Spinach and Feta Chicken Burger

Serves 4 (1 burger per serving)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • ½ cup feta cheese

Preparation:

  1. Heat oil in a pan on medium high heat.
  2. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
  3. Once cool, combine with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  4. Preheat grill to high heat.
  5. Form the mixture into 4 patties.
  6. Place on grill, reduce heat to medium-high heat.
  7. Cook for 15 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.
  8. Serve with your favourite toppings and Enjoy!

 

Nutritional analysis per serving: 265 calories, 10 g fat, 27 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate (11 g available carbohydrate), 2 g fibre, 454 mg sodium

Created by Revive Wellness Inc.

Now try the ‘Move of the Month’ on their blog!

“I Will Start When…….”

Getting into a routine is arguably one of the hardest things to do as an adult. It never seems like the “right” time to start or to get back on track. Let’s be honest, it’s also freaking hard in the beginning. Understand that there is NO perfect time to start. Life will always be there, getting in the way of the ‘perfect window’. This window may exist here and there, but realistically, long term, it won’t always be there. So you have to just start, regardless of if life is messy at the moment. Whether you’re just getting back into fitness, the first few weeks back are rough. You’re tired, you’re sore, and it feels like it just won’t ever get better.

It’s easy to fall into feeling like fitness just isn’t something that is for you, or that the “fit” people on Instagram have some gene that you just weren’t gifted with. The truth is, it’s hard for everyone. No matter what level you’re at or were at, if you’ve fallen off the wagon and have decided to jump back on it, the tough reality is that it will be hard to comeback. The good news is, that this phase doesn’t last forever. Once the initial shock has worn off, you’ll settle into routine, and things won’t seem so impossible.

Following are a couple tips to getting into (or back into) a fitness routine.

(1) The first hurdle is talking yourself into just STARTING. It always seems like there is a better time coming up where it would be more ideal to start. Typically, we’re in a busy period, or things at work are exceptionally stressful or the weather isn’t just cooperating with your vibe. There are infinite reasons to start at some point in the future. But we all know what that next Tuesday quickly turns into next Saturday and that turns into next Wednesday. It will never feel like the right time to start a new fitness program. Just like it never feels like the right time to buy a house, change jobs, have kids, etc.. This is just the way that life works, and the best thing to do is set those excuses aside and start today, not tomorrow. And starting doesn’t have to be 100% effort – it can be as simple as just going for a walk, or 10 minutes of physical activity.

(2) The flip side of this is that life sometimes throws us curveballs that mean we need to adjust our sails. Sometimes things really do become too much, and we need to take a step back for a minute to deal with other life problems and stresses. This is called SELF CARE and it is just as important to your heath as your fitness routine. If you have to take some time off, that’s OK, don’t feel guilty, and don’t panic. Just do what you can, when you can and don’t delay getting back into routine when life settles down. Progress isn’t linear, and you won’t lose all your “gains.” Muscle memory is a thing, and fitness comes back faster than when you’ve already reached that level before.

(3) Most importantly, whether you’re starting your fitness journey for the first time, or just jumping back onto the wagon, make sure you choose what works best for you and do something you enjoy. There is no one-size fits all fitness plan. Try new things, new sports, new classes, and find what works with your schedule and doesn’t spark feelings of rage rather than fitness-induced joy.

Finally, a few things to remember. Fitness and health is truly a journey – there will be peaks and valleys, and it will NEVER be perfect. Seeking perfection is a set up for failure. The most important thing you can do after you start is to KEEP GOING, even if that means a once a week, a quick 20 minute walk or whatever gets you moving.

There is no more perfect time to work on your health and fitness than right NOW!

Kristen Hansen, BA, CSEP-CPT, PFT-NAIT, NASM-CES, FRCms

Bryan & Jo-Ann’s #MYFIT Story

SVPT is proud to present #MYFIT – a celebration of our clients who live a fit and balanced lifestyle.
**
#MYFIT is not about a 6 pack or a bikini body, it’s about showing that fitness comes in ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, and truly is training to live a more full life. It’s not about young and skinny, it’s about showing that fitness can be a part of ANYONE’S life, regardless of age.
**
#MYFIT celebrates clients who challenge themselves physically and mentally to move better, perform better and live better. #thesvptway
**
We are grateful for Bryan & Jo-Ann for sharing their #MYFIT story:

“We have always been active in recreational sports like skiing, slow-pitch and volleyball. We walked, biked and hiked and were generally in pretty good shape.

As a few more years have rolled by however, we have each had our physical challenges. Bad back for me, sore joints for Jo-Ann. We decided we needed to “up” the effort at maintaining our physical fitness. Jo-Ann especially had a desire to be stronger and leaner. Bring on the “gun” show!

We tried going to big box and city gyms to work out but didn’t enjoy the environment and found it hard to motivate ourselves or each other.

A colleague of Jo-Ann’s told us about personal fitness training at SVPT. We met with Trevor Aime to discuss a training plan and to see the facility. We told Trev that we had no specific body weight or measurement goals. We just wanted our bodies to be stronger and more injury resistant.

Unfortunately, after only a few sessions, Jo-Ann ruptured her Achilles tendon playing pickleball. Dang. Too late with the training apparently.

Not to be discouraged, we resumed training with Trev while Jo-Ann was still in a boot cast at only 3 weeks post-surgery. Trev did an awesome job of providing a plan for both of us while accommodating Jo-Ann’s gradual transition from peg-leg pirate back to normal. Trevor may argue that she is not “normal” but we always have fun at our workouts. Especially when we are helping Trev with his dance moves.

Fast forward three years. We are both so encouraged when we look back and realize how significantly our abilities have improved over this time. This is a journey we will surely continue. It has a positive impact on our quality of life EVERY DAY. We’re not getting older. With #MYFIT – we’re getting better!!”

MEAL OF THE MONTH FROM REVIVE WELLNESS: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Pepper SVPT

Makes 4 servings (1 pepper per serving)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 1 can green chilis
  • ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
  • ½ cup black beans
  • ½ cup tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 4 bell peppers
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Cilantro to garnish

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  2. Combine quinoa, green chilis, corn, beans, tomato, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder into a bowl and mix well.
  3. Remove the very top of the peppers and scoop out the seeds.
  4. Take ¼ of the filling and stuff each pepper.
  5. Top the filling with shredded cheese.
  6. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 minutes.
  7. Serve and Enjoy!

 

Nutritional analysis per serving: 342 calories, 13 g fat, 16 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate (33 g available carbohydrate), 9 g fibre, 215 mg sodium

 

Created by Revive Wellness Inc.

Now try the ‘Move of the Month’ on their blog!

Top 5 Fitness Myths That Need to Die

#1 – Lifting weights will make you bulky

This is mostly for the ladies. Simply put, women don’t have the hormonal profile to become mass monsters. Females are missing a key ingredient in muscle building – the high levels of testosterone present in men. It’s much more difficult for women to build large muscles as compared to men, and it will likely take you years if you choose to try for this goal. Even for men, the task of adding muscle mass requires a significant amount of time, work, and dedication. To add large amounts of muscle as either a man or woman, you need to be in a calorie surplus, lift heavy weights in the gym, and train very frequently. The women you see out there with bulging muscles are training incredibly hard to achieve this physique, likely spending inordinate amounts of time in the gym and using extreme training methods that are completely unsustainable for average gym-goers. (They may also have some pharmaceutical “help”). Lifting heavy weights 2-4 days a week will not make you the Hulk. Trust us, it’s okay to lift weights heavier than your purse.

 

#2 – _________ is bad for your ____________.

Any exercise that your body is NOT prepared for can turn bad, especially if you jump from the couch to 100mph. Squats are bad for your knees if you have shitty hips or ankle issues. Running is bad for your knees if you haven’t prepared your body for the force of hitting the ground repeatedly. Deadlifts are bad for your back if you don’t do them properly. Any exercise performed incorrectly becomes “bad”, and exercises that your individual body is not ready for are bad for YOU, specifically. If you have pain while doing a certain exercise, seek out the answer, don’t avoid the pain and hope it will go away. Seek out a personal trainer to figure out why it’s there, and get a modification.

 

#3 – Sweating means I am burning more fat.

NO. Just NO. How much you sweat does not correlate with how intense your workout was. It just means the room is hot, or your body temperature is high, or you are hydrated, or you are working hard, or you are wearing too many layers, or you are out of shape, or you are in great shape, or any combination thereof. Fitness marketers have you believing that a ‘sweat sesh’ to get your body dripping will have your fat crying. Help us all. (Refer to our blog: “Exercise won’t give you a 6-pack.”)

 

#4 – No pain, no gain.

If you are in pain when you are exercising, seek help. The goal should always be pain free movement. Yes, there will be the small discomfort of sore muscles after engaging in some hard work, but this will dissipate as you get stronger. Enough with the idea that workouts need to crush your soul to be effective. They don’t. And if you find yourself on the pain train, please seek help from a fitness professional so you can find peace in your fitness journey.

 

#5 – Toning. Motherfu*king Toning.

It’s mostly women who are guilty of this one. “I just want to tone”, they say. What does that even mean, exactly? Your muscles are already toned, they are just covered by body fat. And if you want to see more of them, you have to remove the layer of fat covering them. I think more women need to frame this goal as wanting to lose body fat and become leaner. Becoming leaner is directly tied to good nutrition. Defined muscles come from a high-quality diet built around fat loss. Of course, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that in order to achieve the look of muscle tone or a toned body, you need to actually have an appreciable amount of muscle…thus, you will need to engage in strength training to complement your fat-loss diet. Women want ‘toned muscles’ but don’t want to strength train to actually develop their muscles. Often, ‘toning’ for women is associated with light weights and high reps. Just because you are not directly looking to add muscle mass doesn’t mean that you should shy away from stressing your muscles with relatively heavy weight. Remember, you can’t get big and massive unless you are training extremely hard and are in a calorie surplus….which will not be the case in a fat-loss nutrition scenario. Also…refer to Myth #1.

Shara Vigeant, BA, NSCA-CPT*D, CFSC

George’s #MYFIT Story

SVPT is proud to present #MYFIT – a celebration of our clients who live a fit and balanced lifestyle.
**
#MYFIT is not about a 6 pack or a bikini body, it’s about showing that fitness comes in ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, and truly is training to live a more full life. It’s not about young and skinny, it’s about showing that fitness can be a part of ANYONE’S life, regardless of age.
**
#MYFIT celebrates clients who challenge themselves physically and mentally to move better, perform better and live better. #thesvptway
**
We are grateful for George sharing his story:

“Balancing life will always be a struggle. Between running a business, having a family, attempting to be a good role model for my kids, and trying to be a good husband, there is not always a lot of time to look after myself. It becomes very easy to sacrifice my own well being for everyone else’s.

With 40 on the not so distant horizon, I was finding myself getting frustrated with my lack of energy, irritability, inability to deal with daily stress and my changing body shape. I decided that I could not rely on someone else to fix this for me. I had to do this myself.

I had gone to gyms casually in the past but I knew from previous experience that I would need someone to help push and guide me if I ever wanted to stick with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find SVPT was not only close to my office but also very well reviewed. I sent the owner, Shara, an email describing who I was and what I was looking for. I received a very quick reply and was set up with an assessment appointment right away. I met my new trainer, Brittany, and quickly connected with her. I wish I could say that the next few weeks were enjoyable, but they were not. The workouts were designed specifically to push me and they did. I found myself sore and completely drained after every workout in the early stages.
It was after the first month when I started to have those feelings of not wanting to do this anymore that I started to get compliments from my wife and those I worked with.

My energy levels were increasing, my sleep improving, my snoring substantially reduced and my physical body was changing for the better. I was finding myself better equipped to handle the ups and downs of my day and still have energy when I get home to spend with my family.

I have been going to the SVPT diligently, twice a week, for almost a year now. It has become such a part of my routine that I can’t imagine not doing it anymore. That one hour, twice a week that I get to have just to myself is a real blessing. For me, going to the gym is not about getting a six pack and all those other gym stereotypes. I go to the gym to challenge myself, improve my confidence and improve the lives of those around me by taking care of myself so that I can take care of them.

The first step was the hardest but I am grateful to Brittany and the crew over at SVPT for making this a powerful experience for me and for continuing to push my boundaries.”

George's MyFit

MEAL OF THE MONTH FROM REVIVE WELLNESS: Asian “Spaghetti” and Meatballs

Asian Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs SVPT

Have you spotted “noodles” in the produce aisle yet? Beets, sweet potatoes, and zucchinis have all been spiralized into noodle shape for those looking for a lower-carb, or more vegetable-heavy diet.

Asian “Spaghetti” and Meatballs

Makes 4 servings (4 meatballs and ¼ cup noodles per serving)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ginger, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp. panko bread crumbs
  • 2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
  • 4 cups zucchini noodles
  • 1 cup red pepper noodles
  • 2 Tbsp. all-natural peanut butter
  • 1 tsp. chili flakes (optional)

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  2. Combine turkey, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp. ginger, 1 Tbsp. hoisin, egg, and the bread crumbs. Mix well and shape into small meatballs.
  3. Place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.
  4. While the meatballs are cooking heat the remaining oil in a large wok.
  5. Add the zucchini noodles, the pepper noodles and allow to cook for 8 minutes, or when they start to soften. Add the remaining garlic, ginger, peanut butter and 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce. Let the noodles continue to cook.
  6. While the noodles are cooking, and the meatballs are done cooking in the oven, remove the meatballs from the oven and place into a fry pan and cover the meatballs with the remaining soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Allow the sauce to glaze the meatballs.
  7. Serve the meatballs on top of the noodles and Enjoy!

 

Nutritional analysis per serving: 331 calories, 18 g fat, 30 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate (11 g available carbohydrate), 3 g fibre, 515 mg sodium

 

Created by Revive Wellness Inc.

Now try the ‘Move of the Month’ on their blog!

Exercise Won’t Give You a 6-Pack

Weight loss (fat loss) is the #1 reason people seek out a personal trainer. (Note: there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss, and most people want the fat loss, so we will continue with that phrase). And we will also note that everyone has a 6-pack, it’s just a matter of if we can see them or not.

If your goal is fat loss, a good personal trainer will stress that fat loss starts in the kitchen, and exercise should supplement your fat loss goals. We stay in our lanes. We are not registered dietitians, and while we can give general advice on how to improve your nutrition (drink more water, eat less processed foods, cut back on sugar, eat more whole foods, fruits and veggies), we are not experts in what exactly you need to create the safest and most effective environment in your body for fat loss.

(Side Note: In my opinion, if a trainer pushes you to try the latest and greatest diet trend out there – Keto, Paleo, etc. – or pushes you to buy some type of shake they sell – RUN for the hills. Personal trainers should be teaching you exercise, fitness and physical activity – not selling you diets and shakes.)

So with nutrition being the single most important variable in fat loss, why is there such a focus on exercise? People are misinformed thanks to the internet, and continually think that they can out-train bad nutrition. You can’t. Exercise isn’t going to burn off the bad food or excess calories you ate. In fact, the whole “burn up to 600 calories” per workout (and for 72 hours after!) is bunk. It’s misleading and has been proven by science to be inaccurate for years…decades, in fact.

This is why you see so many personal trainers peddling nutrition, because they KNOW that it’s crucial in their clients’ journey to getting results (fat loss). You often see “fat burning workouts” or the best “fat burning exercises” all over the internet. Well, sorry…but it’s all BUNK.

Do you burn calories when you workout? YES. But not as much as you think, and not enough to be your one and only fat loss strategy. The quantity of calories you actually burn in a workout session is lower than you’ve been led to believe, and the extra calories you burn from exercise only account for a small part of your total energy expenditure during the day – somewhere in the range of 10-30 percent. The remaining 70-90 percent comes from your resting metabolic rate, the energy used to carry out the host of physiological processes that are constantly occurring in the body. (Be wary of activity trackers, as they tend to overestimate the caloric burn from these processes.)

Do you continue to burn calories for many hours or even days after your workout? NO. Depending on the specific type of training you are doing, your metabolism stays elevated post-workout for about the length of time you trained, but not much beyond that. And certainly not for days! And at this point, I am sure HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) has come to mind, which is one of the most popular fitness trends being marketed as purely a fat burning workout, especially in the Edmonton fitness scene. The science has been out that true HIIT can definitely improve V02 max, and improve blood sugars. However, the energy expenditure is just not enough because of the duration of the session. True HIIT sessions (and that is where you are literally working at your MAX heart rate for the work periods) are only meant to be done for anywhere from 10-20 minutes. While many studies show that HIIT can help with fat loss (negligible) than other forms of exercise, the biggest factor in that was, of course, nutrition and appetite suppression (nutrition!).

I would add (as a shameless plug) SVPT Fitness + Athletics has NEVER ever marketed or sold so-called fat burning workouts, fat burning exercises, weight loss shakes, or any kind of supplements. We have never made false claims about training to entice clients into our gym. And we have been successfully in business for 10 years.

We take pride in refusing to spread inaccurate information. We don’t even believe in putting an emphasis on exercise for burning calories. We put the emphasis on quality movement that will benefit your health and your life. We know that if you want to lose fat or have long term weight loss goals, it is all about the food! This is why we partnered with dietitians to help our clients navigate those waters. It’s the best way for them to learn the most effective ways to lose fat and keep it off over the long term.

BUT WAIT…does this mean you don’t have to exercise to lose fat? NO. You still need to exercise so you can do ALL the things you want to in life. So you can be independent. So you can prevent injury. So you can golf into your 70s, or hike into your 60s. So you CAN LIVE A FULL LIFE. Exercise shouldn’t be a punishment to burn off something you ate, or earn something you want to eat. Exercise should be your tool to live life to the full. Exercise GIVES life. Exercise improves health. And when you improve health, you improve quality of life.

Here is why you still need to exercise, regardless of your goals:

  • Joint health
  • Muscle strength, growth and maintenance\
  • Improve blood pressure
  • Improve blood sugars
  • Improve mood
  • Decrease stress, anxiety, fatigue
  • Improve attention
  • Improve sleep
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Prevent disease and illness
  • Resilience
  • Independence
  • Longevity
  • Vitality
  • Resilience

….the list is extensive and can go on even further. Essentially, we just move less than we did 50 years ago.

Exercise is excellent for health and wellness; it’s just not that important for fat loss. So don’t expect to lose a lot of fat by ramping up physical activity alone. If your workouts are soul crushing every day in an effort to “burn more calories” or “burn fat” to get to your fat loss goals, you are actually doing yourself a disservice. Not just that day or that week, but long term. The hormonal ramifications of soul crushing workouts every day are huge, not to mention that you are also risking burnout and injury.

With all of that said, it’s still awesome to challenge yourself with a really tough workout every once in a while. It simply has to be programmed properly – both to occur at the right time, and to include movements that won’t get you hurt. This is where seeking the advice of a fitness professional can help you.

If weight/fat loss is your goal, please seek the help of a registered dietitian to learn about food, proper eating habits, and your caloric range to help you get to your fat loss goals safely and effectively. At the same time, realize the genuinely incredible health benefits of exercise. While exercise is still an important part of the fat loss puzzle, remember that it shouldn’t be the ONLY piece.

Shara Vigeant, BA, NSCA-CPT*D, CFSC

MEAL OF THE MONTH FROM REVIVE WELLNESS: Cashew Salmon

Cashew Salmon

Makes 4 servings (1 salmon fillet, 1 cup broccoli and ½ cup rice per serving)

Ingredients:

  • 4 salmon fillets (4 oz. each)
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup cashews, crushed
  • 4 cups broccoli
  • 2 cup brown rice, cooked

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  2. Combine maple syrup, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and salmon into a plastic bag and allow salmon to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, or 2 hours in the fridge.
  3. Once marinated, place salmon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press the chopped cashews on top each one.
  4. Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon and bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli florets until softened.
  6. Serve and Enjoy!

 

Nutritional analysis per serving: 437 calories, 16 g fat, 31 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate (38 g available carbohydrate), 7 g fibre, 262 mg sodium

 

Created by Revive Wellness Inc.

Now try the ‘Move of the Month’ on their blog!

What is Kinstretch?

“You need your joints for your whole life. Make them better.”
– Jeff Schlotter, SVPT client and Very Smart Guy

This insightful quote by Jeff, one of our dedicated and hardworking clients, captures in a nutshell what Kinstretch aims to do. Kinstretch is a system of training designed to improve body control, mitigate injuries, improve joint health, and promote the physical longevity of your body. It is meant to improve your ability to move skillfully and make whatever physical tasks you do in your daily life easier – from gym workouts, to getting on the floor with your kids (or grandkids), to vacuuming the house, to climbing in and out of your vehicle.

But what does this look like in practice? And how can Kinstretch help you, as an individual?

Imagine this scenario: your 11-year-old daughter asks you to come kick the soccer ball with her in the backyard. You do…and find that you feel stiff and locked up, and afterward your hips and back ache like crazy. What seems so easy and natural for her is incredibly taxing on you.

Or this: you need to do some maintenance work around the house that requires kneeling on the floor for a long time. You start working, only to find that your knees and ankles just don’t bend enough to allow you to kneel down low. You end up having to constantly get up and back down again as your legs and back get fatigued trying to find a position that works.

Or one that might be familiar to a lot of SVPT trainees: you have been working with your trainer for a while now and feel that with his or her guidance, you have mastered your squat technique. But you still have a hard time getting good depth and sometimes you feel a nagging pinch in your hip. Or maybe you just can’t quite seem to get your technique on your rows right – despite good instruction and lots of practice, your shoulder blades seem to have an inability to do what you want them to.

All of these scenarios represent situations where the body’s joints are not able to do what is asked of them by a particular activity. For whatever reason – typically years of limited joint movement, or old injuries – the joints lack the needed range of motion. This is where Kinstretch comes in! Kinstretch specifically trains the joints to gain back this lost range of motion, and equips your body to better handle physical tasks. If strength training with weights is preparing the body’s muscles to handle anything, think of Kinstretch as preparing the joints to handle anything.

So what does a Kinstretch class actually involve? At its base, Kinstretch starts with CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations). Among other things, CARs teach you how to move a joint through its full range of motion, without using any other joints to “help”. They teach you how to dissociate movement at one joint from movement at another joint, and to clearly distinguish the difference. This helps you to know where in your body your movement is actually coming from, where stress is being placed on your body during physical activity, and how to control your body to direct stress toward more desirable areas and away from less desirable ones.

With the solid base of body awareness gained from CARs, Kinstretch then branches out into various movement challenges. These challenges are designed to develop your ability to rotate, bend, and extend your joints with a ton of awareness, intention, and control. Each challenge aims to improve a specific joint function that carries over into real life. For example, our soccer parent above could develop the ability to extend the hip back into a good kicking position through a specific challenge that trains the hip’s ability to move backward. Our homeowner could develop better range of motion in the knees and ankles to allow for a comfortable deep kneeling position. And our gym-goer could, through specific Kinstretch training, develop the ability to squeeze that shoulder blade back during rows.

Kinstretch training is highly specific, quite demanding, and incredibly rewarding. It is also very scaleable and accessible. Whoever you are, whatever your life’s physical demands are, and whatever your individual limitations are – Kinstretch can help you. It can address your limitations, improve your movement, and reduce your nagging aches and pains. If the idea of having a better-functioning and more injury-resistant body that can handle a wide range of physical activities appeals to you, consider giving Kinstretch a try!

Erica Saunders, BPE, CSCS, FRCms, Kinstretch Level 1 Instructor