Pilates Reformers

At first glance, the Pilates Reformer might not look like a welcoming piece of exercise equipment – a throw back from much earlier times.  A closer examination reveals that the Pilates Reformer is actually quite an elegant machine and something that has been well made for what it is designed to do. So what does the Pilates Reformer do exactly? Perhaps the best thing to do is to explain some of the principals behind Pilates, so that you will better understand what the Reformer is trying to achieve. The definition of Pilates is the balanced development of the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body, especially the abdominals and muscles of the back, which many fitness teachers might also refer to as core strength. Core strength looks beyond...

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Miraculous Milos!

A year ago Canadians from coast to coast were celebrating 14 Gold Medals from their Canadian heroes, the greatest achievement in Winter Olympic history.  Today, Canadians are celebrating a future Canadian tennis superstar who shocked the tennis world with an improbable victory in San Jose on Valentine’s eve. Milos Raonic has emphatically made a statement to the members of the ATP World Tour with a straight sets win (7-6, 7-6) over Spanish lefty and world #9 Fernando Verdasco in the final at the SAP Open in Northern California. In the post match trophy presentation Verdasco was asked what the difference in the match was and he said only one word – “SERVE”!!! Such a quick answer but he couldn’t have been more to the point. Without question,  Raonic has the best serve in the...

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Interval Training to Improve Performance and Body Composition

This amazing workout called Interval Training is a training method which alternates high intensity efforts with low intensity efforts.  Adding just a couple sessions of interval training to your workouts each week is a sure way to boost your fitness level, accelerate fat loss and help you beat boredom. Here are 5 good reasons to get Interval Training into your workout routine. 1. Interval Training burns more calories. Most of us exercise at a continuous intensity during our cardio workouts. This is called "continuous training." While continuous training is the most common way to exercise and still offers ample benefits, such as burning calories, "Interval training burns calories quicker. If you’re doing interval training for 20 minutes you can burn as many calories as you would in...

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