Valentines & Family Day: To All the Women with Love
Living Well...together, while apart
Can we say it here?: Women and Men are not the same.
As fitness experts, we openly acknowledge the specific differences between men and women’s physical bodies. Most women have wider hips relative to where their knees sit, creating a unique challenge in relation to ensuring our knees track safely when we run, dance, ski, lift… We are far more dominant in lower body strength when compared to our upper bodies. We possess a vital, beautiful difference in our body composition compared to men. These are all hard-wired biological differences. Embracing and understanding them ensures we can optimize our wonderful bodies. We are then able to move incredibly well – with intensity and integrity – and become stronger, more supple, agile, confident, vital, and happy.
Dearest reader, in these challenging times, we want that for each of you so much!
So, let’s also explore the potential mental and emotional differences between men and women when it comes to exercise.
Do you have a Fitness Valentine? Because if you don’t, it might be time to figure out how to get one.
Did you know that:
- Women are far more likely to be and remain physically active if they have family members who support their exercise habits. This can be as simple as a partner who ensures you are able to make your workout a priority to having a child, parent, or sister who exercises with you!
- Women who are part of a fitness group led by an instructor they trust and like are more likely to exercise on a regular basis, and report high levels of self-confidence and perceived movement competence. How great is that?! Check out our online classes!!! Live and recorded to facilitate your chaotic schedule!
- Social support from friends, coworkers, or family members is particularly powerful during the first 2-3 months when starting or restarting an exercise program. Connect with friends online for a workout or bundle up and head out for a long walk.
- Women who focus on feeling better, being stronger, having more energy, and feeling less stressed are far more likely to continue to exercise than those who predominantly or exclusively focus on weight or fat loss.
- Women who engage in sessions with a personal trainer – even just a few times a year – are far more likely to get results and stick with their exercise program over the long term. Incidentally they are also more likely to feel self-confident and focus on how their bodies feel and perform instead of how they look. If you haven’t yet, please connect with us to explore getting some individualized support. Whatever your goals, challenges, and budget – one of our trainers would love to be your Fitness Valentine!
Final thought: Who’s Fitness Valentine are YOU? What could be better than supporting those you love to be more active?! Whether inviting them to join you, facilitating free time so they can steal a sweat, or simply encouraging them to move. Such an easy, generous, and powerful gift.
Sources:
http://exercmed.org/journal/view.php?number=26
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10459889/
https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-revista-latinoamericana-psicologia-205-articulo-social-support-physical-exercise-life-S0120053417300262
Today’s Inspiration
"For I conclude that the enemy is not lipstick, but guilt itself; we deserve lipstick, if we want it, AND free speech; we deserve to be sexual AND serious—or whatever we please. We are entitled to wear cowboy boots to our own revolution.” - Naomi Wolf
Today’s Live Workouts
Happy Monday! Ready to get moving to start your week off right? We’ve got TWO classes on the schedule for today!
TOTAL BODY CONDITIONING WITH ROBERT S
Join Robert S today for a Total Body Conditioning workout! Challenge your cardio and strengthen your muscles from head to toe with this incredibly effective no-nonsense bodyweight training.
No equipment needed today.
Join Robert at 12:00pm (30 minutes) from your own living room.
Click here to join the workout.
Meeting ID: 864 5295 2847
Password: 991724
YOGA FUSION WITH ROBERT Y
Join Robert Y today for our new Yoga Fusion workout! A combination of hatha, ashtanga, and kudalini yoga techniques. This class will engage your muscles, open your joints, calm your mind, and lift your spirits. (All levels)
No equipment needed today.
Join Robert at 5:15pm (45 minutes) from your own living room.
Click here to join the workout.
Meeting ID: 899 4248 0739
Password: 624126
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Click here to view our weekly schedule.
If you have questions about our virtual live workouts, please reach out to Lauren.
Today’s Trainer Moves
Sometimes – ideally often! – we move just because it feels good. Join Meg for a 25 minute workout using some of her favourite mobility and stability moves.
For more information about today’s Trainer Moves, connect with Meg here.
Featured Event
Sweat Together Toronto, a Made to Sweat Co. event, is bringing together fitness experts from across the city for an incredible virtual event, in support of Stella’s Place and Urban Squash Toronto – two organizations that support youth education, activity, and mental wellness in Toronto.
For just $15/person, you can enjoy a 90 minute Total Body Workout that consists of 5 mini workouts:
- Athlete Activation with our very own Lauren N (20 minutes)
- Hot HIIT (20 minutes)
- Ass & Abs (20 minutes)
- Yoga (20 minutes)
- Recovery (10 minutes)
Come and join us and help support this incredible charitable event!
DATE: Saturday, February 20th
TIME: 9:30am EST
COST: $15/person
REGISTER: http://sweattogether.eventbrite.ca/
Today’s Bite
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
This creamy, delicious soup is filled with all of our favourite Tex-Mex ingredients. This easy tortilla soup recipe is perfect for any night of the week, and it’s so easy to save and reheat later!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapenos, diced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 can corn
- 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 tbsp crushed corn tortilla chips
- 3 chicken breasts or 3 cups cubed rotisserie chicken meat
- 2 limes; 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges, for serving
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Favourite shredded Mexican cheese, for serving
- Corn tortilla chips or strips, for serving
- Sour cream, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving
- Fresh avocado slices, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Jalapeno slices, for serving
Instructions:
- Crush enough tortilla chips to make 3 tablespoons and set aside.
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the vegetable oil.
- Add onions and cook 3 minutes or until softened and translucent.
- Add jalapenos and cook an additional 1 minute.
- Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth, tomatoes, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and crushed corn tortilla chips.
- If using chicken breasts, add them now and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken breasts and use two forks to shred. Transfer the shredded chicken back into the pot. (If using chopped rotisserie chicken, add it now.)
- Add lime juice and heavy cream. Stir well and season with salt & pepper. Cook until heated through.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with shredded cheese, corn tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Serve a wedge of lime and a few slices of avocado.
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Do you have a “Something of the Day” you’d like us to share?! Email Meg.
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