Fitness

Fitness and Fun in the Sun – Summer activities to keep you fit!

Summer is near and it’s time to get outside and get moving. Since I love spending time outdoors I thought I would write a blog on the different ways you can stay fit and have fun this summer.

Enjoy!

1. Go for a nature walk or hike!
Bring the kids, pack a picnic, and explore the great outdoors! One of the reasons I love living in Ottawa is because all of the great hiking and walking trails. Plan your hike ahead of time by researching the trail online. Most public trails have information concerning the degree of difficulty, length of trail, and additional activities offered. If you live in the East End of Ottawa I strongly suggest visiting Mer Bleue’s Bog boardwalk. Learn about Canada’s wetlands as you walk the 1.2km interpretative trail. Want to burn more calories? Extend your stay and walk the 6km trail through surrounding forest.

2. Take a walking tour of the city!
Though travel may not be in your cards this summer, who says you can’t be a tourist in your own city? Most big cities have walking tours that you can join for a relatively decent price (many offering discounts to families). See the sites that your city is famous for and learn the stories behind them, all the while burning calories! Most walking tours last anywhere from 1-2 hours and run throughout the day during the summer. They are a great way to get to know your city, as well as get some fresh air.
And for those of you who like to be spooked check to see if your city offers a Haunted Walk tour. Get exercise while following your tour guide through the dimly lit streets and stop to hear scary ghost stories along the way. Booooo!

3. Go to the beach!
For those of us living in Ottawa, going to the beach isn’t something we do often. But why not pack a picnic, some towels, and volleyball and head to the water. Swimming might not be an option, but burn calories by walking along the shoreline, or playing a pickup game of volleyball. Just because we don’t live in California doesn’t mean we can’t act like it!

4. Join a summer sport’s league!
Joining a sport’s league is a great way to meet new people and get fit! Go online and search for adult recreational sports teams in your area. In the summer months there are a variety of outdoor sports you can join. Volleyball, flag football, golf, kickball, soccer, softball, and ultimate Frisbee are just some of them offered in the Ottawa area.

5. Row, row, row your boat (gently down the cannel)!
In the warmer months consider joining a rowing club to get fit and be social. Do it recreationally or competitively, but prepared for team work! Ottawa is a prime place to join a rowing club, the Rideau cannel runs through the city’s core making it accessible to people coming from both the east and west end of Ottawa.

6. Go Bicycling!
Most cities have rentable bikes located throughout the city. Grab a bike and ride off into the sunset.

7. Find your zen!
Find a yoga centre that holds classes outside. We all know how beneficial yoga can be, breathing in some fresh air while doing it is even better.

8. Go to a water park!
Your kids will love you for it, and there are two great water parks in the Ottawa area.  Where does keeping fit come into play? Walking from the parking lot to the park’s entrance is exercise enough (haha), not to mention all of the swimming and stair climbing you will be doing.

9. Try something you’ve never tried before!
Be adventurous go rock-climbing, zip lining, whitewater rafting, or paintballing. These types of activities get your body moving in a non-conventional way. Be safe though! Go online and find out where you can safely experience your wild side.

10. Put your walking shoes on!
It’s nice out. Get out and get moving. Walk around your neighborhood or go downtown for a stroll around the city. And when walking isn’t enough jog around your block to your favorite playlist. Summer is only here for so long. Enjoy it!

Note: For those of you who live outside of Ottawa there are plenty of outdoor activity resources available online. Play tourist and visit sites like tripadvisor.com. Sites like this list a variety of activities available in your area.

Do you have any other ideas you can add to the list? Let me know below!

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Video gaming your way to fitness

Sometimes it can be hard to get out of the house to go to the gym or for a run, especially in the winter. But even if you’d rather hang out in front of the TV,  here are still some fun options for you to stay fit, especially with the new motion-sensing video game consoles available on the market. If you want to get your kids more active, this might be the way…if  they can’t get away from their video games, they might as well make the best use of them to get and stay active!

Try adding these popular games to your workout routine:

Image from IGN.com

Image from IGN.com

Dance Dance Revolution: This high-energy dancing game will literally have you stepping to the beat! Players step and jump on a dance pad connected to the game console, in time with the beat of the music and the arrows on the screen. Much harder than it looks, it’s a bit like a step/aerobics class mixed with a night out at the club, and the different difficulties will ensure you get a good sweat on.

Image from IGN.com

Image from IGN.com

EA Sports Active: If you’re looking for a intense, challenging workout that combines cardio and strength training, try EA Sports Active, which includes activities like kickboxing, ab exercises and running and multi-week training programs to help you track your progress and set goals. The game even comes with accessories such as heart rate monitors, leg straps and resistance bands to make your workout more authentic, plus an online community where you can share your success stories.

 


Wii Fit Plus: No blog post about fitness video games would be complete without the one that started it all – Wii Fit. The game is great for beginners, with lots of fun mini games and virtual classes for step and martial arts, as well as yoga and strength exercises. This newest edition includes lots of new features, including a calorie-burn counter and even a cute option to keep fit with your pet! While it’s not the most strenuous of workouts, it’s a really fun way to get started, and the strength and yoga exercises are quite challenging and the perfect way to strengthen your core and balance.

 

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved: If you want to be able to customize your workout according to your goals, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will allow you to choose from a very wide variety of activities and regimens, from dance routines to Boot Camp classes to yoga to floor exercises, and even hula-hooping. This Kinect-exclusive game also enables you to analyze your form and compare your movements to your virtual trainer. (Just be careful not to wear clothing that’s too loose as reviews indicate the game may get confused.)

 

What are your favourite fitness video games? Have you had success in using a game in your workouts? Let us know in the comments below!

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Maximize Your Cardio Exercise in 12 minutes – Dr. Nathalie Beauchamp

Video:


Maximize Your Cardio Exercise in 12 minutes

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A “fat” tax… Really?

A new bill has passed in Hungary in recent weeks known as the ‘hamburger tax’ passed on July 12th 2011 creating the world’s first “fat tax”. The bill will raise the price of fatty foods that are deemed as unhealthy or junk. Proceeds from the new law will be used to cover the rising costs of state-funded health care. The items will go up in price by 3.7 eurocents or roughly 5¢. “Salt, sugar and fats would involve higher tax.” says Gabor Csiba, the author of the bill who is president of the Strategic Alliance for Hungarian Hospitals. There will also be a 10% increase in the price of liquor and soft drinks. It is estimated that the law could generate as much as 111 million Euros or approximately $157.6 million.

These funds are sorely needed to help keep Hungary’s cash-strapped health care system afloat, one of Europe’s most indebted countries. Talk about an original initiative! Would North American go for that?  It might be a small step toward solving the National deficit. Just kidding…I think there are 2 prongs to this topic: First the responsibility of the people to take care of their own health and well-being and secondly the responsibility of the “junk food industry”.

I think we can point fingers and blame everyone and anyone but ultimately it is us who choose to put unhealthy or healthy food in our mouths! We have to start taking responsibility for our own actions and stop putting our head in the sand.  The rate of obesity is close to 26% and the rate of overweight people is close to 50% in North America. So what will it take for the population to engage in a healthier lifestyle?  Don’t you think that if everyone were eating nutritious wholesome food the statistics would not be so high?  Do you think that the cost of health care would diminish? You bet it would – most of the current chronic illnesses in our society are currently lifestyle disease! There is a lot that can be done when we know that 25% of what happens to us is genetic and 75% is lifestyle related.  How you take care of yourself and treat your body will affect your future and the generations that follow. It starts with the right example. Poor eating habits will pass on to the net generation and so will good eating habits.

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drnathalie@drnathaliebeauchamp.com

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