RIFT Kinesiology and Fitness

RIFT Kinesiology and Fitness apparel is now available to order for a limited time only! Please visit the RIFT Apparel Store to place your order by Friday, September 6 at 11:59pm.

Swipe to see a small selection of the products available, and visit the store link to view all of the colour and logo combinations!

🔸Ladies Crewneck Sweater (XS-3XL) $45+gst
🔸Unisex Pullover Hoodie (XS-3XL) $35+gst
🔸Unisex Triblend T-Shirt (XS-3XL) $35+gst
🔸Ladies Tank Tops (2 lengths, S-2XL) $30+gst
🔸Unisex Tank Top (XS-2XL) $30+gst
🔸Snapback Hat $30+gst
🔸Knit Toque $25+gst

This is a custom order - I will not be ordering stock to have on hand to sell at a later date, so if there is an item you’d like, now is the time to get it!

Send me a message or leave a comment below if you have any questions. Thank you for your support!

Please note that delivery is not available, all orders will be available for pick-up in Edmonton around the end of September.

Brought a few new toys to the gym! We now have some more options for self-myofascial release, including a vibration rollers, a peanut vibration roller, and a NeuroBall!

The vibration roller can be used in place of a traditional roller to help reduce stiffness and muscle soreness, promote fluid movement, and reduce inflammation, and peanut-shaped roller provides more targeted relief in those harder-to-treat areas. The vibration from the rollers can help improve circulation and bring blood and nutrients to the tissue, and may decrease pain and help with the muscle repair process.

The NeuroBall has quickly become my favourite tool for trigger point release and sensory stimulation. The central nervous system relies heavily on input from the feet to provide information about where the body is in space, and using the ball for some release prior to exercise greatly improves the quality of sensation. Stimulating the receptors in the bottom of the feet reduces tension in the lower body and enhance proprioception, which can improves balance, mobility, and stability.

Come in and give one (or all) of these a try during your next warm-up!

Squats and hip hinges (deadlifts) are two of the most foundational compound movement patterns we work on in the gym. Although they are two different exercises, I like to think about these two movements being two ends of the same continuum.

For both exercises, we want to set-up with our feet about hip width apart and ensure our ribcage is stacked over our pelvis with the neck and lower back neutral. Throughout both movements it is important to maintain proper foot contacts (base of the big toe, inside edge of the heel, and outside edge of the foot), with our weight or centre of mass staying straight over the centre of our midfoot in front of our ankle.

The two biggest differences between squats and hip hinges are:
1️⃣ the amount of knee bend
2️⃣ the primary plane or direction of movement at the hips

Squats are primarily vertical movements where we sink down towards the floor, with motion occurring at both the knees and the hips, whereas a pure hip hinge is more of a horizontal movement where we push the hips backwards while the knees stay relatively still.

All of the exercises along the continuum target the muscles of the lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings) to varying degrees, with the exercise with the most balanced requirements and peak loading potential (trap bar deadlift) located in the middle between the two extremes.

We want to ensure we include unilateral and bilateral variations of both movement patterns in each workout for a well-rounded training program.

Semi-Private Personal Training is a budget-friendly way to enjoy your customized exercise program with the high-energy support and encouragement of a community setting!

Join a group of 2-3 other clients and share your trainer’s attention for the hour, without worrying that your workout isn’t going to help you achieve your goals, or that you won’t receive enough individual attention and instruction. This type of training is most appropriate for clients who are comfortable working out with reduced supervision but would still like some guidance and form correction.

Register in advance - space is limited!

Let’s discuss, shall we?

We’ve all heard any number of pieces of advice when it comes to our health and fitness like:
✖️Don’t eat after 7pm to lose weight
✖️Never miss a Monday workout
✖️Only eat what you can fit on one plate
✖️Don’t go more than 3 days without exercise

While these sentiments are usually well-intentioned, I believe they miss the mark for most people - especially if your goals are to improve your health.

I’ve mentioned before that consistency is the key to making meaningful change - on a surface level these food and fitness rules can appear to support consistency, however, these types of restrictions or guidelines can often be counterproductive, especially when you consider that life will inevitably get in the way at some point.

Take a moment to consider how you feel about yourself when you aren’t able to live up to your own expectations. You probably don’t feel all that great, maybe you feel disappointed, inadequate, or ashamed, maybe even guilty.

Psychologically, it is incredibly difficult to create change from negative feelings like those, and relying on them to inspire adherence is not a reliable method to improve motivation or consistency, and can actually make it more difficult for you to stick with the intended behaviours.

Our nervous system actively seeks to protect us from negative experiences, and we will actually be more resistant to change when our previous exposure to the intended behaviours has resulted in discomfort.

On top of that, these types of rules or guidelines also fail to teach people how to listen to and respect their body’s internal signals - fullness and fatigue cues, pain signals, energy levels and interest, desires and cravings, etc - which can contribute to dissatisfaction, undernourishment, overtraining, and even injury, (all markers of a disordered relationship with food and/or exercise) and ultimately, is detrimental to their health.

In a market where everyone is trying to sell you quick fixes, fad diets, and overnight transformations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and confused.

You’re a busy person. You don’t have time to wade through all that nonsense. You’re tired, you’re probably already overwhelmed, and the thought of doing more - entire weekends spent in the kitchen doing meal prep, cutting out entire food groups, weighing every bite of food you put in your mouth, fasting for 16 hours a day, timing your supplements and nutrient intake exactly 30 minutes after exercise, and 2-hour workouts five days a week - is utterly exhausting.

I get it. Your time is valuable, and I’m here to tell you - none of that stuff works anyways.

Here’s what does work: the basics. Nothing groundbreaking here, you probably already know that these things are good for your health, even if you sometimes struggle to implement them.
✔️ Move, exercise, or play on most days
✔️ Drink mostly water
✔️ Get enough sleep regularly
✔️ Have protein at most meals
✔️ Include a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables in your diet

Let’s keep things simple: do the basics reasonably well, most of the time, over and over again.

Try it and let me know how it goes.

Here’s some reminders that:
1️⃣ It will always be important to move your body
2️⃣ Working out is just ONE form of physical activity, not the only form
3️⃣ Any and all types of movement “count”as physical activity
4️⃣ Its okay if you don’t enjoy EVERY type of physical activity
5️⃣ Structured exercise has many, many, many health benefits, but so do other types of physical activity

Finding and regularly participating in an activity you enjoy is far more important than forcing yourself to do something you absolutely despise just because “it’s good for you”.

I’m a personal trainer, obviously I’m going to recommend you include some element of structured exercise training - but it’s okay if you don’t want to or don’t enjoy it. You can choose to workout even if it’s not something you enjoy, but you don’t NEED to - there are plenty of other activities to choose from.

My hope is that together we will be able to find a type of movement that you DO enjoy and are excited about participating in because it’s SO MUCH easier to stay consistent with something you enjoy (remember - consistency and compound interest is what we care about).

Are you going to love every single second of every single workout? No, definitely not. There will be days that feel harder than others and exercises that you don’t enjoy - but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun along the way.

📸 .art