Monday, November 29, 2010

The End of the Year Fitness Resolution

End of the year resolution? Don't you mean New year's resolution?

Well actually,no.

Now that we have officially ended Thanksgiving (Both in the United States and in Canada) people tend to start swinging into the holiday season pretty quickly. Well maybe for the gentlemen out there they wait till December 24th! But generally speaking most people start to prepare for the holiday season mid to late December.

So what do most people do for the holiday season? Are there more responsibilities and stress at the Holidays? Are you having more parties then usual?? Yes! (Especially those work parties, where you get to see your Boss looped, which makes it so much more fun!)

Seriously thou, the point of all of this is that usually there is so much more stress and responsibilities during the holiday season that we end up NOT WORKING OUT ANYMORE! Which is not the right thing to do.

Going to the gym actually relieves stress and helps boost your immune system! So really now is not the time to kick the workouts to the curb.

What you must do is have a "End of the Year Fitness Resolution" You must resolve that you will stick to your current workout strategy no matter what!

This way you will have ample energy to get all the shopping and baking done and still have enough energy to go to a few holiday socials :)

Working out also decreases stress, which there is plenty of during the holiday season which as you are well aware of.

So this year really plan to stick with a workout program through the holiday season!

The best time to workout during the holiday season? In the morning as soon as you get up! This way you will rev up your bodies metabolic rate, and kick start the day by having an amazing workout!

We hope you begin a "Year End Fitness Resolution" this year!

Stay Healthy!

Trevor
Founder
The Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Get yourself into PEAK STATE!

Good day everyone!

Today I want to share with you some insights on staying motivated in and outside of the gym. How you can instantly keep yourself on track and in the right state of mind so that you can achieve all your fitness goals!

This blog is not about goal setting, or writing what you want to accomplish down on paper. What I want to talk about is your actual mind-body connection and how you can change your physiology instantly so that you can become super focused and stay on track!

Many people have a tough time sticking to a workout routine. They either do not get the results they are after, or find going to the gym a chore. There are lots of other rationalizations or justifications that people will use, and they usually are centered around the concept of time. i.e - do not have enough time to exercise.

This can all be overcome by actually changing our physiology (The way we function)
Changing our physiology is really fairly simple, but demands a good amount of concentration. When applied correctly we can get ourselves to do ANYTHING! Especially working out!

First close your eyes! I want you to go back and remember a time when you were doing something you loved to do. It could be anything: visiting a friend, going for a walk with the dog, going for a hike, or maybe it was going for coffee.

I want you to try to remember what it felt like to do this certain task. Try to remember the feelings that are associated with the task. Did you feel copious amounts of pleasure? What were the things that you were doing an saying to yourself that made it so easy to complete?

As you are thinking back do you feel your state change? Do you feel your physiology change?? If you really enjoyed the task that you are thinking about then I hypothosis that your physiology is changing!

You are getting yourself into "Peak State"

Peak state simply refers to changing your bodies physiology to a very high level.

In order to follow through on your fitness goals, you must get your mind and body into peak states. You must feel pleasure when going to the gym, not pain, and you must be able to do this on a continuous basis.

First you must have do and say things that actually get you into a peak state.

For myself its music. Once I have my earphones in my head, I am lost in my own little world. There have been many times in the gym when I just start dancing and moving with the music in my head. Of course to the curious observer this seems very absurd, however I am getting myself into peak state.

Another thing that gets me into peak state is a quick 2-3 minutes of visualizations. I train every morning at 5:30 am. My routine is always the same. Get up, change into my clothes, Drink Green tea, have a protein shake, then sit for 2-3 minutes with my eyes closed and actually visualize myself getting stronger, climbing stairs faster, having more speed and more agility in the gym, losing the body fat and feeling fantastic. Two to three minutes is enough to get me pumped and ready to fly out the door.

This process is very powerful! As the saying goes, where the mind goes the body will follow.

One last suggestion is to find something that works for YOU! You may need to experiment and find out what really excited you and makes you want to work out. Maybe its a picture of your kids and the the thought of you not being here because you didn't take care of yourself will push you to the gym. Or maybe you need to do something physical like jump up and down and scream, I am lean mean fat burning machine! As silly as you may look...it works! It absolutely works!

If your an avid person who is working out, why don't you share some of your tips and ideas on how to get into a peak state for working out, so others can benefit from your experience! Leave your comments below! Thanks!

Till next time!!

Trevor Folgering
Founder
The Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Three Months From The 2011 Regina Stair Climb For Shelter

Well this event is just over three months away and I hope that you have started training for it even if its on the stepper at the gym. You really do not need to do any stair climbing for this event but it would help.

For information regarding training for a stair race WITHOUT climbing stairs, check out out other blog entries.

For those of you who want to start training for this event on actual stairs we have a stair climbing meet up group that meets every Sunday night at 5:00 and Wednesday night at 5:30. The cost is really inexpensive; a yearly membership to the Canada StairClimbing Association. The cost is only 45.00. If you do not want to purchase a membership it is 20.00 a climb with a minimum of a five climb sign up.

To purchase a membership please go here

To register for the 2011 Regina Stair Climb For Shelter go here

The Race promises to be an exciting event, filled with entertainment for audience members viewing the race and great prizes for participants climbing the stairs.

For further information regarding the race and all the details please visit our events page

Please also follow us on facebook and hit the LIKE buttons as well :)

Here are our facebook pages:

The 2011 Regina Stair Climb For Shelter Community

And:

The Canada StairClimbing Association

Please support this wonderful Charity that helps fight for women who are in abusive relationships. Come down on March 13th 2011 and climb some stairs for an amazing charity!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us

Trevor@stairclimbcanada.com

or by Phone

1-877-51-CLIMB

Hope to see you soon!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Canada's Food Guide, Fresh or Fowl????

Canada's Food Guide teaches us to eat healthy! Or does it?? There has been a lot of debate about The Canada's Food Guide over the past decade, and rightly so. In this blog I will discuss and explain why Canada's Food Guide may not be the best option for you in order to get your body to a healthy state!

(Dieticians, please accept my apologies what you will read I KNOW you will not agree with it.)

Reading the Food Rainbow, What does it all Mean?

Yes that colorful rainbow! How wonderful! Here is what the Canada's Food Guide tells us:

Depending on your age and gender you should be eating 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables, 3-8 servings of Grain products, 2-4 servings of milk and Alternatives and 1-3 servings of Meat and Alternatives.

Ok in my opinion and in a lot of other health professionals opinions this is really backwards thinking in nutrition.

First the positive:

Vegetables are first on the list! Yes, vegetables are important! They are choked full of vitamins/minerals and are of low calorie composition. However in my opinion that is not the number of food choice on the list.

Meats and Alternatives should be on the top of the list. WHY? Fist and foremost Protein in meats and alternatives are extremely complex for the body to break down speeding up the metabolic processes of the body. It takes 9 calories to break down 1 gram of protein and 4 calories to break down a carbohydrate. So gram for gram protein in its leanest form is what you need to be focusing on.

In addition protein is the building blocks for all active tissue in the body. The more active tissue you have (muscle) the better your body performs and the higher your metabolic rate goes (Metabolism = all chemical reactions in the body)

I would put Meat and alt as 6-8 servings per day!

Next: Fruits and Vegetables. Great! Eat as many vegetables as you want. Do you know that 16 cups of lettuce is equal to 1 cup of Pasta in terms of calories! You can never go wrong with combining a salad and a chicken breast together, along with Feta cheese, and some olives you have the perfect meal!!

Grain Products: Do you realize that we have been told stay away from fat! Fat is bad and will make you fat! Well we did that and our society got even FATTER!! Answer to this is that in lowering our consumption of fats we increased our consumption of grains! Grains, breads and cereals etc should be limited in the diet. Your body has a overabundance of stored carbohydrates in the muscle and liver. Your body can run very well if you limit your carbohydrate intake and increase your healthy fat intake and protein intake! As a society we EAT TOO MANY CARBOHYDRATES!!!

Milk and Alternatives: Get rid of this category PLEASE!!! Do you realize that we are the only mammal to drink other mammals milk???? Milk is NOT good for the body no matter in what form. First many people are lactose intolerant, they lack the correct enzyme to break down milk, which should give you the first clue that milk is no good. Second milk is pure SUGAR, and very little protein. SUGAR makes us fat. hmmmm are you seeing the connection?? In addition they have SOY listed on the food guide!! SOY actually increases estrogen levels in both men and women! Increasing estrogen levels leads to CANCER!!! In my opinion we have been bombarded by advertising that milk "does a body good" when in fact it has been making us overweight, sluggish, fat and in some cases sick. Stop drinking MILK!!!!

Fats - Its unfortunate that they do not have an official category for Fats. Fats in the right form actually help the body shed weight, lower bad cholestrol levels increase good cholestrol levels and also can help you become mentally sharper and have more focus in the day!! The key is to actually eat the right fats and decrease the fats that the body does not need. Here is some news to, your body NEEDS saturated fats, but in small amounts! You can have whole eggs! I have 6 whole eggs a day and my cholestrol is excellent! I have eaten bags of cashews and nuts at a time and have NEVER gained an ounce of fat.

There are food that heal and foods that kill! I hope I have outlined why it is important not to stick with the Canada's Food Guide and how you can better make choices that will serve your health instead of destroying it.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Yesterday I showed you a video of what exactly it means to have a weak core! Remember the jello cube which represented a weak core???

Well become a member now and see a dynamite exercise that will help improve your core strength and your upper body strength all in one simple move!! (Ok its not THAT simple!)

Become a member NOW!

Trevor Folgering
Founder
The Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB
www.stairclimbcanada.com

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Regina Stair Climb Race Logistics Explained HERE!

So for all of our participants and athletes that are In Tier 2,3 and 4 I would like to quickly give you a visual description of how the race will be run and how you will enter and exit the stairwells.

I will be uploading a blueprint of the Delta Hotel's blueprint of the second floor and convention area so all of you have a clear idea of what to do on race day!

So the race will begin just beyond the elevators on the second floor. You will see the stairwell doors just beyond this point. All athletes will be lined up just outside the stairwell doors.

You willl see the chip timer station at the doorway and this is where your actual chip timer will go off, as you enter the stair well.

When you enter the stairwell, you will go down a short flight of stairs. (approx 6 steps)

Turn left and proceed up to the third floor, continue climbing until you get to the 25th floor!

When you get to the 25th floor, proceed through the door, your chip timer will automatically stop timing at this point, TURN LEFT!!! Turning right will automatically disqualify you from the race

You will pass pop machines on your left as well as the elevator, as you pass the elevator the stairwell entrance to go back down to the start is on your left.

Proceed through this door and go back down to the second floor. (This stairwell numbering is colored in YELLOW!

When you get to the second floor level, proceed straight and then you will climb a short set of stairs. (approx 6 steps) You will then see a door straight ahead of you! Proceed through this door and turn right!

The entrance to the RED stairwell is straight ahead of you!

Once you enter into the RED stairwell your chip timer will start up again!

Complete the designated number of rounds for your Tier!

Once you have finished your rounds and you make it back to the 25th floor for the last time, instead of turning left, turn RIGHT!!!

You will see the FINISH LINE right in front of you, proceed through the finsih line and your chip timer will stop and record your final time!

Just to let you know that I completed this twice. I did a dry-run to see how long it would take me. Here are my times:

Lap 1 - 2:36
Lap 2 - 2:22
Lap 3 - 2:31
Lap 4 - 2:57

Four rounds without lap times. Total time of 19 minutes and 11 seconds. Thats 4 times up and 4 times down.

Sign up for our March 13th 2011 event here!!!!!

http://www.eventsonline.ca/events/delta_hotel_runup/

Till next time!

Trevor Folgering
Founder
The Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB
www.stairclimbcanada.com

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Run Your Own Stair Climb Race In Your City!

Are you a fit, business minded Individual? Do you want to help individuals meet their fitness and health goals? Do you want to help thousands of women through the charity THE SHELTER FOUNDATION?

If you answered YES to all of these questions then you may be a perfect fit to run your very own stair climb event in your city!!!

Stair Climbing or Stair Racing is fast becoming the way to become fit and healthy. Not only is this a safe and effective way to get healthy and slice through body fat but it is FREE to do and is safe for the environment!

THE CANADA STAIRCLIMBING ASSOCIATION is seeking Licensing partners in your area to hold and run their very own stairclimbing event!

Our ASSOCIATION will stand by you 100 percent and make sure your event is successful!

All the tools will be provided to you to make sure you will be successful!

You will receive the following from our ASSOCIATION:

-A six month stair race "blueprint" showing you step by step what to do to set up your stair climb event, right up till the day of the event!

-A 20 page marketing power package to help you reach your desired participant!

- A Sponsorship Package, included in this is a sponsorship letter, Sponsorship opportunity package and Sponsorship Price Point Presentation.

- Our Diamond Sponsor "Royal Lepage Realty" who will provide marketing materials for the event as well as provide volunteers for the event and be THE place to pick up the official race kits!

- THE CANADA STAIRCLIMBING ASSOCIATION will also provide live support by 2 staff to run first stair climb race in each city launched.

-Emcee will be provided by THE CANADA STAIR CLIMBING ASSOCIATION for first stair climb event!

If this business opportunity seems like a great fit for you, please contact one of the following individuals:

Executive Licensing Director - Jacqueline Curl - Jaxy_c@hotmail.com

OR

Founder/President - Trevor Folgering - Trevor@stairclimbcanada.com
Website:
http://www.stairclimbcanada.com
1-877-51-CLIMB

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Canada Stair Climbing Association

Get Fit Fast With Our Fitness Tips of The Month
Tip of the Month for November 2010
Training

Training should be viewed not just about the physical workload placed on the body, but the mental limits set on the mind. Many people do not realize how much the mind plays into becoming fit and healthy. The mind plays an important role in the strength of your body. For best results add in visualization work at the end of each workout session. Lie with your feet up against a wall, close your eyes and imagine what your body is going to look like. Train your mind to believe you already have the body and health of your dreams. What the mind believes the body will achieve!

Nutrition

Nutrition is the critical component that links your work and the results you get. Really its the missing link behind the physical workouts. You can have all the amazing workouts in the world, but if your missing link is nutrition then you will not get the results you are after! Make sure to think of your body as a high performance car. You do not put in diesel fuel into a high performance car, nor would you put in processed sugary junk into your body. Make sure to eat clean burning carbohydrates, ample amounts of proteins and healthy polyunsaturated fats and drink plenty of water!

StairClimbing

Climbing multiple sets of stairs is a great activity that burns more calories then running, lifting weights or any other type of cardiovascular activity. WHY? Because you are moving your center of gravity vertically, creating great demands on the muscular system and cardiovascular package. No other type of sport (aside from running up mountains) creates the need for vasts amounts of oxygen and ample amounts of explosive activity from the lower body. For best results start slow and increase the amount of stairs climbed during each session!
For more information and specific exercises designed for stair climbers become a member!

Visit our website www.stairclimbcanada.com for more info!!

Trevor Folgering
Founder
1-877-51-CLIMB

Friday, November 5, 2010

Explosive Bounds with resistance tubing.

Check out this amazing exercise to help your explosiveness in stair climbing!!!!!


The Key to Top Fitness and Health Performance

What is the true definition of fitness?? Is it how much weight you can push, how flexible you are, or how long you can stay in the gym for??

Well no, the true definition of fitness is as follows:

Being able to do more work in less time!

Thats it! Really in a nut shell if I have person A training for an hour and Person B trains for an hour, but person A does 12 exercises and Person B does 5, then Person A is more fit then Person B!

Pretty simple isnt it?

But the fun really begins when you start increasing your own fitness levels to higher and higher levels, testing how much your body can really handle in a given amount of time.

What really is fascinating to me is how fast the body can adapt to this type of training.

Next time you want to see how fit you are see how many exercises you can do in an hour.
Try supersetting, tri-setting or even running through circuits. Any of these are acceptable forms of pushing the body to new heights.

You will be surprised from week to week how quickly your body will transform and get fitter. It doesnt take long especially if you are on top of your nutrition.

Goal for you: Increase your fitness level by adding two exercises every week, and next time you see that big burly bodybuilding pushing heavy weights, youll know that you will be more fit them he is!

Good luck and Have fun!

Trevor Folgering
Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Individual Climb for Regina Stair Race Explained

Hey everyone!

I have been getting a lot of people asking me which Tier they should race in for our race on March 13th 2011.

I will go over our Tier system and how you decide which Tier to go into.

Tier 1 - Beginner stair climber. This is for novices only. Someone who has never experienced or completed a stair climb race before. He or she may have been training for 3 months, 6 months or even a year, but has never really completed a stair race and is not sure what to expect.

In the event the Tier one athletes complete 25 stories or one time up the Delta Hotel stair well.

Tier 2 - Intermediate Stair Climbers - Someone that has completed ANY kind of endurance race, whether that is finishing a 5km race, or a stair race with us, or any other stair race around the world. You must have finished some type of endurance race or have been training for minimum of six months in order to get into this Tier. You can also enter into Tier 2 by finishing in the TOP 3 in Tier 1.

Tier 2 races 50 stories or twice up the Delta Hotel stair well.

Tier 3 - Advanced Stair Climbers - Any athlete that has completed any stair race in the world and has finished top 10 in their respective age category. Or anyone from Tier 2 that finishes TOP 3.

Tier 3 athletes race up 75 stories or three times up the Delta Hotel Stair well.TOP THREE IN THIS CATEGORY WILL FORM PART OF TEAM CANADA AND BE ABLE TO RACE INTERNATIONALLY, GET SPONSORSHIPS, DISCOUNTS ON RACES AND CASH PRIZES! TOP THREE WILL ALSO ADVANCE TO TIER 4 - OUR ELITE ATHLETES!!!!

Tier 4 - The Elite Athletes - Our Pros! The best of the best race at this level. Come out and see some amazing stair climbers push their bodies to the limits and burn some rubber on the stairs! - To qualify to enter the Elite category you must finish TOP THREE in the advanced category.

Tier 4 races 100 stories up or four times up the Delta Inn Stairwell!

TOP THREE IN THIS CATEGORY QUALIFY TO BE PART OF TEAM CANADA AND WILL BE ABLE TO RACE INTERNATIONALLY IN 2011. FIRST INTERNATIONAL RACE IS HUSTLE UP THE HANCOCK IN CHICAGO, FOLLOWED BY EMPIRE STATE BUILDING RUN-UP IN FEBRUARY AND TAIPEI 101 IN THAILAND!!! SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE AT THIS LEVEL!

Do you have more questions about our Tier system?? Visit our website at www.stairclimbcanada.com

or send us an email at trevor@stairclimbcanada.com

Trevor Folgering
Founder
The Canada StairClimbing Association
1-877-51-CLIMB