FASHION Magazine

It’s safe to say that one of the most common new year’s resolutions is the promise to make this year most healthier than the last. Be it a goal to lose weight, to add a bigger focus on fitness in your life or to just continue the with the workout program you started long ago, we’re here to help you get fit.

If you’re seeking a customized workout but a personal trainer seems out of reach, why not try one of our celebrity-approved workout programs? From Rihanna’s toned abs to Blake Lively’s super-fit bod, we share the fitness routines developed by their personal trainers. Or if you’re more of a fitness class devotee, we share the best gym classes, boot camps and boutique workouts from across Canada. Whatever your fitness goals are, we have you covered.

This month, we’re reporting on a trend that will take over living rooms everywhere during the Olympics, a sexy new study about the pleasurable side effects of working out and the latest high-intensity workout craze—though get-slim-quick-seekers need not apply. Read on!

As Canada’s athletes gear up for the London 2012 Olympic Games, we speak with a veteran and a newcomer—six-time medallist Clara Hughes and first-time Olympian boxer Mary Spencer—about preparation, pressure and product.

Can’t face another blah session on the elliptical? From trapeze to monkey movements, we offer six ways to spice up your routine.

1. TAKE IT TO THE ZOO
Spend an hour at Aeküus in Montreal (aekuus.com) and your body will have a light-bulb moment. You’ll find yourself bounding from one corner to the next like a monkey, with one hand on the ground and the other overhead, or crawling inches from the floor like Spider-Man scaling a building. The exercises originate from basic calisthenics and expand into endless variations, many of which are animal-inspired quadrupedal motions. You’ll start with posture, breathing and fundamental movements (walking, falling, sitting), then increase the intensity and incorporate elements such as martial arts, J-Kae band work and jump rope. “After a year and a half with us, you’re basically capable of training by yourself,” says co-founder Julien Karl. Demonstrating an advanced technique, he grabs the outer edge of a staircase, each hand on a different step, and lifts his legs parallel to the floor. Sold.

By Jennie Jin We feel a bit of ballet mania in the air–maybe it’s just our excitement for Black Swan. In Vancouver, we can feed our obsession at the first Canadian location of U.S. fitness studio The Bar Method (837 Beatty Street, 604-681-6188, vancouver.barmethod.com). The studio features an hour-long workout that mixes Pilates, yoga, and […]

The post Vancouver fitness pick: The Bar Method appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

By Corrine Aberdeen

When I went to Toronto’s flagship Nike recently store to learn about the new Nike+ GPS iPhone app ($1.99 on iTunes), I prayed that they wouldn’t ask me to run. Thankfully they didn’t, but after inspecting the application I actually wished they had.

By Karen Cleveland

My first introduction to spinning turned me off: Terrible house music, boring repetition and sauna-like studios put me off for years.

But now CYKL (68 Bathurst St., Toronto, 416-504-2955, cykl.ca) at Bathurst and Wellington, has lured me into a love affair with indoor cycling. The brainchild of a fashion photographer and former model (they ought to know fit, right?) CYKL promises to get participants “real fit, real fast.”

By Valeria Nekhim

When one of the planet’s most famous Angels, Adriana Lima, had two weeks to get her body looking otherworldly for the Victoria’s Secret 2008 fashion show, she turned to Michael Olajide Jr., a former boxing champion and the co-founder of Aerospace, Manhattan’s sleek, machine-free boxing fitness centre. Fast-forward one year to November 2009, and Olajide had an even bigger challenge: Lima, a new mom, needed to return to her Brazilian bombshell form—fast. FASHION got a hold of the man himself on a break from training his A-list clientele (Hugh Jackman and Mickey Rourke anyone?) to get the scoop on how Lima got her Angel wings back in only five months.

When Adriana came to you two weeks before the Victoria’s Secret show in 2008, what physical goals was she hoping to achieve?
“She achieved the look that she wanted, which was really lean, defined muscle. It was very important that she didn’t bulk up and she wanted to maintain femininity. She had about two weeks to make weight, kind of like a fighter needs for the title, because she’s going out there in the barest of things in front of millions of people on TV.  She came in at the last second and had never boxed before, and she really came up.”

The best part about participating in a month-long workout challenge is the motivation you gain. Before enrolling in Spynga’s Dare to Do 30, finding the time to exercise five or six times a week seemed impossible. Now I know that I can physically achieve this goal, and that finding the time is really just a matter of making it a priority. It’s the finer details that make Spynga stand out: the complimentary towels, the lavender-scented cream used for a quick neck massage during savasana, and the eclectic play list (a spin class blaring the best of the ’90s—or worst, as the case may be—was an obvious crowd pleaser).

Here’s my report on the other classes where I sweated it out:

Dancer and certified fitness instructor Jennifer Nichols (extensionmethod.com) leads you through a one-hour ballet bootcamp that is hard work but fun–a great way to relive the glory of those under-10 ballet-class days. Watching Nichols gracefully lead the class is almost worth the (very reasonable) price of admission. At 99 Sudbury, Toronto  (99sudbury.ca), Fridays, at 6.30 […]

The post The daily steal: Ballet boot camp class, $10 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

I wish I could blame my recent gluttony on the holidays, but really I’ve never needed an excuse to overindulge in cookies. Needing the extra push to get back in line with a healthy routine, the Dare To Do 30 challenge at Toronto’s Spynga’s (spynga.com) seemed like the perfect fit. The four-week program includes unlimited yoga and spinning classes along with group meetings with Dr. David Macklin (drdavidmacklin.com) to address nutrition and lifestyle changes. Spynga offers a variety of classes, and I was excited to push myself back into shape with the studio’s unique approach to exercise. Here’s what I tried:

As everyone pours into yoga studios this month to pursue their 2010 resolution to trim down, those who have had enough of the post-holiday crowd should stay home with Eoin Finn’s latest yoga DVD, The Pursuit of Happy Hips ($25, at Lululemon and Chapters. Visit blissology.com). Along with partner Insiya Rasiwala and some past and present Olympic athletes, Finn shows the whole-body benefits of strengthening the hips through the practice of yoga. Focused on preparing the body for the rigours of winter sports, the video is just as beneficial for those who are more likely to curl up on the couch than hit the hill when the snow falls.