Author: alicia

Hey Guys!

I recently came across an awesome new product that is a kickstarted project. It was invented by a man named Eric and it is a massage track with balls. I think it's pretty cool and I could definitely use it for my clients and my athletes.

 www.massagetrack.com

Or

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ericjeffrey/massage-track-how-2-tennis-balls-can-change-your-l

What is it?

Massage Track offers patent pending tools for doing deep tissue massage, either guided by a therapist or for self-care after instruction. The Body Track and Neck Track are both designed to position massage balls bilaterally, for example targeting the paraspinals. The tools accommodate ordinary tennis balls, lacrosse balls or baseballs but can also be purchased with a specially designed massage ball set of varying hardnesses.

How is it used?

The massage track tools are designed to function using gravity for comfort and power. The user rolls the tissue structure on top of the massage balls applying body weight, similar to the way you would use a foam roller. It’s very helpful to have a physical therapist guide the user initially to explain pressures, hold times and trigger point release.

What are the features?

Both the Body Track and Neck Track are soft polyurethane and pliable to avoid injury and designed to offer variable positioning. The Body Track has four tracks with two different spacings so that massage balls can be positioned very close to each other, a finger width apart or with one or two empty tracks in between them.

The variable spacing makes the body track especially useful for working the back, gluteus and hips, but can be used for much more. The Neck Track has close tracks on the top and a wider position on the bottom (to allow for targeting of the side of the neck or the jaw). The Neck Track’s height allows the user to comfortably release the suboccipital muscles but also can be used to target the psoas, gluteus and upper hamstring area.

What makes these tools unique?

• ability to customize the pressure easily by changing massage balls
• great versatility created by a variety of ball spacing options
• dual angles of pressure created by the track wall support
• great simplicity

Do you think that this is a product that you would use? Let me know in the comments below.

http://www.gofundme.com/ap6ta4

Coaching is my passion. I want all of my athletes and clients to be the best that they can be. We are raising funds for a piece of equipment that would help my athletes reach their goals. Please donate to give these athletes an opportunity to train with equipment that the pro's use. Click HERE to donate.

The secret to a flat stomach is to strengthen your core muscles. You have probably heard trainers or other health professionals in the gym talking about how having a “strong core” is important, but if you’re like most people, you may not know exactly what that means, why it’s important or how to strengthen it.

WHAT IS YOUR CORE?

Most health care professionals use the word “core” to describe the different muscles that are is located in the middle section of your body as a whole. Many people think that the core is just the abdominal muscles. Although they are part of what makes up your core it actually includes your diaphragm (lower chest), abdomen (belly), obliques (sides), mid-lower back, and lower pelvic muscles. Add all of these muscles up and you get a total of 25 different muscles that make up your core.

WHY YOUR CORE IS IMPORTANT

Your core is where your body’s strength and stability comes originates. It is part of  what is called a “kinetic chain” that allows the various parts of your body to function correctly. These muscles are critical for optimal athletic performance, daily activities (e.g., sitting, walking, running, reaching, bending, climbing stairs, to name a few). As our bodies age, it becomes increasingly important to do core strengthening exercises so that you can avoiding injuries and maintain an independent, healthy and active life.

STRENGTHENING YOUR CORE

To strengthen your core, it’s important to focus on keeping your belly button pulled in, a flat back and to remember not to hold your breath.

Try these exercises below For For endurance. Hold each one as long as you can. Repeat 2-3x.

Try these exercises below For For strength. Do each leg for 10-20 reps then switch. Repeat 2-3x.

Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer.

For more exercise tips follow Alicia Bell on Twitter.

Last friday I was asked by a representative to visit from Hard Candy Fitness (Madonna's  new Toronto gym) to attend a special media event. This event included an afternoon at Cabana Poolbar with a guest. This experience was to include a sailboat ride from Harbour Square to the Cabana Poolbar.

I could not find a guest so I went on my own. Upon arrival to Harbour Square I was greeted by some very friendly Cabana representatives all dressed in white that escorted me to the sailboat. A hopped on with a few other attendees . Although it was slightly overcast it was beautiful on the water and it was wonderful to see the beautiful city of Toronto from a much different angle than I am use to. The sailboat staff was friendly and kindly spoke of the services that they offer.

When we arrived at Cabana we hopped off on the dock and were escorted into the VIP area and told we could sit at any of the cabanas. There was a dj playing vegas style dance music and I very large screen tv playing World Cup soccer. I sat down next to some wonderful ladies and another trainer whom I have known for years (it's always nice to go to events and see familiar faces). Shortly after arrival we were presented  menu full of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The non-alcoholic beverages featured fresh pressed juice from a local company called ____. Food was served in abundance immediately from Oliver & Bonacini. There were sliders, fruits, shrimp, pizza, and even a cake of some sort. It was all very delicious.

There was also a performance from the dance team at Hard Candy Fitness. The two men and one woman dazzled the media attendees for a full dance routine. After the routine finished we went on a tour of the Cabana facility. Cabana has one of the best views of the Toronto waterfront. The tour was very thorough and complete with the newly renovated upstairs VIP area.

By this point the sun finally came out and we spent the rest of the afternoon snacking on the delicious food provided by Oliver & Bonacini and lounging by Cabana's warm salt water pool in the VIP area. The sail boat to take us back to Harbour Square left at 3:30pm promptly but Hard Candy made sure to give us a gift basket full of fitness goodies.

Thank you very much for the wonderful afternoon Hard Candy Fitness. For those of you interested or curious about the gym it is a stunning 42, 000 square foot club located in the heart of Toronto (382 Yonge St) and is the brands largest in North America and only club in Canada and the United States.

My Experience At A Toronto Nike NTC Class

I love Nike. I love the NTC app and I see on twitter and Instagram all these great events that they have. It seems as though most of the NTC events are in the states. America has tons of amazing trainers that are Nike NTC trainers or affiliates but here in Canada. I only know of one Nike Trainer. I have no idea how they selected her or why. I've inquired to every outlet or anyone involved in Nike that I can get in contact with on how to apply, how to audition or how to become an influencer in Canada but no one can give me an answer. Or I get short turned with they're figuring out how to identify influencers. I just want to be part of a community  of like minded trainers that genuinely care and do a good job at motivating people. I feel that having a Nike NTC trainer role is a great outlet to do just that. My passion is helping athletes and clients achieve goals and keeping them motivated.

So finally A few weeks ago I saw a post on Facebook about the Toronto Nike NTC classes. They posted a link showing you when the next classes were and gave a link to sign up. I sent a bunch of my clients e-mails and asked if they wanted to go. YAY Nike NTC events! A few of my clients were available and said yes. So we all registered. Leading up to the event I did not receive a reminder e-mail or any other sort of notification. Fine. Not a big deal since I put everything in my agenda.

Even though I was in an accident on May 29th I am limited to the things that I can do with both my hand and my knee. I am great at  knowing my limitations and being able to modify exercises so I decided I would still participate (this was my first time working out since the accident), so I decided to still go.

Upon arrival at the Academy of Lions (where the event was held) there were signs for Nike NTC. I walked into the store front area of the gym and no one greater me, told me to register or had me fill  out a waiver (which needs to be done or I could sue for injury and liability). I then noticed some girls coming in and signing in at the front desk. I signed in. No one spoke to me with any direction or information on where to wait. So I sat and observed. Then we saw a small sign on the entrance of the changing rooms that said Nike NTC register at front desk. A little late but there it was. About 10 minutes later the front desk guy from the gym comes up and asks myself and my client if we were new to the NTC class. We said yes and he said ok I will need to get you to sign a waiver. He left and came back to the group again with no waivers for us.

At this point the instructor came and said "ok guys lets run to the park like we always do." NO INTRODUCTION, NO QUESTIONS, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE WAS NEW, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE HAD ANY INJURIES, NOTHING! So we proceed to go to the park. Halfway through the warmup the instructor finally acknowledge that I had a knee injury and gave me one alternate to the exercise we were doing. OK THANKS! I proceeded to modify every other exercise given in the circuit training MYSELF. The workouts lasted approximately 35 minutes then a 10 minute stretch. Yes I worked up a sweat but it probably was because of the sun.

My experience with that particular NIKE NTC class at The Academy of Lions was sub par. The instructor was fit, but must be comfortable in her role. A simple welcome to NTC class would have been great and a bit of her background. A greeting at the club upon arrival would have been nice and a waiver presented to me would have been great. I wouldn't recommend this particular Saturday morning NTC class for very beginner exerciser. Very little exercise correction was offered, I don't think it was conducted safely and the instructors enthusiasm was less than stellar. Exercises were done on pavement (bad for joints, knees etc).

Overall I would rate the circuit style NTC bootcamp a 3/10. Now don't get me wrong. Im sure not all the classes are like this in Toronto or all the instructors are like this but I was very disappointed with my experience. Let me know if you have done a Nike NTC class and how your experience was in the comments below.

Hey Everyone!

The Raw Juice Guru of Toronto that you always see me posting about. I also did their three day blogger challenge a fee weeks back and absolutely loved it. Well they went above and beyond for me last week.

After hearing about my motorcycle accident (cab driver was at fault) they sent over a day of juices for me to help with my inflammation. It had been a few days since the accident when the juices arrived and I was bruised and my knee was quite swollen. After a lot of rest and cleansing my body with the day of juices I felt better. I am still not 100% and waiting to see a plastics doctor that specializes in the hand since the sutures didn't heal the wound properly.

I am so thankful for my friends and for The Raw Juice Guru going out of their way to help me out and deliver the fresh juices right to my door step. Guys this company goes above and beyond for their clients. If you are ever in the Toronto area please check them out! www.rawjuiceguru.com I promise you that you won't be disappointed. They have the very best customer service and the freshest raw, organic, cold pressed juices in Toronto.

I was selected by the Raw Juice Guru to do a blogger challenge. They chose 8 local bloggers to try the cleanse and blog about their experience and document it on social media as they do a Raw Organic Cold Pressed Juice Feasting Cleanse & Detox: GMO FREE | NO Preservatives | NON Pressurized juice cleanse.

I was pleased with their service right from the get go. In my very first email from the Guru team they explained how their cleanse works, what to expect, common symptoms, easy directions and a warm welcome.

"Welcome to all of you and thank you for participating in our first blogger juice feasting cleanse challenge.

Today is your pre cleanse day so remember to keep your eating as raw and as plant based as possible, no caffeine, no processed food, no diary and no meat. Enjoy lots of fruits And vegetables in their raw form. Why? This helps your body prepare itself and lessen some of the detox symptoms you might experience."

I had previously done a cleanse which I had disliked. This experience was a much more positive one. The good folks at Raw Juice Guru tailed my cleanse specific to me. This was completed by doing a survey before the cleanse began. They asked me many questions about my lifestyle and day to day activities. This determined the juices in my cleanse and which juice would be best in order as the day went on.

Each day I received an email regarding the status of my delivery and they made sure to get it to me each day before I left for clients. The email also included the juices that were included in that days package. The juices cam packaged in a cooler with ice packs which I left out each night to be replaced with new coolers, glass bottled juices and ice packs.

My 3 days of juice were:

Day 1

Juice 1
Romaine, spinach, parsley, apple, lemon cucumber

Day 2

Juice 1

Day 3

Did You See Train It Right in Impact Magazine's March/April Issue?

Alicia was asked to write an article about 5k and 10k training that included core speed.  Did you pick up a copy?

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Hey Guys!

Interested in bettering your nutrition, weight loss, muscle gain and/or helping others? You don't have to be a trainer to take this course. I guarantee you will better your health and enhance your weight loss journey through this course.

Precision Nutrition: The Nutrition that my programming is based on is having a certification pre-sale soon. It is an internationally recognized program.

To get on the list you can click here:

Precision Nutrition Certification Presale List