Wednesday 31 October 2012

"Tight on Time" Lower Body Kettlebell Workout

Hey everyone,

Are you looking for a quick workout that can be modified depending on how much time you have to exercise that day?  Check out our new lower body kettlebell workout...


Sunday 28 October 2012

"Like" CoupleFit on Facebook!

Hey everyone,

Check out our new facebook page (link on the left-hand side of our blog)! 


With this new page, we hope to bring you updates when we post, as well as links to articles and recipes that we think are interesting and helpful.  Feel free to share our information with your friends, family and co-workers to help inspire and motivate them to get healthy. Let us know if you are enjoying our content by "liking" us!


-Tannys & Alex

Friday 26 October 2012

Are you getting the most out of your workout?

Hey everyone,

Here is another recent question by one of our readers:
Can you tell me if there's any truth to the following two beliefs regarding working out:
1. You have to change your strength training workout regularly or your muscles become 'lazy' and used to the workout.

2. A steady cardio workout (i.e. 30 minutes steady jogging on the treadmill) isn't effective. In order to be effective you need to do high intensity interval training.
These are terrific questions and are commonly discussed in the fitness community...

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Celebrating one year of CoupleFit + the 2012 GCWCC 5km run!

Hey everyone,

We started this blog one year ago, following the 2011 GCWCC 5km run, which Alex participated in with his colleagues at work.  It's for a good cause - raising money for the Government of Canada's United Way charity campaign.

On October 11th, Alex participated in the 2012 GCWCC 5km run (also known as the GCWCC Wellness Challenge).  It was a colder day this year, but the sun was shining as the runners moved along the Ottawa river parkway.  Alex ran with Tyler (a veteran from last year's run) and Kelly.  The team managed a respectable time of 28 minutes - and had a good time throughout the run.

 
Not only was the run a great chance to get active for a good cause, but it allowed us to reflect on the last year and what we've accomplished in our fitness.  We've had hundreds of workouts, overcome injuries, set new personal records, and taken up new fitness activities (e.g. swimming).
 
Our next fitness goal is preparing for the HKC kettlebell certification, which we have signed up to do in Toronto in early December.  This is another milestone on our path of fitness and healthy lifestyle and will help us improve our kettlebell knowledge, form and give us the tools and techniques to officially train others.  We are really excited about this course and are looking forward to all of the fitness challenges and endeavours in the upcoming year!
 
- Tannys & Alex


Monday 22 October 2012

Alcohol in Pregnancy?

Hey everyone,

Last week, we received a great pre-pregnancy question by one of our readers:
"What about alcohol? Is a glass of red wine with dinner okay, or should one who is trying to conceive and having difficulty omit it all together?"
This is a common question for both women trying to conceive and expectant mothers... 


Saturday 13 October 2012

Fitness Challenge: "Beep Test" Workout

Hey everyone,

Remember back in high school gym class when you participated in a fitness assessment once or twice a year? You had to complete tasks such as push-ups and sit-ups - and the dreaded "beep" test...

For this test, everyone started off by lining up on one side of the gymnasium. Then you ran from one end to the other, timed by "beeps" that sounded closer and closer together (i.e. diminshing periods of time).  Rest periods became shorter as the "beeps" came faster, until it was no longer possible to run the length of the gym before the next "beep" sounded. This post's fitness challenge is inspired by our memories of those beep tests!


Wednesday 10 October 2012

Water Workout

Hey everyone,

It's always difficult to keep up your exercise regime when travelling. However, if you are creative, you can always find something to do!  If the weather is nice, take a walk outside and check out your destination.  Or, if you have the time, many cities have bicycles for rent.  Another great option is swimming.  Plan to stay at a hotel with a gym and/or swimming pool if possible.  No excuses!

Monday 8 October 2012

Thanksgiving: Fitness + Feast

Hey everyone,

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday (and a great chance to reflect on what we're thankful for in our lives, such as good health and family).  It's also a time of big meals - delicious things like turkey, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc.  To maintain our health and fitness through this holiday, we put together a fun density kettlebell workout.  This fast-paced workout will rev up your metabolism, which will at least partially offset a larger holiday meal!

Monday 1 October 2012

Run for the Cure!

Hey everyone,

On Sunday, we participated in the Run for the Cure with Alex's mom (Kathy).  We signed up for the 5km run and raised money in honour of Lynne Small, a close friend of Kathy's.  It had been a while since we had gone for a run (as we have been swimming a lot lately for our cardio), so it was exciting to get outside and be a part of this event.

Tannys, Alex and Kathy before the run