Pick a form of exercise that is attractive to you and set moderately challenging goals, expert says.
Every January, people have good intentions of seeing their bold fitness goals come to fruition. Whether it is Dry January or losing weight — sometimes the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
According to registered psychologist Dr. Patrick Keelan, picking a form of exercise that is attractive to you is crucial for success, along with setting specific goals.
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“Starting off, make the goal very specific to what you’d like to achieve,” he said. “For some people, that might be a fitness goal involving exercising regularly or maybe working out three days a week. For other people who are more experienced in fitness, it might be more ambitious, like completing a marathon or breaking three hours in a marathon.”
Dr. Keelan also emphasized the importance of setting moderately challenging goals. When a goal is too easy, people throw in the towel out of sheer boredom. On the other hand, if a goal is too challenging, people become frustrated with the lack of progress.
“If there are days when you don’t feel like working out at all, we often employ the five-minute rule where you say I’m just going to show up,” he said. “That keeps the habit going in those beginning stages; once you’ve established the habit, you can build on it.”
Here are five ways tenacious Calgarians can crush their fitness goals without even knowing it.
When training his clients, the founder of Impact Boxing and Fitness, Louis Raposo, said he starts with establishing a strong foundation — much like building a house.
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“We try to keep the mind, because the mind gets very bored,” he said. “So there’s always something different at our gym. It could be strength, it could be core, it could be conditioning, it could be boxing — we change it up all the time.”
With kickboxing as a new addition to the facility, Raposo echoed that keeping the mind and body going is crucial for success.
“It’s the best fitness you can do,” he said. “We have a deck of cards where each card is an exercise; so we flip a card, and that’s 10 pushups, for example.”
With a lot of angles and plenty of movement, Raposo said you have to be able to carry your own body weight, and whether you are a beginner, advanced, amateur, or child, he is determined to help you achieve your fitness goals.
“The reason we picked ‘Impact’ as a name is to literally make an impact on people’s lives, which we have done for over 22 years.”
With mobility, strength, and intense cardio at its core, Barre West offers 45-minute and 50-minute group fitness classes. Depending on the class, attendees might get more of a strength or more of a cardio component.
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According to owner and Pilates expert Adriana Britton, the number one thing that people are seeking with barre workouts is low-impact combined with high-intensity core strengthening.
“We address that part of the body like no other,” she said. “That is definitely one of our specialty areas for this program.”
The program also caters to pre-natal and post-natal; Britton said a lot of members planning for pregnancy spend a lot of time in the program to help strengthen their pelvic floor and core.
“We have a mom and baby program, which definitely, around the pandemic, went from sort of an accessory workshop to one of our main programs,” she said.
Britton acknowledged that while studio environments, especially boutique-style studios, can lean female-forward, Barre West’s male members enjoy the workouts just as well.
“And then it’s super injury-friendly,” she said. “We have so many really great success stories — clients with osteoporosis — that either they were able to temper it or help build bone density. So our program is really strong but really accessible.”
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Whether you have two left feet or are graceful, Jazzercise North Calgary wants you to dance like nobody is watching.
Owner Robyn Wilson described the program as dance-based workouts in a group fitness atmosphere with top-40 music and no generational gaps.
“We cater to all walks of life; we’re kind of known for that,” she said. “We have everybody, from kids coming with their moms to grandmas; many times three generations working out together.”
Each class is approximately an hour long, and there are a variety of different formats, with the popular flagship format known as ‘Cardio Sculpt’ leading the way.
“That’s about 40 minutes of dance-based cardio, and you’re working your whole body,” explained Wilson. “We’re doing tons of lunges, jumping, and all kinds of dance-based things.”
Inspired by Mambo, salsa, and kickboxing, the workouts target the upper body, lower body, and core, with an added strength component in every class.
“In ‘Cardio Sculpt’, we do 20 minutes of choreographed dance-based strength,” Wilson said. “We use weights, exercise mats, and everything is choreographed to top-40 music where you’re doing some pushups and planks to whatever music is on top of the charts right now.”
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Scaling the side of a simulated rock wall can offer a unique way of reaching the peak of fitness goals.
With over 25 years of experience, owner of Bolder Climbing Josh Muller said climbing offers a unique exercise experience that allows you to get strong and fit without the conventional boring sides of exercise.
“I always joke to people that it’s a good way to trick yourself into exercising,” Muller said. “Because you’re only on the wall trying really hard for about 15 seconds, maybe 30 seconds, and you come to the ground and you’re huffing and puffing for five minutes while you socialize with your friends.”
Bolder Climbing offers two main disciplines: bouldering and rope climbing.
“With bouldering, our walls go 15 feet above the safety pads, and you climb that without ropes,” Muller explained. “We teach you how to fall safely onto the pads.”
Rope climbing, however, might give beginners more knots in their stomachs than in their ropes, as the height has a significant difference with 40-foot walls.
“It also requires more than just strength — it requires flexibility; it requires a certain amount of problem-solving,” Muller said. “Conquering certain fears, balance — it’s an all-encompassing activity compared to a lot of other sports.”
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To help facilitate results in fitness goals, Calgary nutritionist Stacy Yates said Dry January, where one abstains from alcohol, can be a good start.
“Alcohol really doesn’t benefit us nutritionally in any sort of way,” she said. “So I think that’s actually a great challenge for people, especially if they’ve had a little bit of an overindulgent December.”
Yates emphasized that if people are drinking on a regular basis, Dry January is an easy introduction to cutting calories, with the added benefits of financial savings, better sleep quality, and increased energy.
“Sometimes the best thing for someone to start eating and drinking clean is to start moving their body,” she said. “They feel like ‘oh, I’m starting to work out now; I don’t want to put that junk in my body anymore’, which junk includes alcohol. They also might start prioritizing sleep because they want to feel like when they get on that spin bike the next day, they don’t have a headache.”
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Now is the time to recommit to your health in time to feel your best for all your summer activities! One to One Fitness Center offers several ways to save in March.
Members of the Case Western Reserve University community can take advantage of sign-up specials designed to reward themselves for creating healthy habits.
Individuals can get 50% off the initiation fee (regularly $50 plus tax) and earn back what they do pay by exercising eight or more days in both April and May. Learn more online about this deal on initiation fees.
Students also can get additional savings:
One to One Fitness Center, owned and operated by CWRU, is known for offering personal, professional, friendly and clean services. Memberships include full access to the 28,000-square-foot fitness center, group exercise classes, validated parking in Lot 53, towel and locker service, and member discounts on programs and services.
Members also can add their spouse or partner to their account for $30 plus tax per month. The center also offers personal training, Pilates Reformer, massage therapy and sound bath therapy, swim lessons, and more.
Visit the One to One Fitness Center website, email onetoone@case.edu or call 216.368.1121 for more information.
To help you do this, we’ve tapped our Start TODAY experts for simple tips to lighten up meals, move in ways that boost metabolism and and refocus our mindset to get motivated to keep working toward your goals. Apply their strategies and finish the month feeling lighter, more energized and motivated to move forward. Here’s the plan to make it happen:
>>Download the 31-day calendar here
This month’s workout plan is focused on short workouts that pack a punch. “HIIT workouts give you a bigger bang for your workout buck! They provide a more efficient workout because you’re alternating the pace and intensity rather than sticking to a steady, moderate pace,” says Mansour. “Changing things up with HIIT prevents boredom and keeps your muscles guessing. This is how we can get the body to change — whether that change is speeding up your metabolism, burning more calories, building muscle, losing weight, or just improving overall health — keeping your body guessing is the magic ticket to seeing results!”
Active recovery days include stretching to improve flexibility and walking for a cardiovascular workout that aids muscle recovery. When weather permits, Mansour encourages people to get outside on walking days. “Walking outdoors isn’t just a workout, it’s a chance to breathe in fresh air and get out of the house to change your environment,” she says. “Each time you go outside on a walk, even if you go on the same path, you’ll see or feel something different. Maybe it’s a change in weather, plants or flowers, people or things. Prioritizing taking your walk outside can hugely benefit your mental health. Getting out of your regular environment and into nature can be a form of meditation, too.”
Get the full 31-day workout plan with unique workouts sent to you daily — plus, walking podcasts, healthy spring recipes and mindfulness tools — in the Start TODAY app!
In addition to mixing up your workout routine, use spring as an opportunity to start lightening up your meals by packing them with seasonal ingredients. Start TODAY dietitian Natalie Rizzo shares her top tips:
Yes, we are working to propel ourselves forward toward our health goals, but an important part of that process is slowing down and reflecting.
Getting permission not to rush in a world that feels like it’s moving faster than we can keep up is a reminder that most of us need.
Yasmine Cheyenne, start TODAY mindfulness expert
“Getting permission not to rush in a world that feels like it’s moving faster than we can keep up is a reminder that most of us need, but how often would we admit that?” says Cheyenne. “ When the to-do list feels long, and we’re trying to get everything done, we often say the opposite, disregarding how we feel, and push ourselves. Yes, we all have deadlines and things that need to be done. But we also need the reminder to take care while handling our responsibilities.”
This can be easier said than done. So Cheyenne offers up a simple exercise to help: Write down the words you need to hear each day to make yourself a priority and work toward your goals. Put them somewhere you see often, like your fridge or bathroom mirror, and recite them out loud daily.
“This is a perfect example of a reminder that seems small, but can come at the perfect time and help us care for ourselves,” she explains. “One of my favorite examples is: Take it slow and don’t rush, your nervous system deserves peace.”
“When you tell yourself the thing you’ve been needing to hear, it allows you to admit the quiet rumbling within you and take the steps you need. It might be admitting ‘I’m tired and will give myself an early night this week.’ Or you’re saying ‘I’m so proud of the way I’ve committed to moving my body everyday.’ Whether you’re cheering yourself on or reminding yourself of what you need, we don’t always slow down enough to hear what we need from ourselves, and this practice is a great way to start.”
Talking out loud to yourself may feel strange at first, but Cheyenne says over time it will help shift your mindset and translate those words into action. “When we hear ourselves recite these words, it’s like we’re planting positive seeds within us. The more we say what we need, the more we remember it, and we’re more likely to follow through and care for ourselves,” she says. “Our actions really start with the words we say to ourselves. Reading them out loud helps us rewire the way we talk to ourselves and that inner shift is exactly what opens the door to transformation.”
Join our live “Spring Reset Workshop” on March 22 to get one-on-one coaching from Yasmine Cheyenne and connect with other Start TODAY members. Sign up here!
If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight, you’ve probably heard the phrase ‘calories in versus calories out’. While it’s true to a degree, losing weight in menopause isn’t about eating less, but rather eating differently.
Speaking to fitness coach Loretta Hogg, Dr Stacy Sims says: “One of the first things that women often do, because we grew up in an era of calories in, calories out, less calories means fat loss. That is not true because if you are not eating enough, your body holds on to fat.”
“Staying adequately fuelled” and strength training regularly is what’s actually needed to lose weight while managing our hormone levels in menopause. “When we’re looking at how we’re going to budge some of the meno-pot, we really want to focus on getting strong and building that muscle because if we are working on muscle and our whole focus is muscle and bone, then we end up eating accordingly.”
Fibre and protein are the food groups to focus on, she says. They are filling, aid muscle growth (and so help maintain a healthy metabolism), help reduce food cravings, and provide us with the key nutrients our body needs when oestrogen levels fall.
We know there’s a huge market for protein powders, bars and other supplements, but actually, most of us can get what we need from eating high-protein foods.
The amount of protein you need in menopause depends on your weight. “The recommended protein intake for women over 45 is approximately 1 to 1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is higher than the general recommendation for younger adults,” Dr Nadira Awal, a Doctify-rated GP who specialises in women’s health and menopause, previously told woman&home. You can work out your personal recommendation using menopause specialist Dr Mary Claire Haver’s perimenopause protein calculator.
Dr Sims says many women are “afraid of abundance” when it comes to eating, but emphasises that “without abundance we can’t lose fat”. “Let’s change the focus on not what we want to lose, but what we want to gain. We want to gain bone, we want to gain muscle. We want to fuel for that, so then the body fat comes off,” she tells Loretta.
Dr Sims says the best way for us to gain this muscle and bone growth is through strength training. “We need to focus on heavy lifting,” she explains in another video on her Instagram account. “The caveat here is that most perimenopausal women haven’t had a long history in strength training, and it’s a learned skill.” She says consistency is key, and starting off small, even just focusing on movement without weights, before you start adding some load. “But the goal is to get into heavy resistance training, where we have low reps with a heavy weight,” she says.
Dr Sims says it’s “absolutely safe” for women to lift heavy during perimenopause and menopause – and it’s something we should all be doing. She is keen to emphasise that it’s never too late to start, and that “what matters is your form and your function”.
If you’re new to lifting weights, try a simple dumbbell workout at home and work your way up from there. If you have the means, consult a personal trainer for guidance on developing a workout plan.
Sleep is another lifestyle aspect that Dr Sims says says may affect how you lose weight. She says poor sleep “creates metabolic disturbance and dysfunction and increases fat gain”. Improving our sleep quality can lead to body composition improvements in as little as two to three weeks. High levels of cortisol, caused by poor sleep and ongoing stress, also makes fat loss harder as our bodies hold onto energy rather than using it.
Some key ways to improve sleep include going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, limiting blue light exposure at bedtime, and cutting down on your alcohol and caffeine intake.
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