What is just as important as your workout? Your warm up!

PGX fitness trend for today: do a pre-workout warm up!

Okay. So a warm up isn't exactly a fitness trend, but I think it's high time that we make it a trend! Doing a pre-workout warm up can be just as important as healthy eating and your workout. Why? Warming up will help to wake your muscles and get them workout ready, improving your joint mobility and preventing injury!

So how do you warm up? Many people start with cardio, but there are even more benefits to beginning your workout with a dynamic warm up!

Director of Equinox Fitness Institute, Geralyn Coopersmith explains why to Shape Magazine online.

Happy Fitness Friday PGX'ers!

PGX is looking for the healthy truth!

UBC and the Dietitions of Canada are out to bust those nutrition myths!

Wondering if energy drinks are the best way to get energized? Here's the quick answer: probably not. You may feel enerized in the moment but it's important to be aware of the possible side affects and risks that come with them.

How about fat free foods? If you only eat fat free, will that lead to weight loss or better overall health? Again, probably not. Being healthy and maintaing a healthy BMI takes more than just eating low in fat or fat free foods.

Nuts are fattening. Does that mean they're bad for us? Nuts contain unsaturated fats (the good kind of fat) and are a good source of protein and fibre. However they're best enjoyed in moderation.

Have more of these nutrition myths on your mind? Visit UBC's Student Update blog (you definitely do not need to be a student to find these tips useful!) and the Dietitions of Canada Nutrition Month 2012 page for the myth-busting answers to all those common health questions.

Stay healthy everyone!

Image source: The Scarborough Hospital

PGX Investigates Tabata Training...

Is it possible for a four minute workout to be effective?

The other day, my friend and I were talking about how difficult it can be to avoid "couch potato-hood" and make fitness a priority rather than something we forfeit to a busy schedules. That's when she mentioned the intense, amazingly short workout called Tabata Training.

Tabata is a high intensity interval training program that was first developed by Japanese scientist, Izumi Tabata and his fellow colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. Lasting for only four minutes (I know it seems too good to be true right?), this type of interval training has been shown to produce much better results than the average hour-long cardio session.

Studies have shown that high intensity interval training like Tabata produced as much muscular endurance as 45 minutes of normal cardio training in the subjects as well as substantial increases in anaerobic capacity and aerobic fitness. What is even more surprising about these results is that the test subjects were all athletes and already in excellent shape and still experienced these improvements in their fitness levels!

So what does a four minute workout look like? The typical tabata workout follows the formula of eight rounds of intense training for 20 second intervals of intense training followed by 10 seconds of rest. It may sound easy but some people swear it feels like the longest four minutes of their lives!

You can learn more about Tabata Training at tabatatraining.org and intervaltraining.net.

Want to see Tabata in action or try it out? Check out this video! If you've got four minutes today, skip the couch potato club and do a session of this super-powered cardio! Ready, set, go!

Image source: Georgia Magazine

PGX and Eva Redpath want you to keep moving!

Leave the machines behind and take your workout home!

Happy Friday PGX'ers! Do you want that same muscle burn you get from pumping iron at the gym without actually going to the gym? Fitness expert Eva Redpath shared her expertise on how you can bring your workout home and see the results you want to see.

Remember: a healthy, happy you is the result of good nutrition and exercise and it can be fun! Have a fabulous Friday and an awesome, healthy weekend! 

Video clip courtesy of Eva Redpath YouTube, originally aired on Oh So Cosmo.

Hey PGX'ers! We've got something delicious for you!

Try this simple pita pizza recipe!

Yield: 1 Serving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Topping your own pizza is a fun way to get your family involved in helping and creating their own dinner. Choose foods that supply lots of colour for maximum nutrition. When you don’t have the time to make your own dough, use 100% whole wheat pitas. They’re low in fat and not as thick as store bought pizza breads. They’re less expensive too!

Ingredients

Pita bread, 100% whole wheat, low-fat. Choose ones that will hold your toppings nicely.

1 can organic pizza sauce

Olive oil

Pizza Topping Options

Cheese: Mozzerella, low fat shredded cheese, goats cheese slices, Asiago shredded cheeseVeggie options: Asparagus, fresh baby spinach leaves, fresh basil leaves, halved cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, small broccoli florets, kale (leaf only, discard stem), mushroom slices, green or black pitted olives, crushed garlic, onion and fresh or dried herbs like basil, oregano and chili flakes.

Meat Options: Cooked and chopped chicken breast, cooked shrimp, fresh Italian sausages. Healthiest choices are fresh, good-quality meat sources that are preservative and chemical free.

Dairy Options: Goat cheese, feta, low-fat mozzarella, asiago, blue cheese and other sharp cheeses.

Other ideas: choose just 3-4 ingredients that go together like: salsa, black beans, olives, cheese. Bake and top with fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp plain Balkan style yogurt and shredded lettuce with a squeeze of fresh lime. Or, add fruit like fresh pineapple chunks, thinly sliced peaches with milder cheese like goats cheese.

Directions

Brush the pita lightly with olive oil. Top with sauce. Sprinkle 1 stick of PGX Daily granules (if desired) onto sauce. Place a light layer of shredded cheese ontop of sauce. Top with your selected ingredients and finish the pizza by covering the top with more cheese.

Bake 350° C on a cookie sheet until cheese melts. Approximately 15 minutes, keep watch as oven temperatures vary.

Sprinkle PGX Daily on top or mix into organic pizza sauce

Voila! An easy peezy pita pizza! For more delicious recipes, check out the PGX Recipe page ! Bon appetit!