Thursday, September 25, 2025

Pickleball...Dragon Boat.... Are you getting it?

 I was speaking with my cousin Jason over the past weekend. He had placed second in a pickleball tournament in Calgary. He is also a personal trainer.  During our conversation he mentioned that  a lot of participants were out of shape and worse, there were two heart attacks. Every time that we meet our discussion always seems to come back to the same thing. Most people just don't get it. They don't look after their bodies and then try to do things outside their limits.

Years ago I was part of a dragon boat race team at work. This was for a huge dragon boat race here in Winnipeg where hundreds of people participated to help raise funds for cancer. At the time, I was shocked at how many people in these boats were out of shape, you could see they never really did any form of exercise but were there for a good cause. With these races, you are paddling at 80- 100% of your maximum heart rate.  Halfway through one of the races, a person had a heart attack.  If you are not used to it, the end result could be fatal as was the case that day.


If you want to enjoy these activities, that's great. Participating and being with other people is a good thing. This is a great way to connect with others  and does wonders for reducing mental stress and well-being.  However, if you do not take care of your body - nutritionally and physically you are going to run into problems especially in later life as chronic symptoms creep into play.


That that is why it's important to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Exercise should be enjoyable and uplifting. If you haven't done exercise in a long time, you can start with walking, hiking, swimming, move your way up to biking and running to keep your heart and brain healthy.


Just as important is resistance training - one of my passions.  Resistance training reduces bone loss, maintains muscle, increases balance, and decreases the risk of falling.. People that have been taking my fitness classes come in all shapes and sizes. Some show up with  bad knees, sore back, shoulder injuries etc.  Of course I would modify exercises for them when needed.  The thing is that they make the point of coming. 


Exercise increases endorphins which significantly elevate mood. It's an amazing power that promotes overall health and wellness. The more you exercise, the better your body feels.

Exercise creates discipline. Any repeated behavior that requires initiative, implementing stamina and inhibition of laziness (which comes naturally to us), can help bring lasting good habits.


If you've been inactive for a while and are resigned to limitations of midlife life, you need to challenge those assumptions. Don't settle for outdated expectations of normal living. Don't blindly accept inactivity and decline. 


Need a little push?  Join my Dynabody Fitness Classes!





Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Fix Your Posture

 Many people who workout fail.  They try to get into “shape” by simply lifting weights with, or without, intention. Maybe they break a sweat and feel tired, and the next day they are sore and think, “Hey my muscles are sore, I must of done a great workout”  Well, the reality is, it’s usually not the case.  

To really build muscle and be strong, you must lift heavy, and yes, you will have sore muscles.  But the problem is that most people do exercises with incorrect form which creates the same soreness.  Before you can lift heavy you must have proper posture - doing an exercise incorrectly could have dire consequences.


For example, if you can’t do a proper squat, you are seriously putting yourself at risk of injury.  When doing a barbell squat, you need to lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground while keeping your feet flat on the floor.  The bar path should remain vertical over your midfoot throughout the movement. This ensures a full range of motion and maximizes muscle engagement.

Posture can only be corrected if you are aware of YOUR posture and what is “good” posture.

Proper form  (or lack of) is something that I always watch for in participants at my fitness classes.  To read up more on posture check out my blog;  Dynabody: Posture

To have good posture it is essential that your back, muscles and joints

be in tip-top shape.  Exercising regularly incorporating functional strength, core training and stretching is essential.  If you're not doing any type of rotation every day, you're not working your core muscles to their benefit, and your spine can be compromised.  And, if you are not breathing deeply during exercise you are not using your intercostal rib muscles efficiently,  which again affects the spine and your posture.


To fix your posture, improve your rotation, relieve stress and improve your back, muscles and joints, join me and the dynabods in the upcoming Tuesday and Thursday Fitness Classes which start October 2nd and 7th, 2025 at Strathmillan and Bannatyne Schools (6:15 pm) 


To Register, contact the St. James-Assiniboia School Division Continuing Education office

204-832-9637 or email: continuinged@sjasd.ca to register or email: dynabody@gmail.com for more information.