Eating Well While Stuck At Home
Written by Tara Postnikoff, Hon B. A., RNCP/ROHP, CNP While the current Covid-19 pandemic is changing many areas of our lives and no doubt increasing our stress levels, it is also providing us many opportunities as well. Spending time at home can be a struggle, especially with the kitchen and pantry open for business 24 X 7. Here […]
Running & Core Strength
We know the “core” to be different muscles that help stabilize the spine and pelvis, but there are specific groups of core muscles that are especially important in running in Toronto and other cities. We call this the “outer unit” or “slings”. Slings are groups of muscles that cross the pelvis to create dynamic stability […]
Registering For a Half-Marathon This Year?
Are you thinking of registering for a half-marathon this year? Wondering what the key elements to a solid half-marathon training program are? Here’s Totum team member & running specialists, Victoria Lavinska’s two cents… Long Runs Goal: endurance – the longer these runs, the more you will work on your endurance, helping you prepare for race […]
Stretching vs Strengthening Muscles
Stretching vs Strengthening Tight Muscles Many people associate a feeling of muscle “tension” with a necessity to stretch that muscle. However, sometimes that muscle actually needs to be strengthened! Take a look at some of these tips, definitions and recommendations from Toronto’s top rated physiotherapists & chiropractors. Muscle Flexibility Let’s start by defining muscle flexibility, […]
King St. Renovations
As part of the ongoing renovations of our King Street facility, we are excited to announce that the new men’s locker room is complete, which brings us to the end of phase 1. It looks amazing! We have brand new beautiful wooden lockers (seriously—they are gorgeous), modern tiles, and a luxury infrared sauna. But, sadly, […]
The #1 Way to Boost Your Brain Power
The idea of exercise as a tool for brain development should be very attractive to anyone involved in education. A simple way to benefit from this idea is to use exercise as a “primer” to enhance your brain’s ability to function. This is such a simple concept, yet it is rarely utilized in our busy […]
What Is Sport-Specific Training for Young Athletes?
Does your program train for [insert any sport here] specifically? It’s a common question from players and parents. The short answer is yes, but perhaps not for the reasons you may think. Sport-specific training is really just training. There are certain areas of focus that are important, such as power for power sports and endurance […]
The Stress Response
There are two main divisions to our nervous system: the sympathetic and parasympathetic. There is also a third known as the enteric system, but for clarity’s sake, we’ll leave that division out of this conversation. Fight or Flight? Or Rest and Digest? Our sympathetic nervous system is our “fight or flight” response, which is the […]
Controlled Breathing for Optimal Performance: Part 2 of 2
Back to Part 1 How to re-establish proper breathing Exhalation • 90/90 hip bridge with balloon • 4 point stance breathing • Wall reach Inhalation • Straw inhales with awareness of sequencing • Weighted diaphramatic inhales DIY: Test your Breathing Test #1—Vital Lung Capacity • Use tape measure 1″ below sternum • Inhale / exhale • Divide inhale […]
Controlled Breathing for Optimal Performance: Part 1 of 2
“All chronic pain , suffering and disease are caused by a lack of O2 at the cellular level.” —Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology More and more, the health and fitness industry is seeing the value in mindfulness as a way to enrich our lives. A critical component of mindfulness, if not the […]