course! And that blog title isn't because I'm an ex-groupie ( or am I?), it's because the band is honestly, a kick-ass piece of equipment that you can tailor an entire 30-60 minute workout with.

Small, inexpensive ( $5-$15) and incredibly diverse, the band ( also known as the resistance band) is often seen being used by personal trainers and fitness professionals to get their clients long, lean, solid muscles-without adding bulk. The reason the band is so effective is because of its continous tension on the muscle(s). While performing an exercise with the band, your muscles are taken through their entire range of motion while struggling against its' opposing force. The difference between the bands' effectiveness and that of free weights, is that with free weights, you struggle against the weight during the exertion phase ( ie- dumbell raise, upward) and comply with gravity, relaxing the muscle on the downward phase.

To make things simple and lose the trainer jargon, let's  for example, say you are doing a tricep kickback with weights for 1 minute- you do your kick back ( 2 seconds) then you return to your starting position(2 seconds). At the end of the minute, you've worked your triceps for 30 seconds, using the rest of the time to return to starting position between repititions.

Now, lets say you are doing a tricep kickback using the band- both the kickback phase and the return phase are "time under tension" (engaging the muscle), so at the end your minute you have worked your triceps for the whole minute!

Now- the band has a plethora of exercises besides the Plain Jane bicep curl and tricep kickback examples I gave. As I mentioned before, you can devise a whole workout around the band, and because you wont have to trot between equipment, you can cut down your workout time! An efficient 30 minute workout with the band with have you saying      " The gym is thatta way.. Actually I lied, its over there... Actually, there is no gym here I just love my arms" in no time!

Here is a link to some amazing band exercises! Scroll down and there is a cartoon fella' doing the exercises, along with a guide to what band you should be using.

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/resistance-band-exercises.html

Love love love and some almonds,

Sasha

Pump up the Volume ( err..Intensity!)!!

 Hi Everyone,

Like those purple jeans you bought when hipsterness was at its height-working out can lose its lackluster and appeal-even results that you were once seeing slow way way down.

A great way to start seeing results again or avoid the stall altogether, is to add cardio-bursts to your strength training. By adding these cardio intervals, you'll be doing a few things: getting your cardio throughout, cutting down your cardio time, participating in high intensity bursts that call for immediate muscle action ( and thus, more defined muscles) and burning as MANY CALORIES AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

For my clients (and myself) I always start a workout with a 7-10 minute warm-up. If I'm doing intervals I'll start with strength training for around 10 minutes followed by the treadmill/bike/ rowing machine for 3 minutes. In these interval bursts, I  alternate between 30 seconds of ' OMG this is really fast' and 30 seconds of rest for the three minutes.  What exactly is "OMG this is really fast"? Well if your exertion was expressed in a scale from 1-10 ( 1 being staring at a tree and ten being uprooting a tree with your bare hands) , this " OMG" 30 second burst would be an 8-9/10 and the "rest/recovery" 30 seconds would be about a 2-3/10. 

After the three minutes is up, give yourself 1 minute ( having a wrist watch helps) to breathe and recollect yourself, then go back to weights for 5-10 minutes-repeating the cardio bursts 2-4 times throughout your workout.

Just a tip: stay in close distance of the machine and strength training equipment you are using- trust me- the back and forth can be discouraging!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Love and more love

Sasha

7 Day abdominal challenge!

  Contrary to popular belief, personal trainers are also human. It's really easy to mentally make a note to 'start doing 500 situps like Britney did when she was hot', but, to actually do it is another thing. What I find helps me and my clients is to set small goals, and when you are setting a goal for the fast acting muscles in your core- you'll notice results... quickly.

What I'm challenging all of you to do, starting now- is make a commitment to yourself for the next week. Set aside a time of day where you'll do abs, or, even just that you'll do them-just for the next 7 days. Perhaps you have a favorite TV show, or even just some nightly channel surfing that you engage in-perfect! When the commercials hit- you hit the floor. This or some other trigger to remind you ( because come on, life is hella busy) will be the porthole to your 4-d abs.

After you've decided that you'll be partaking in this, get right to thinking about which exercises you are going to commit to-just for this week. This plan will help eliminate excuses, and will just leave your brain out of the equation ( sans the counting part) when its 'crunch' time ( pun)!

I would suggest doing 1 upper ab exercise, an oblique exercise and a lower abdominal exercise. Wrap it all up with a plank ( 30 seconds to a minute) and you are set. Here is a link to a variety of ab exercises, that also points out what arena of the abs you are working ( ignore the advertisements!);

http://www.sixpacknow.com/preview3.html

In a week- you'll be looking AND feeling radical, partially because your abs are leaner and also, because you committed yourself to this. I'll commit myself as well- let me know how it goes!

  Good digestion to all,

Sasha

Summer Running tips

In honor of the recent Vancouver Sun Run ( which opens the gates for a slew of summer set distance runs), I'd like to address the daunting task of running.

Running is an amazing all over toning exercise and cardiovascular workout; it uses the legs ( largest muscle group and calorie burner) while engaging our abs and arms to keep us upright and finessing our lungs- the result is a lean body and a hip-hip horray attitude.

Like ants on a log, running doesn't get the credit it deserves. I have a clue as to why this is; we try to tackle running like it ain't no thang- hitting the streets in our kicks' only to be disapponted in ourselves 5 minutes down the road when we are gasping for breath and purple faced. Like anything in life, running needs to be approached realistically. 

Firstly, a slow, steady pace is needed. Though this isn't glamourous, you need to concentrate on a pace you can keep for 4 minutes at a time. Second, set small goals within your time frame to accomplish, ie- 4 minutes jog, 1 minute walk, 2 blocks on, 1 block off. You can even break these frames down further if you are just getting back into a routine, like 1 block on, 1 block off.

Though these sound like ultra mini baby steps, you WILL be able to keep moving for the half hour or so designated to your work-out... and that kicks ass.

Happy Monday,

Sasha

Fitness Schedule- Make yourself a weekly commitment!

Hi everyone,

I hope you are enjoying this fabulous weather! In Vancouver, the weather can be so sporadic that its hard to predict what we will be doing from day to day in terms of exercise. Though this is great as it keeps us on our toes, sometimes the rain or leisure of the sun can help shove our fitness into the back of our minds. Because exercise increases all of those feel-good nuero-transmitters we have in our brains, it's important to be consistent with it for an overall healthy lifestyle.  A great strategy to help with consistency, is keeping a fitness schedule in either your day-timer, or from a website printout which you can hang on your fridge. 

You can make a journal at the beginning of the week and follow through until the end. This eliminates the excuse making and also can contribute to a more balanced program. Because we are able to see how often we plan to do cardio, or say weights, we can get a sense of whether our program is balanced or not. If you are doing more cross-training than usual, perhaps you can squeeze in a yoga class instead one day-to help stretch out those tired muscles.

Here is a link for beginners who are just trying to make a commitment to themselves ( and good on you!)http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2009/01/workout-log.png

Here is another link to a more advanced strength training log for moderate-advanced individuals: http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/Images/weight-lifting-chart.gif

GOOD GLUTES TO ALL!

Welcome to the blog!

Hi everyone- First and foremost I want to thank you for taking time to look at my blog- it's actually here just to benefit you! At Discover Your Best Self, you'll find daily tips to keep your workout interesting and most importantly, challenging to your body. We've all been in that fitness rut which can sneak up on us just when we are hitting our stride. Before you know it, all your hard earned muscle and endurance has disappeared and you are left wondering how its happened again. Just like my business, Creative Custom Athletic Strategies, this blog focuses on lifestyle techniques which help you not only reach fitness goals- but make them stick for life. Just check out this blog before you hit the gym for daily enhancers and ideas. For those of you who are just beginning, there is lots of stuff here for you aswell! For every exercise or workout idea I give- I'll have a beginner suggestion and a moderate to advanced suggestion. I hope you all will enjoy this as much as I do.

In good health,

Sasha