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October 30, 2023

Give your immune system a boost

Happy November fitness family. We are officially entering the cold winter months, and that usually means cold and flu season for many of us with kids or grandkids in school, or simply being exposed to more germs. So, this month we are going to talk all about your immune system, because why wait until we get sick to do something, are you with us?

The Immune System

Let’s start off by talking about the role of our immune system. The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body from invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses. A strong immune system not only protects us against a wide range of illnesses, but also goes above and beyond:

Increased Resilience: Research has shown that individuals with strong immune systems recover more quickly from injuries and surgeries, experience fewer complications, and show improved resilience to stress.

Longevity: A healthy immune system has been linked to increased longevity. By maintaining a strong immune system through a healthy lifestyle, you can potentially extend your lifespan and enjoy a higher quality of life in your later years.

Mental Health: Studies have shown that inflammation, often regulated by the immune system, can influence mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Energy: People with strong immune systems often report higher energy levels. This could be because the immune system plays a role in regulating metabolism and cellular energy production. 

Building a Strong Immune System

So what can we do to build our immune system and boost prevention. Here are 5 tips that you can incorporate into your daily lifestyle:

  1. Healthy Diet: A balanced and nutrient-rich diet is vital for immune system function. Think about including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your meals. Nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and antioxidants play key roles in supporting immune responses.
  2. Regular Exercise: Exercise improves circulation, which allows immune cells to move more freely throughout the body. Exercise also reduces inflammation and supports the production of antibodies, enhancing immune function.
  3. Sleep: Sleep is the body’s natural way of restoring and resetting itself. During sleep, the immune system works to repair and defend the body. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to promote optimal immune function.
  4. Stress Reduction: Chronic stress can weaken the immune system over time. Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and spending time in nature.
  5. Hydration: Staying well-hydrated is crucial for immune system function. Water helps transport nutrients to cells and supports the removal of toxins from the body.

Non-Traditional Strategies to Support Your Immune System

While we’ve listed a few of the traditional ways to boost your immune system, there are also some unconventional things you can incorporate to create a more holistic approach.

  1. Laugh often: Laughter isn’t just good for the soul; it can also boost your immune system. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress hormones, increase immune cells and antibodies, and improve overall immune function.
  2. Cold Exposure: Controlled exposure to cold temperatures, known as cold therapy, has gained attention for its potential immune-boosting effects. Cold showers, ice baths, and outdoor winter activities can stimulate the production of immune cells and improve circulation, enhancing immune responses.
  3. Social Interactions: Meaningful social connections have been linked to improved immune function. Engaging in positive social interactions, maintaining close relationships, and participating in community activities can have a positive impact on your immune system.
  4. Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices can influence immune system function. Incorporating meditation, deep breathing, or guided imagery sessions can reduce stress and promote a balanced immune response.
  5. Spending Time in Nature: Fresh air, sunlight, and the calming environment of natural settings contribute to reduced stress and improved overall well-being.

We’ve certainly been trying ALL of these to keep away the sniffles, or at least reduce the severity of colds when they hit. But with a kindergartener in the house, it’s not always possible! Stay tuned as we share some of our at home remedies later this month on the blog, in case you are in the same boat.

Have a great and healthy start to November!

Blog, Uncategorized
September 5, 2023

September Reset

We love September, it’s our favourite month. The weather, the smell, and the feeling of new possibilities. The shifting seasons seems like a perfect time to reset our mindset and re-evaluate our goals.

Let’s face it, it is likely that the goals/intentions we committed to at the beginning of the year most likely did not account for those real-life occurrences. But what if we set goals and acknowledged that real life circumstances will inevitable pop up, and be ok with the fact that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing? At the end of the day, what’s important is that we keep moving forward, regularly re-evaluate where we are, and reset!

Consider September as a clean slate. Instead of dwelling on the things we haven’t done, let’s use our energy instead to reboot and make the most of the coming months. With that said, we’ll share a few tips to help restart and recommit to your wellness, fitness, and life goals. September is a beautiful month to reboot, let’s jump in!

  1. Re-Evaluate Your Goals
    Take a look at your goals and decide if they make sense in the context of your unique life. If they need to be tweaked, how can you shoot for “better” instead of “perfect”?
  2. Plan For the Inevitable
    What’s coming up in your life – that you know about – that might derail your forward progress? What are potential roadblocks that could pop up out of nowhere? Start planning some strategies and workarounds to those challenges now, and when they come, you’ll be ready for them.
  3. Check out our Home Workout Fitness Guide
    We have made a short guide filled with tips to maximize your exercise routine and achieve your fitness goals from the comfort of your own home. Check it out here.
  4. Start Small
    Just because it’s September, it doesn’t mean you need to go from 0-100 to make up for lost time. Instead, try to break your goal down into the smallest possible steps. We’re talking about the smallest action possible that serves to move you forward in a meaningful way.
  5. Check In With Your Goals Each Day
    One of the best ways to not let your goals fall by the wayside? Re-read them each day! We are all so busy and have a million things pulling at our attention. It’s easy to forget the new lifestyle habits and goals you’re trying to adopt. By checking in with your goals regularily, you will be reminded of what you’re working towards. Make sure you’re always taking those small steps. Self-improvement is gradual and continuous.
  6. Show up Again Tomorrow
    Remember that it doesn’t matter what happened yesterday. Begin each day with a fresh start and an open mind. After all, this isn’t a race to be completed: it’s your life. Tomorrow is a fresh start. Just show up and begin again.
  7. Join A Community
    Being consistent and working on yourself can seem like a lonely, tiresome road. Sometimes we need a little bit of help and guidance. That’s where our EA Fitness community comes into play. Inside our members portal, you can make comments, ask questions, and interact with other members so you never feel like you’re on this journey alone.
  8. Bonus: Introducing something new can help your motivation.
    Aha, we got you covered with this one! This month we will be introducing our EA Collections to the Virtual Studio to help take your wellness to the next level!  Our Collections will be curated classes where you’ll find programs and progressive series that target fitness focus that you can easily follow along. No more guessing what workouts you should do. Looking to feel stronger, leaner, or improve your flexibility? We got your back!

This community can be not just your accountability partner, but a source of joy, connection, a place to meet new people that share your interests.

Together, we are dedicating time, energy, and money into bettering ourselves. Are you ready to get it started with us?

Blog, Uncategorized
August 8, 2023

Grounding

August is like the Sunday of summer, let’s soak it in and spend a little time replenishing ourselves. This month, we’ll be talking about grounding. The Earth is like a gigantic battery that contains a natural, subtle electrical charge—a special kind of energy present in the ground. Grounding (which is also called earthing), is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. This totally makes sense, if you think about it, human beings evolved in connection with the Earth’s energy, we walked barefoot and we slept in contact with the Earth never realizing that its surface contained limitless, natural, healing energy, that’s pretty amazing.. right?

Grounding and its health benefits have existed for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine, Aboriginal cultures, and Indigenous communities. The most recent research has explored grounding for inflammation, cardiovascular disease, muscle damage, chronic pain, and mood. Studies suggest that earth’s natural electric charge stabilizes the physiology at the deepest levels, reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves blood flow, energy, and sleep, and generates greater well-being.

Many people report on the spiritual aspect of grounding, including feelings of peace, meditation, and contentment after a grounding session. Sometimes, grounding is seen as a way to connect to the present moment, to Mother Earth or a greater force and to return internally to a simpler way of life that is in tune with earth.

There are different ways you can practice grounding, the best part is, you don’t need anything fancy, most of us can practice simply by stepping into nature (literally…).

Grounding can be performed both outdoors and indoors, depending on the technique you choose to use. When you’re outside, you can easily ground yourself by allowing the bottoms of your feet, palms of your hands, or entire body to touch the earth. Walk in the grass, lay in the sand, or swim in the sea. These are all easy ways to naturally reconnect.

Walking barefoot

One of the easiest ways to ground yourself to the earth is to walk barefoot. Whether this is on grass, sand, or even mud, allowing your skin to touch the ground can provide you with grounding energy.

Lying on the ground

You can increase your skin-to-earth contact by lying on the ground. You can do it in the grass by the park or on the sand at the beach (just make sure to take precautions and never lie somewhere you could get hurt).

Grounding in water

Water can also be used to ground in the same way the earth is used for grounding. Swimming in the ocean or a lake is a great way to ground yourself.

Using grounding equipment

When grounding outside isn’t really an option (i.e. middle of winter), there are alternative methods you can try, including: grounding mats, grounding sheets or blankets or grounding socks.

We love this simple, inexpensive way of replenishing ourselves. Have you tried grounding? We’d love to hear your experience!

Blog, Healthy Lifestyle, Uncategorized
July 4, 2023

Stay Hydrated this summer!

Did you know the human body is 60% water, a third of that is SALT water. We cry, sweat and bleed salt water (we’re basically a walking ocean).

Now that summer has arrived, it’s easy to lose water with summer heat and more time spent in nature. 

Staying hydrated can benefit your physical, emotional, and mental health. Plus, it could even support your summer health and weight loss goals by boosting your metabolism!

To keep hydrated, drinking plain water is not always the way to go. Our body needs electrolytes for optimal hydration (hydration electrolytes include sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium). Sometimes, over hydrating with plain water can actually dehydrate you, flush out electrolytes, lead to low sodium levels and cause you to use the bathroom all day. Here’s a tip, consume salt with water! Salt helps the body hydrate as it plays an important role in fluid balance, not getting enough can lead to dehydration, especially during high-intensity exercise or when outside in the heat. Studies suggest that 2-5,000mg of sodium per day is optimal for health (this increases by 1,000mg for every hour of exercise). 

Yes salt has a bad rep, but it is an essential mineral. It helps regulate fluid balance and is required for muscle and nerve function. Want to learn more, check out this article with more information on the role of salt and what type is the best to consume. 

Try these hydration hacks to keep hydrated this summer!

Keep a reusable water bottle with you as a reminder to replenish your water stores throughout the day. You can add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt and lemon, or if you want to get fancy you can add electrolytes. We love LMNT electrolytes when we can get our hands on them, they have simple ingredients and taste great.

Spice up The Flavor: Add frozen berries (like blueberries or raspberries) to your water with a squeeze of lemon and handful of mint, delicious.

Eat Water Rich Foods: Cucumbers and watermelon contain more than 90% water! You can add these water-rich foods to your meals for an extra hydration boost! You can also try adding zucchini, strawberries, melon, and tomatoes to your diet. 

Try a Smoothy: Blend nourishing broths and veggies into your soups, or add a splash of electrolyte-filled coconut water to your smoothies to enhance the hydration.

We hope these tips help! Do you have any tips you want to share? Leave them in the comment section below!

Blog, Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle, Uncategorized
June 1, 2023

Give your metabolism a boost

Summer is just around the corner, and we’re so ready for it! As we dive into the warmer months, let’s talk about a topic that we often get asked about – metabolism, and how to keep you feeling your best as cottage days, summer vacations and patio season approaches.

Whether you’re 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and beyond, you can apply ALL of these tips for the healthiest, and happiest you.

Let’s get started! Our metabolism is actually a relatively complex chemical process that turns food into energy to power the functions of all of our cells and organs. We use this energy to breathe, to think, to move, to grow, to digest, etc. Although the metabolism does concern itself with how fast our body burns calories, it is important to remember that this complex process is incredibly important to keep our bodies functioning optimally. The speed of your metabolism has to do with a variety of factors including genetics, age, height and gender, etc. Although you can’t control these areas, here are a few things you can do to improve the health of your metabolism at any age.

Get Quality Sleep
We all know how important sleep is for all aspects of our lives! This is definitely the easiest and perhaps most enjoyable thing you can do to support your metabolism. There are a few hormones involved in the reset processes of the brain during sleep, ghrelin and leptin are two in particular that play an important role in regulating the metabolism along with hunger and fullness cues. Decreased levels of these hormones have been found to directly contribute to a slower metabolism. You can combat this by trying to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night.


Start or Continue Strength Training
Put simply, the more muscle you carry on your body, the more energy you’ll burn throughout the day. As we age, muscle mass naturally begins to decline (about 1% each year). So, if you don’t actively use your muscles, your body begins to store more fat instead. If you haven’t been prioritizing weight training, there is no better time than the present! Try to incorporate 3-4 days of strength training to your schedule keep that metabolism fired up.

Prioritize Protein
The traditional way of thinking was that eating less and exercising more is the answer to all metabolic problems. But if you really want to support your metabolism, it’s time to focus your efforts into eating a well-balanced diet – not restricting, or skipping meals. Food is fuel!

While planning your meals, try and prioritize protein intake. Protein provides our bodies with the building blocks it needs to build and repair cells, tissues, bones and muscles. Protein also helps our bodies make antibodies to help fight infection. As we age, protein has another important job: preventing muscle loss.

Starting around age 40, the body naturally starts to lose muscle. Over the years, this rate of muscle decline accelerates. Getting enough protein from a balanced diet is one way to combat muscle wasting.

In addition, not only does your body burn more calories digesting protein than it does fat or carbs (this does not mean skip fat or carbs), but protein also helps promote fullness and helps build lean muscle mass. 


Eat Frequently
After eating a snack or meal, our metabolism gets a little boost as it works to digest the food and convert it into energy. You can support this by having a small meal or snack every couple of hours as opposed to three large meals spaced out throughout the day. Keep in mind, food quality still counts, aim for protein packed snack options, feeling lost on what to eat? We’ll being sending a few ideas you can incorporate in our weekly newsletters!

So there you have it, staying active, incorporating strength training workouts into your routine, including good sources of quality protein and getting plenty of sleep will help your metabolism at any age!

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