At Fitness Focus, the goal is to offer a fitness centre with a welcoming, fun and safe environment that all ages can enjoy. They are a forerunner in the fitness industry in Saskatoon. With the ever-changing fitness demands of new and improved classes, training; and nutrition. They are your Fitness Focus is Your TRUSTED SASKATOON Gym!  

HOW TO ADJUST YOUR FITNESS GOALS FOR FALL AND WINTER

INSPIRE YOURSELF 

SUB IN WINTER ACTIVITIES 

Ice skating, skiing and sledding are all great ways to burn calories while enjoying the new season. And while you may need to travel a few Kilometers to find a rink or trail the effort will be well worth it. Not only will you be testing and improving your physical stamina, but you'll also be learning or improving upon a skill. If you come back from the activity and your shoes are soaked through, put crushed up newspapers inside them and set them in a warm (but not hot) place. Too much heat can wear down the materials of your expensive shoes. 

Another option to keep up with your fitness plans during winter is to start using a gym. Fitness Focus provides all the tools for any person to pursue growth and empowerment through personal challenge. Working out a gym offers you consistency so you're less likely to alter your routine no matter what season it is. At Fitness focus, we offer free 2 week trials and are proud to offer an exceptional childcare service.  Contact us today and see how we can help you maintain or achieve your fall-winter goals!

Fitness focus are your TRUSTED SASKATOON GYM and they are Fitness Experts

Saskatoon Pilates Centre is Saskatchewan’s premier Pilates Centre– the largest and most fully-equipped Pilates studio in the province. Saskatoon Pilates Centre is your Trusted Saskatoon pilates studio. 

Saskatoon Pilates Now Offers Core Dynamics Pilates Teacher Training Program

Saskatchewan’s premiere Pilates Centre– the largest and most fully-equipped Pilates studio in the province. Saskatoon Pilates Centre continues to provide top quality classes with the most experienced and dedicated teachers helping you to experience the integrity of the Pilates exercises integrating body and mind for everyday living. Sounds great, doesn’t it?  In our latest tip, they share an article that compares Pilates to Yoga.  

Saskatoon Pilates are your Trusted Saskatoon Pilates Studio 

Trust The Experience! 

"Pilates? That's Like Yoga, Right?" 

Author: Jo Ann Graser, PMA®-CPT, PMA Board of Directors.  

As a business owner who offers both Pilates and yoga at my studio, I run into this question on a regular basis.  My answer can be detailed or basic, depending on my audience.  Here are some comparison points about the two disciplines based on my personal experience with both. For the purposes of this discussion, I am comparing yoga to Pilates on the apparatus.  

Origins 

Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India with the purpose of connecting individual consciousness to a universal consciousness creating spiritual enlightenment.  Poses or “asanas” combined with breath control and meditation improve the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional health of the practitioner.  

Joseph Pilates began development of his regimen (historically called “Corrective Exercise” and then “Contrology”) approximately 100 years ago.  The underlying theme of Pilates is a systematic and disciplined approach to physical movement through focus and clarity of the mind.  Joseph Pilates created apparatuses which could support the body in order to correct dysfunction and improve movement.  

Equipment      

Yoga utilizes mats and small props to aid or support the practitioner.  

Pilates has an extensive array of machines, or “apparatuses,” designed to assist the individual in improving alignment, strength and coordination.  

Movement

In my experience, yoga poses are typically held for extended time periods to release muscle tension. In some styles of yoga, a long series of poses are repeated sequentially, with the purpose of warming the body to allow for increased range of motion.  

Pilates movements are often guided by the apparatus, which can be configured by the teacher to provide assistance or resistance for the client. The focus in a Pilates session is often on a relatively short piece of choreography emphasizing control and precision. A movement is focused on and repeated for a few repetitions before moving onto the next exercise.  

Mind-Body Connection 

In many types of yoga, the session starts with the setting of an intention for the practice and ends with a guided meditation and relaxation or “savasana.”  Goals are to clear the mind and surrender to the movement.  

In Pilates, there is constant attention on posture, alignment and movement mechanics.  The practitioner is encouraged to focus on each movement, staying present and intentional.  The theme of controlling the body with the mind is ever-present.  

Breath 

Yoga teaches breathing in and out through the nose or a “warming breath.” This type of breathing is designed to relax the body and calm the mind. The focus in yoga is on “belly breathing.” The classes I take often use the breath as a mechanism to time each pose for example: "Hold this pose for another 4 breaths.”  

Pilates teaches breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. This type of breath is considered “diaphragmatic” and is meant to energize and prepare the body for strong engagement. The practitioner is encouraged to “move with the tempo of the breath,” coordinating the two.  

Intention 

Yoga emphasizes the mind-body and spiritual connection, quieting the mind by focusing on mastery through introspection.  Flexibility and strength are improved through repetition of the asanas.  

Pilates follows a systematic approach, focusing on individual movements as they integrate with the whole.  The intended outcome from Pilates is improved posture and creating a strong, balanced and stable base from which to move.

“You only have one body and you deserve the best.” Kathy Bond 

Saskatoon Pilates Classes Include:

• Mat Work
• Equipment Work
• Structural Integration Work
• Group Classes
• Open Gym
• Personal Fitness Programs

Saskatoon Pilates are your Trusted Saskatoon Pilates Studio

Trusted Saskatoon owner and founder Sara Wheelwright accepted a fitness challenge from the excellent team at Trusted Saskatoon gym Fitness Focus. Follow along on her fitness journey as she blogs and video journals her motivations, successes, failures, frustration and her pain as she struggles to get fit and fabulous in her forties!  

WEEK 9 - NO TAKING IT EASY!  

Let's start by giving my trainer Denise some kudos! This woman is an inspiration and so dedicated to fitness it is mind-blowing. She competed in Vancouver and as you can see she was in staggering shape. ( I think she should have won - but what do I know) She has been a big part of my fitness journey and there have been times when I have just dragged myself to the gym because of her. 

I leave on vacation soon and I feel energized, healthy, lighter and I definitely look and feel better overall- the numnbers below really do speak for themselves. 

Thank you so much  Denise and the team at Fitness Focus for helping me change my lifestyle - I'm determined that I am not going back!   

SARA'S PROGRESS BEYOND THE BIKINI 

So its all great that I look better in a bikini - but true fitness is more than just being lean.

STRENGTH -FLEXIBILITY -STAMINA-  the 3 pillars of fitness. 

Strength - By doing resistance training and weight lifting I am getting stronger and I can feel my muscles and am starting to see them appear from under the layers of inactivity I'd formed over last 7 years!  

Flexibility - Stretching, stretching and exercises like yoga. If you aren't flexible you will hurt yourself- so I stretch before and after every workout. 

Stamina- Physical fitness is key to a long life and good health. Your body’s capacity to transport and use oxygen during exercise (VO2 max) is the most precise measure of overall cardiovascular fitness.  Changes in VO2 levels equate to changes in aerobic fitness and this, in turn, can affect your chances of getting a cardiovascular and pulmonary disease....so this number is IMPORTANT! 

After punching in the numbers my results were provided and they matched up exactly with what my Fitbit has been showing me. 

In the first 2 screenshots, you can see that I  have VO2 of 41 - this is an excellent score for a 44-year-old woman ( It increased from a VO2 of 35 in April) - and I have the same score as an average 29-year-old woman. Woo Hooo!! 

 
 

   

Trusted Saskatoon owner and founder Sara Wheelwright recently accepted a fitness challenge from the excellent team at Trusted Saskatoon gym Fitness Focus. Over the next few months, you can follow along on her fitness journey as she blogs and video journals her motivations, successes, failures, frustration and her pain as she struggles to get fit and fabulous in her forties!  

WEEK 7 - GETTING INTO A STRIDE &  SEEING RESULTS

I am back - eating better, seeing Denise and I am starting to see ( and feel ) the results. I have more energy overall and even spent time last week organizing my closet and drawers ( If my Mother in the UK reads that she will be shaking her head in disbelief!). I am finding the cardio easier and, I must admit, I am starting to enjoy myself. 

In the last 7 weeks, I have had to navigate many many many temptations.   Mothers Day, events with girlfriends, Grad parties, my 44th Birthday, time at the lake and even multiple shows at Jazz Fest. I have spent time in hotels, on the road, eating in restaurants with clients.  May, June and the beginning of July this year has brought hot temps and it has been perfect for sipping cocktails on a deck.    I cannot hand on heart say I have not lost my way a few times and overindulged, but what I can say is for the first time I haven't let that get in the way of me moving forward. 

The team at Fitness Focus have not judged my slips, and that is why I love the gym ( Also the coffee protein shakes!! GENUIUS!)  - such a supportive, relaxed atmosphere. 

Denise is the best trainer ever, and she really does inspire me with her dedication and the passion she has for fitness. You go, girl!! She is competing this week. 

As I count down the last 3 weeks to my UK trip, I pledge to be better, to be more focused and to get fully onboard with the drinks, eats, cardio and activity. I know it is working and I look forward to the final weigh-in ( of phase 1 )  at the end of July.  

You can see some of the results in the video and pic below - the rest you will have to wait and see.