News

Come join Kelsey and Nathan for a weekend of education on our very favorite flexibility technique.

This is a VERY HANDS ON class. No prior training experience required. We will go over 16 self-stretches, 16 assisted stretches, mashing, and problem-solving. Limited space available.

We would highly advise getting the Resistance Stretching with Dara Torres DVD and flash cards before class -
everything else you will receive there. (Full Color Manual, Flexibility Profile, and Trainers Only DVD)

Wear comfortable clothes, bring water, a light snack, and a yoga mat (if you have one).

This is also a great class to take with a friend/spouse/partner, etc.

The cost is $500 plus GST.

To register: Call 403 238 0001 or e-mail ac.htlaehainetsnull@niltiac

Stenia Health and High Performance will be hosting the FIRST Level 1 Ki-Hara Course taught by Kelsey Andries and Nathan Bodewitz, the ONLY Master Trainers and Instructor in Canada!

In this course you will learn basic mashing techniques, Ki-Hara theory, 16 Self Stretches, 16 Assisted Stretches and Problem Solving. This is a hands on class so be prepared to work, and get worked on!

The course runs from 10am-5pm on September 24th and 25th. The cost is $500 plus GST. Register by calling 403 238-0001.

This course is eligible for 4.0 CEC’s from CanFit Pro and 1.2 CEU’s or 12 contact hours though NSCA.

Last month we had Tina Dubois from Living Barefoot come down to Stenia and test both the Curve and the Desmo treadmills. They tested 20 treadmills across the City for temperature increase, belt texture and deck suspension….and guess what, the Woodway’ came out on top (I keep telling everyone how great they are, and now there is proof!)

Read the full review.

We are hosting our next Ki-Hara Self Stretch workshop on Saturday April 2nd from 1-5pm. The cost is $150 plus GST and you can sign up by calling 403 238 0001.

See you there!

Recently Calgary won the bid to host the Canadian Senior Track Nationals for 2011 and 2012. That means over 600 athletes including; Perdita Felicien, Jessica Zelinka, Sam Effah, and Stenia’s very own Tessa Burnett will be in Calgary competing in more than 134 events. Huzzah!
If you’ve never watched a track and field competition before let me tell you, you are in for a treat. The power and speed that you see from these athletes is absolutely mind-blowing. I remember a few years ago the first time I ever saw Tessa was when she was training on the track at the University of Calgary. I was a young and naive nineteen-year-old, contorting myself into an abdominal exercise on a mat near the track when out of the corner of my eye I counted six, seven, eight, possibly even nine abdominal muscles bulging out from the stomach of a girl with curly red hair and giant legs barreling down the lane towards me. I was terrified, intimidated and, oddly enough, completely captivated at the same time. As she turned the corner I heard a guy beside me tell his friend that that girl was Tessa Gray. We all released a collective sigh.
I quickly returned to my mat, telling myself that if I were to win Tessa’s heart my abs would, at the very least, have to be better than hers. Four years later and it still hasn’t happened but I did get my first taste of the track and field world and I was dazzled! Since then I’ve made it to many track and field events in Calgary just to admire the pure athleticism of the competitors. If at all possible you should make an effort to get down to Foothills Stadium to see these athletes in action.
You could also do one better and help Tessa out in fundraising for the event. Tessa is a member of the prestigious Calgary Track Council and one of the key members responsible for finding corporate sponsorship for the Senior Nationals Event. She’s looking for anyone willing to help out the games by purchasing one of the sponsorship packages that range from $100 000/year all the way down to $100 and everything in-between. If you or anyone you know would be interested please talk to Tessa about getting some exposure for a company and helping Tessa and all of Canada’s track athletes. It’s a great cause and might even earn you a break during one of her workouts!

I work at Stenia but I am also a client of Stenia. You see, since November 11th I have been training using the same equipment, training plan, and nutrition plan that are available to clients at Stenia. I started by receiving the Silver Package assessment to get measurements on my strength, power, and body composition and since then I’ve been following a training program designed by Kelsey, receiving training tips from Nate, and following my own nutrition plan. In a few weeks I’ll be assessed again to measure improvements
You can see from the pictures that we are able to provide results. The first picture set shows me on November 11th, about nineteen months since the last time I had lifted a weight. To be fair, I had been running to train for the Victoria Marathon that I ran in early October so I wasn’t completely away from exercise, but even that was only five months of training and did not include weights. Essentially I was starting from nothing and I have to admit that I don’t look healthy at all.
The second picture set is taken on December 18th, just five and a half weeks later and what a difference the training and nutrition work has made! There’s some muscle definition coming through, I’m a lot thicker in most areas and my tiny back has some width to it. Not only that but I’m sleeping better and generally feeling more energetic! What a difference from this summer. I have to admit that even I’m shocked at how quickly the results came. Granted I’ve been very strict with training and fairly strict with diet, but to see this amount of change, I’m stoked!
The message you can take home? The methods available at Stenia Health and High Performance work, I’m a perfect example. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of them. Keep checking the newsletter as we’ll be posting results of future assessments in them so you can track my progress and perhaps motivate yourself to continue your own training!

If you put a delicious Dairy Queen Reese’s Pieces blizzard (not Oreo, Oreo is the Nickleback of blizzards, everyone likes it but the truth is its not that good) in your fridge at home and tell yourself not to eat it then you will make a liar of yourself. One day you’ll come home from work, nothing else will be in the fridge, and you’ll say to yourself “well I did take the stairs today…” Two minutes later it’ll be gone and you’ll be ashamed. But don’t feel too bad, the simple fact is that if you make food available to yourself then eventually you will consume it.

So you’ve got to be proactive in preventing your unhealthy eating. Getting unhealthy foods out of the house is the only way you’ll keep yourself from temptation. The best way to do that? Perform an Extreme Makeover-Kitchen Edition…but without that annoying host with the spiky hair and cheesy hippy necklaces. Here are a list of foods that need to be removed from the house:

potato or corn chips
fruit or granola bars
cookies & crackers
chocolates & candy
soft drinks
regular peanut butter
frozen dinners
margarine
baked goods
fruit juice

Empty all those empty calories into a garbage bag and throw it in the dumpster or, if you live along 17th Ave, see how long before a bum in a jean jacket comes along to pick it up. I’ve seen 4 minutes 38 seconds.

Next step is to get to the grocery store and replace those items with good, healthy foods. These foods are the 20 Superfoods because of the nutrients and flavour packed into each one:

Lean red meat (93% lean, top round, sirloin) – Protein
Salmon – Protein
Omega-3 eggs – Protein
Living Fuel Protein Supplement – Protein
Spinach – Carbohydrate
Tomatoes – Carbohydrate
Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli) – Carbohydrate
Mixed berries – Carbohydrate
Oranges – Carbohydrate
Mixed beans (kidney, navy, white etc.) – Carbohydrate
Quinoa – Carbohydrate
Whole Oats – Carbohydrate
Mixed Nuts – Fat
Avocados – Fat
Olive Oil (extra virgin) – Fat
Fish Oil (salmon, anchovy, menhaden, krill) – Fat
Flax Seeds (ground) – Fat
Green tea – Teas
Living Fuel Greens Supplement – Vegetable Concentrate
Liquid exercise drinks – Recovery Drink

Now you’re on your way to success. By eliminating readily accessible unhealthy temptations and replacing them with healthy foods you will force yourself to improve your nutrition. Of course your entire diet doesn’t have to be made up of these Superfoods but you should definitely try to consume each Superfood 2-3 times a week. Start experimenting with recipes based around the foods on the list and make sure to write down your favourites.

Eliminating the means to eat poorly in your house will go a long way toward controlling your cravings just because the appealing foods won’t be readily accessible. If you do have a strong craving, chances are by the time you think about getting in the car, driving to the grocery store, buying the desired food, and returning home with it the craving will have passed. Then you can settle down to something nutritious.

Remember: if the food is available it will eventually be consumed! Go home and do an Extreme Kitchen Make-over!

Winter calls for hearty, and hardy, foods and they don’t come much healthier, heartier, and hardier than kale. This tough, leafy vegetable ripens in the late fall and early winter and is strong enough to even endure light snowfall.
It’s also about as nutrient dense as a food can get while remaining energy low. Translation; lots of good stuff and few calories.
Read on to find out what exactly is in kale and one good, quick recipe.

So what exactly is packed into one cup of those little green leaves? Well, just about everything. How about 684% of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin K, 206% of your Vitamin A, 134% Vitamin C, not to mention trace amounts of seven different B Vitamins. And that’s just the Vitamins! All your favourite minerals like manganese, copper, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium…they’re all there! And studies show that the calcium in kale is better absorbed than the calcium in milk. So all you lactose intolerant people out there, no excuse for brittle bones!
You’re getting all that goodness in a little leafy package. But wait! There’s more! Fibre and protein are on board. Yes!
Everything you just read in a bunch of veiny leaves. And the real kicker? Only 33 calories. These just may be the healthiest chips on the planet.

Recipe

• 1 bunch of kale, ripped into small uniform pieces
• 1.5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Lemon Juice or Apple Vinegar

Put the kale pieces in a large, lidded container. Add in the olive oil, salt, and lemon juice, along with any other spices you’d like, pepper, yeast culture, and cajun spice are all good choices (just not all together!). Put on the lid and shake until the pieces are evenly coated.
Set the kale pieces on a sheet and bake at 375 for about 12 minutes. You might have to grab a stool and watch them bake because they taste terrible if they burn. You can also broil them in order to dry them out a little bit. Once they’re a crispy you’re done! Now you can settle back to watch the Flames struggle with a smug smile, knowing no one else is munching on a healthier chip.

Working out at Stenia Health means you’ve made exercising a top priority and have searched out some of the best trainers in Calgary. That’s outstanding and will go a long way to excellent health. But exercising is only half the battle. Proper nutrition in combination with an excellent training program is the best way to see results faster, break through a plateau, and elevate your health to another level. That’s why we’re offering nutrition consultations with our Precision Nutrition Certified trainer, John Reid. Click on the link below or talk to our front desk for more information!

Precision Nutrition Program
Nutrition is the missing link for almost every individual that puts their sweat, time, and money into a gym in an effort to lose weight and gain muscle. A 1998 meta-analysis at the George Washington University Medical Centre reviewed over 700 studies on weight loss research comparing the effects of exercise versus exercise and proper diet combined. The meta-analysis revealed that after six months of exercise alone subjects lost an average of just 2.9kg, or about 6.4 lb. Those that combined exercise and diet lost 11kg or about 24.2lb. Truly committing to a healthy lifestyle change requires equal effort in the gym and in the kitchen. An individualized, well-designed training program requires an individualized, well-designed nutrition program to accompany it.
Precision Nutrition was developed by Dr. John Berardi after he recognized that there was a gap between exercise knowledge and nutrition knowledge. Dr. Berardi , adjunct professor at the University of Texas, holds a doctorate in Kinesiology, is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has consulted with teams and organizations such as the Cleveland Browns, Toronto Maple Leafs, Speed Skating Canada and Texas Longhorn. He’s also consulted thousands of private clients.
The PN program will teach you to take control of your body and what you put in it, and most importantly, get you the results you have been looking for.
Pre-Consultation Assessment:
Prior to your first session you will be sent a questionnaire to be completed and returned at least 2 days prior to your first appointment. This includes: Pre-consult Assessment, Readiness for Change, Kitchen Makeover, Social Support, Three Day Dietary Record
First Meeting, Initial Testing, Goal Setting, and Strategy Implementation (1hr):
The session will begin with a body composition and girth measurements. These values will be used to monitor your progress from month to month.
You will develop outcome goals based on your individual needs and the results of your questionnaire. In addition you will begin creating a system or routine that will enable you to achieve your goals.
Finally, your coach will few key strategies to get you on your way to proper nutrition.
Follow-Up Sessions, Progress assessments, education and troubleshooting (bi-weekly, 1 hour) :
After that initial session you will meet your coach every two weeks to educate, troubleshoot, and assess progress.
What does it cost?
$570 plus GST = $598.50 paid upon the first session. This includes the initial session ($90 plus GST) plus 8 follow up session ($60 plus GST).

Tessa Gray has been with Stenia since last March and, judging from the exhausted but smiling looks on client’s faces after her sessions, she’s great at pushing you hard in the gym while still keeping things new and fun.
That’s a skill she likely picked up from her own training as a track athlete. There’s nothing that sounds exciting about running around in circles on a track, especially when you’ve been doing it for 15 years like Tessa has. But somehow she’s been able to keep things interesting. I asked her a few questions to find out how she stays dedicated and how being an athlete helps when training clients.
Your event is the 400m hurdles. Isn’t that the most difficult distance to run? How did you end up in the 400m hurdles?
The 400m Hurdles is one of the hardest events to run but becomes easier the more that you train for it. I originally started running as a short distance sprinter in Jr. High and slowly discovered that I was better over a farther distance. I was also a good hurdler so my coach decided to put me in the 400m hurdles to see how I would do, despite my efforts to convince him other wise, and ended up doing really well for never running or training for that event before, so I then decided to focus on the 400m hurdles from then on.

You’re a busy lady, how do you find time to fit 2+ hours of training in six days a week?
The only way that I find time is to fully commit and surrender myself to it. I have decided that training is very important to me and there is only so much longer that I can train and compete at a national level so I have to make sure to get my training in every day. It has become a habit for me and I feel off when I don’t get it done. Training is basically a number one priority for me right now at this point in my life. Also it helps having a boss that understands and helps you achieve your goals

You’ve been running track for a lot of years and, lets face it, you’re still running around in circles turning left. How do you keep it interesting? Does that help you when training clients?
Yes I have been running for about 14 years now and when I am at the track it is like home to me. Yes running around in circles is a little boring but none of the workouts that I do are like that. If I am ever able to think about how boring my workout is I am not running hard enough! Our workouts are always different and challenging enough that all I am thinking about is not dying! I do like to incorporate some of the things that we do in track with some of my clients, it also helps me get a perspective on how hard you can actually push the body so my clients can’t get away with too much!

What’s your favourite body part to train? Least favourite?
My favorite body part to train would be the glutes!! You need a very strong glute to run and have a nice runners bum! My least favorite would be my calves because they are always tight.

The male population of Calgary is approximately 539, 655. How many of them do you think were disappointed to hear you got married this summer? What was the highlight of the wedding?
All of them hahaha! As for the highlight? Do you mean besides the amazing man that I now get to spend the rest of my life with? Well, really the whole event was amazing! Everything was perfect and it was everything we could have asked for and more! Then the honeymoon was also great and a nice way to escape for a little.

Two athletes (husband Wilson is a thrower) in the house, who does more cooking?
Wilson does almost all of the cooking! I don’t really cook and he is good at it and likes it. I am more of a baker; I cook all the cookies and good stuff. I am very excited for Christmas so I can do all of my Christmas baking!!

This summer Calgary is hosting the Senior National Championships for Track and Field. What does that include? Could we watch you compete?
This event includes all track and field events for senior athletes from across Canada, including a Para- Olympic section! It’s a week-long event with activities for kids, expos, everything! The best of the best will be there including Olympians Jessica Zelinka and Priscilla Lopez. Also our hometown boy Sam Effah and Amon Nelson who have just returned from the CommonWealth games in Delhi, India. Oh, and I’ll be there too. I would love any support I could get! Come watch!

Are you pretty excited to compete in front of a home crowd?
I am very excited to compete at home!! All the national championships that I have been to out east have been so hot and humid.It is going to be a very different climate then what I am use to here at home! Hopefully that will play to my advantage! It will also be nice that my friends and family can come out to watch me run at a national championship. The only problem will be filling the stands. As of right now track is not a big event in Canada and it is hard to get people out to watch but I am hoping a national championship will drum up a little more interest and get people in the stands. It makes the competition that much better! That’s why I’m telling all my clients that if they come I’ll take it a little easier on them the next time we meet!

And finally, what is your favourite colour?
My favorite colour is RED because it is a fast colour!