How to Help Your Personal Trainer

By Carole Cousineau

You can help your trainer do a better job by being a good client:

• Focus on what you are doing and try not to spend too much of your session talking;
• Be prepared by eating before your workout, bringing your own towel and a full water bottle;
• Give at least 24 hour notice if you need to cancel or reschedule;
• If you have questions, write them down and bring them to your session-you’ll spend less time talking and more time working out;
• If you have a problem with your trainer, address it immediately;
• Do not interrupt your trainer when she is with a client. Wait until she is finished before approaching her; and,
• Recognize that your trainer is there to guide you-but you still have to do the work. If you are confused about your progress, or lack thereof, schedule a meeting where you can talk about your concerns. Personal training can help you get closer to your goals, but it isn’t a magic bullet.

How to Find a Personal Trainer at Le Club West Island

By Carole Cousineau

Le Club West Island has some fantastic certified personal trainers on staff and we offer attractive, flexible, and extremely affordable packages for personal training. The cost will vary depending on the type and length of session. Typically, the cost will be anywhere from $20 to $75 a session plus sales taxes.

Here are some tips for doing a little investigation before taking the plunge:

• Get a referral from a friend who’s had success in reaching their goals with one of our personal trainers;
• When you’re at the gym, watch our trainers with their clients and see how they interact. Make a note of the trainers who get along with their clients and seem fully involved in their workouts… that may be a good one to choose;
• If you do get assigned to a trainer, make sure you tell the Fitness Director if you’d prefer a male trainer over a female trainer or vice versa, or if there’s anything special you’d like to work on (getting in shape before pregnancy, dealing with an injury, getting ready for a marathon, etc.) so you’ll get a trainer with experience in that area.

Welcome New Group Instructor: Wendy Merrett

We’d like to introduce Wendy Merrett, the newest member of our instructor team who is teaching the Core-Xpress class on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am.

Wendy is a certified YMCA Group Fitness Instructor who, after enthusiastically practicing physical fitness for over 20 years, was motivated to become a fitness leader to share her love of music, choreography, and functional conditioning with others! Wendy was a provincially ranked ringette player who continues to devote her time to the development of new talent as an EXCELLENCE Ringuette instructor in the West Island area. As a busy working mom with two small children, she brings her passion for an active, healthy lifestyle to each and every class and would love for you to join the fun and challenge yourself!

Welcome to the team Wendy, we’re happy to have you aboard!

Be Consistent With Your Goals

By Carole Cousineau

It’s February and it is typically the time of year when the New Year’s Resolutions start to fade. Sad but true, resolutions just don’t always seem to stick!  Is it time to get refocused? You bet!

Consistency needs to be a part of your vocabulary.  Sit down today and write out your fitness goals, make a clear list of what you hope to accomplish. Then, for each of those goals write a “way” or method that you can use to clearly accomplish that goal. With each of these methods, make them part of your week. Plan a schedule that includes your goals and then start on it right away!

Make sure that you include a reward for reaching your goals. Make it fun, like a date night or a night on the town with friends.  Don’t forget to re-evaluate your progress every few weeks, check up on yourself to see if the goals that you wrote down are still relevant; if not, start over!

Identify your goals, look at your list daily, and be consistent. By implementing this simple 3-step strategy, you’ll be on your way and reaching those goals before you know it!

If you need a little “push” to help stay accountable to your health and fitness goals, we offer one-on-one and small-group private sessions.  Our certified personal trainers help you launch a smart exercise program, move beyond stubborn plateaus, break out of fitness ruts and reenergize your workout. Along the way, they’ll challenge you, change your outlook and build your confidence, with results that extend far beyond the mirror. Please contact Carole Cousineau at (514) 695-8851 ext.203 or by email carole@leclubwestisland.com to book your session with a trainer today!

Stress Stimulates Popularity of Yoga Practice

Yoga is continuing to grow in popularity, particularly among university-educated Canadians and businesspeople seeking to reduce stress and improve well-being, says Bill Harper, publisher of Yoga Journal. Harper references two studies in particular: a spring 2010 Market Research Insight (MRI) study that reported an increase of 1.2 million yoga participants from spring 2009 to spring 2010; and a fall 2010 MRI study that found more robust growth in yoga than in over 50 sports from 2001 to 2010. MRI measured yoga participation for the first time in 2001.

“More and more finance professionals are attracted to yoga”, Michael Wald, co-founder of Namaste New York, which has yoga instructors at more than 20 banks and hedge funds, told Katya Kazakina of Bloomberg News. “They work in a stressful environment. The purpose of yoga is to calm the mind and relax the nervous system.” Julie and Michael Wald, a husband and wife team who are both yoga instructors, took advantage of this market demand by founding Namaste New York, which provides both corporate wellness services and private yoga training.

“Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union- the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.” –B.K.S Iyengar, yoga teacher