• Question 1:
• Being able to go for a walk and not have to wear a mask, or avoid everybody that I pass on the street. I miss the easy interaction I used to have with people. 
• Even grabbing coffee with my friends after class. Being able to talk to them while in a different atmosphere.
• I took for granted being able to be in a different environment when I wanted, where I wanted, how I wanted, etc…

• Question 2:

• I do not miss taking the metro every morning. Although I miss how easy it was to get to school or downtown by taking the metro, I do not miss the experience of taking it. I get very anxious when I feel claustrophobic, and the metro was always packed and busy. 
• Not seeing my family as much. My family lives such busy lives that I would never really be able to spend as much quality time with them as I do now. I like being able to eat dinner with my family every night.

• Question 3:
• Not going to the coffee shops after school everyday. This saves me time that I could have spent on doing actual work for school. It would also save me money as I can be home for dinner with my family. Making sure I make more time for my family is my main priority. I do not want to be too busy to not be able to spend any time with the ones that are most important.

• Question 4:
• Like I said previously, I want to create more time for the ones I love. This quarantine that has slowed everything down, has shown me how important it is to not procrastinate. I can get so much done by just sitting down and working. Even setting a timer for only one hour has allowed me to get so much work done. Also keeps me from doing mindless time wasting things. Setting aside time to call my friends and family is also something I want to continue doing.

Workouts are on Page 2

Workout 1: (12 minute run)

List of people I interact with the most:

Natane – Good at giving advice

Kelly – Good listener

David – Disciplined

Sabrina – Generous

Izzy – Patient

I would say I am a good listener and patient. To increase my patience I am going to take time out of everyday to be more mindful of everything that I do and live in the moment. I will also try to take things slowly and not rush anything, whether that be for schoolwork or talking to someone, making sure I practise thinking before I speak. To improve my listening skills I will make sure I am listening to understand, rather than just to be there. I will also try to make sure I am aware of my facial expressions or posture when someone is talking to me, to make sure they feel comfortable talking about what they need to. 

Workout 1:

Workout 2 (12minutes & 46seconds):

Workout 3:

Description of workout 3: (30 jumping jacks, 30 high knees per side, 30 butt kicks per side, 7 jump squats, 7 pushups, 20 sit ups) X2 & (30 mermaid leg lifts – R&L, 25 hamstring extensions – R&L, 30 butterfly bridges, 25 rainbow arc leg lifts – R&L) X2

Week 10 Questions:

1. Stay in touch with my family and friends. Being isolated and away from loved ones can start to take a huge toll on your emotional and mental health. So, making sure that I keep in contact with them is super important to me.
2. I need to stop overeating. With being stuck at home all day, I have a lot of access to the fridge and pantry. I need to make sure that I am still making myself nutritious meals that have enough servings of fruits and veggies each day.
3. Not meeting up with my friends and family. Even though I may feel fine or vice versa I wouldn’t want to risk infecting them at all. Also making sure that I continue to wash my hands regularly, making sure that my house is clean and also tidy. By making sure that the environment I live in is clean will help me stay physically healthy, but also emotionally when the house is cleaned and neat it makes my head clearer, as it is less mess to worry about. Especially, with all of the extra work from my classes I need to have a clean work environment to help me stay motivated. I also need to continue to stay on top of the workouts posted for these blog posts. Making sure I keep active even if it’s inside my house, will definitely help  improve or maintain my physical and emotional stability.
4. How quickly things can change. The number of cases increased rapidly, which was actually very shocking to me. However, it is also very shocking in a good way to see how the community reacted. I have received so many kind and heartwarming messages from family and friends which has been extremely encouraging.

Week #10 – Workout 1:

Burpees – 15 each round, Pike Pushups – 35 each round, Squat with Chest Press – 40 each round & Seated Leg Raise– 25 each round.

Workout #2: (2.04km run in 15:33)

Workout #3:

Included a 10 minute warmup and then (Each 1 minute- each side): Single Leg Glute Bridge (L & R), Leg Rainbow (L & R), Straight Leg Circles (L & R), Flutter Kicks, Frog Kicks, Frog Pump Bridge, Fire Hydrants (L & R), Angled Leg Kickback (L &R), Leg Raises, Reverse Crunch, Spiderman Plank, Crossbody Mountain Climber, Russian Twists, In and Outs, Plank, Leg Hold While Moving Arms, Crunches, Heel Taps, Bicycle Crunch, Reverse Crunch Leg Extension, Straight Leg Crunch

Week #9 SMART Goals:

12 Minute Run – My goal is to be able to run a lap a minute through the duration of the 12 minutes. I am going to do cardio every other day to build up my stamina to be able to have enough endurance up until the day of the twelve minute run. I can do types of cardio like going for longer walks, jump rope and burpees, for example.

Max Push-Ups – Every week do a minimum of 20 pushups a day, with one day break in between.

Sit-Ups – Every week I will keep track of my maximum amount of sit ups I can do in one minute. Every time, I will try to increase the number by at least 5. This way, my maximum amount of reps will increase drastically.

Side Hops – In order to increase my number of side hops, I need to get faster. To do this, every week I will do the 30/30 method. I will go as fast as I can for 30 seconds and then go at a reasonable, slower pace for thirty seconds. Every time I do this my 30 seconds will get faster and faster, thus, increasing the number of side hops I am capable of doing.

Plank – For improving upon my skills in the front plank I will follow the F.I.T.T guidelines for muscular endurance. Twice a week I will focus on my muscular endurance in order to increase my verbal rating. I will do this by having a frequency of- 2-3 times a week per muscle group that affects my front plank, with an Intensity-1-3 set per exercise, 15-25+ R, 2-3 exercises per major muscle group and 45-60 minutes each time I work out.

Wall Sit – I am going to try and do an on/off type of practise for my wall sit. I am going to hold my wall sit for a minimum of 30 seconds to a minute and then rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat. I will do this 4 or 5 times every other day.

Balance – One way I am going to try and improve my balance is by doing light stretches everyday. At home I can watch yoga or pilates videos as well to help improve my balance.

Week #9 – Workout 1: (This workout took me 10 minutes and 37 seconds)

Week #9 – Workout 2

Before, Half-Way and Post Run Selfie!

I ran around the park near my house, roughly around 5 times.

Pre Run Heart Rate: 76

After Run Heart Rate: 160

3 Minutes After Run Heart Rate: 100

Week #9 – Workout 3

For this workout, started off by doing a warmup of running outside for 10 minutes. Then, I did each exercise for one minute each. (Squats, sit-ups, Lunges, toe touches, wall sit, donkey kicks, Russian twists, arm circles, bridge thrust, fire-hydrants, side lunges, front plank, bicycle kicks)

Week #8 Questions:

a. I was most successful in achieving my aspired goal of doing two full body workouts each week. I have been doing a minimum of at least 3 workouts a week. I have experienced many benefits from this program. It has positively impacted my sleep quality, it has made me happier as well as helped with having better memory, to just name a few.

b. I have been the least successful in my healthier eating habits because being stuck at home has been quite difficult for keeping track of what I am putting in my body as I am constantly around the fridge.

c. Yes because I made sure to include more fruits and vegetables in every meal. I did this by making sure there were a whole bunch of different colours on my plate each time I made a meal. It was definitely easier when I was making dinner because I had a wider variety of veggies to choose from.

d. That I do better when under pressure. It is better that I have someone telling me what to do or what workouts to do. It gives me more motivation. That I get influenced easily so depending on what others are eating I eat what they are eating. 

e. Physically I have felt stronger. Psychologically I have felt happier and more mentally clear.

f. Motivation was my biggest difficulty. So when I felt more motivated the difficulty was actually not that bad.

g. By staying healthy and working out at home it has helped me stay more sane. So my mental health, in my opinion, has improved.

Week #8 Workouts: Workout 1 (Followed an online workout)

Week #7 Questions:

a. A warm up prepares the body by slowly increasing the heart rate and circulation. This helps increase blood flow as well as loosen joints. Stretching helps prevent injuries. 

b. Your warm up is successful if it increases the temperature of your muscles, increases your heart rate and breathing. By the end of a warm up, you should be slightly sweating.

c. When your muscles are warm, generally after exercising. It is better to stretch when muscles are warm because it helps the muscles heal quicker and better blood flow (when muscles are warm) helps prevent stiffness after a workout. Stretching allows your muscles to become more flexible in order to maintain range of motion in the joints. If you don’t stretch, your muscles become very tight or short, which can cause muscle injuries or joint pain.

d. Teenagers need between 9 and 9 and a half hours of sleep each night, and adults need between 7 and 9 hours. During break I have been getting enough sleep for sure. However, when I am not on break I do not receive enough sleep. I can avoid this by not drinking as much caffeine during the day, so that I can fall asleep easier.

e. Heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity are a few negative health effects when you continually don’t receive enough sleep.

f. Bell peppers with hummus and apple with peanut butter. What will motivate me to continue to be active in the future is the way that exercising makes me feel. I am in a better mental and physical state when I am living an active and healthy lifestyle.

g. Making sure that I make time to workout and prepare what I will be doing to stay active. If you remain sedentary you have a chance of having increased anxiety and depression, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

h. Avocados and nuts.

Week #7 – Workout 1:

Since my gym got closed this week, one of the instructors posted their workout class online. https://www.hotbootyballet.com/free-workout/

Week #7 – Workout 2: (Option 2)

Week #6 Questions:

a. I really enjoy exercises that focus on butt and abs so I made sure that what I chose to do revolved around those two things.

b. An 8.5 🙂

c. I think that my original goals of wanting to include more fruits and vegetables into my diet was the most realistic and easiest goal that I have had to work towards. The goal of working out at least 2x a week besides frisbee class has also become very easy as I have to post to the blog my two workouts each week.

d. Clean eating has definitely been working in my program. As for having the motivation to keep a log of what I eat in a day and week has been a bit more challenging. However, I need to change my mindset in order to continue to achieve my original goals.

e. It is recommended to eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. I would say I am eating enough vegetables each day. My three favourite vegetables are sweet potatoes, broccoli and mushrooms.

f. Meal 1: A salad with cucumber, beets, sweet potatoes and a chicken breast. Meal 2: At a vegan restaurant I ordered a Korean style veggie bowl. It included carrots, kale, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, spinach and tofu. Meal 3: I had a salad with cucumber, bell peppers, lettuce and chicken on the side. Meal 4: I had chicken soup with carrots and potatoes. Meal 5: Haddock with sweet potatoes and green beans.

I definitely included many different kinds of vegetables into my five meals. However, I don’t think that every meal included enough carbs/starches. 

Week #6 – Workout 1:

My workout included:

I started with a 15 minute walk outside

3 sets of each exercise:

12 Curl ups

12 Squats

30 second plank

12 lunges

15 bicycle kicks

12 side lunges

Week #6 – Workout 2:

Workout 1

Workout 2

Week #5 – Questions:

a. I feel like I had more energy this week overall.

b. It is making me feel happier, more motivated and overall have a better sense of wellbeing.

c. The major barriers particularly this week were the amount of midterm exams I had in my other classes. Even though I have been overwhelmed by the amount of work I need to do, I made sure that on the days I end class early, I dedicate myself to sticking to my plan.

d. It is recommended to wait 24 to 48 hours to recover after completing a muscular strength or endurance workout. This prevents overtraining, allows your muscles to repair and allows them to get stronger. Exercise reduces the glycogen levels in your muscles, so if you don’t rest between completing certain workouts, your muscles will become very sore and tired.

e. Eating clean and drinking more water. I think that I have done moderately well but not to the best of my ability. On average I sleep 5 to 6 hours each night. The thing that has been keeping me from obtaining a full 8 hours of sleep each night is the amount of studying I have been doing. In order to fix this problem I need to start studying earlier in the day so that I am able to go to sleep earlier. 

Workout 1

Finished in 10 Minutes and 46 Seconds

Workout 2

Completed 8 Rounds

Week #3 Questions:

a. I give myself a 7  for effort. I was extremely sore from doing an intense workout class at Les Studios des Grands Ballets Canadiens earlier this week, which affected my capability to do all of the workouts with ease.

b. Warm up, conditioning and cool down. Moderate intensity for 30mins, 5x a week, 150 minutes per week. Or, high intensity for 20-25 mins, 3x a week, 75mins a week.

c. For weight loss, 50-60mins a day with moderate exercise is recommended.

d. Something that counts as cardio would be swimming for a minimum of 30 minutes. Something that gets confused as cardio would be walking but in a way that has no benefits or cardio involved.

e. It is recommended to drink 8-ounce glasses, or about 2 litres a day.

f. To keep pushing the body to more limits, to either higher weight, more reps or time, in order for a muscle to grow.

g. I would say these workouts involved a lot of exercise that used body weight and muscular conditioning. Legs, abs and arms were all components that were exercised.

h. I would say my nutrition this week was alright. I did an extra workout class this week which made me feel a little more fit. My eating habits this week were very healthy, except for near the weekend as I had a lot of plans and it was harder to eat healthier because I wasn’t at my own house.

  a.    A full body workout including, legs/butt, arms, and abs. 

b.    7:00am – 8:00am, 11:55am – 1:25pm, and 6:00pm – 7:30pm

d.   None of the hours of the Vanier fitness centres worked with my schedule, so I decided to go to my own gym. I went in the evening, 8:00pm-9:00pm with Carey. 

e.   Before the workout I was extremely tired that day so I wasn’t really feeling that motivated to go. During the workout I felt more comfortable because I was in a zone and just doing my workout. Afterwards, I felt tired from the workout, but I also felt happier and more mentally clear.

f.    I learned how to use one of the machines at my gym that I had never tried before. I liked that I was able to workout with a friend who had never been to the gym with me before. I can honestly say that there was nothing I did not like.

g.   I used the treadmill, row machine and dumbbells.

h.   I was glad that I got out of the house  and out of my comfort zone. I would definitely recommend it to a friend but definitely recommend one of the Vanier fitness centres because it is so convenient. 

Week #2 Questions:

a.  1) The way I feel after I workout. I feel happy, less stressed and more mentally focused.

2) Knowing the health benefits. It can lower my blood pressure and reduce certain types of diseases in the future. 

3) A real motivation is to have goals to look forward to. For example, I am planning a vacation in the summer and want to be fit in time for that.

b.   1) Having lots of assignments due and not finding the time to workout.

2) Being tired all the time in general, from a busy school schedule.

3) Being intimidated by the gym and all the people there. 

c.   I like workouts that don’t feel like you are working out. For example, outdoor games and hikes or types of workouts that don’t require a lot of equipment. 

d.   I prefer going to the gym because I feel more motivated when I am out of the house. My gym has different workout classes that I enjoy going to because I feel it helps motivate me to have a better workout when someone is telling me what to do. 

e.   Working out during my long breaks or lunch breaks.

f.    I really enjoy going for high intensity walks. I plan on always having a dog in my future, so the motivation of having to take the dog out as well would definitely motivate me to stay active and go outdoors more.