It’s a known fact that when stressed, often our healthy eating habits go out the window. It may be due to the fact that eating fills an emotional void, so when stressed that piece of apple pie looks so much more tempting. Or it could be as simple as poor food choices due to a lack of time and popping a Mikes frozen pizza in the oven allows us to finish what’s on our “to do” list.

In the West Island where there seems to be a never ending stream of new gyms popping up, Vanakays Mouvement Santé stands alone as a unique holistic center that not only treats the physical dimension of the body, but the spiritual element and the mental discipline as well. Vanakays combines a private health club, osteopathy, endermologie, massage therapy and nutritional consultations. Each service is managed by some of the top professionals in their field.

Heart attacks have been on my mind lately and rightfully so. One of the classes I teach is spin, and over the past 6 months I know two men (one of whom is a co-worker) that have suffered heart attacks while spinning. I was not teaching in either, however that is not to say that I have not been very much affected by these unfortunate events which have played havoc on my imagination. Lately while instructing cycle I experienced shortness of breath and dizziness, the first thing that ran through my mind was "there is something wrong with my heart!".

If any of you are familiar with lululemon you might know one of their manifestos - "A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress", this statement is so bang on. I recall when a little over 4 years ago I went through one of the hardest times in my life, and during this time I was the most dedicated to exercising because I knew it brought me refuge. It was the time when I decided to get divorced and leave the Middle East with my twin daughters and come home alone.

Did you know that our body is made up of two thirds water, and without it our bodies would die within just a few days? Our brain consists of 95% water, our blood 80% and our lungs 90%, so that is why it is so important to make sure you keep hydrated especially during this heat wave. Even a drop of only 2% in our body's water content can take a toll on your daily physical activities; dizziness, lack of concentration, daytime fatigue can all be signs of slight dehydration. So, how much water should we drink before, during and after exercise?

With every article I write I try to bring you interesting health related topics, and this time I would like to shed some light on posturology. What is posturology, you ask? Basically it is the science of how our body stands up against gravity. A huge part of our population suffers from bad posture which leads to imbalances in our body that may ultimately lead to chronic pain which might be a backache, neck pain or even sore feet to mention a few.

Just like the fashion industry constantly changes so does the fitness industry. Trends come and go, some classes that you think will be just a fad such as stroller aerobics, turn out to be a fitness staple in many gyms. Other sport trends show up and not only do they make you ask “what is this?”, they make you ask “are you serious?”, and that’s exactly what happened last weekend.

With the intense heat these days it really feels like summer is here, and along with heat comes less clothing and less clothing means more body awareness particularly around the waist line. If you are banging out the boring crunches in hopes of flattening your stomach it’s a good start however, there are some good exercises that use the BOSU ball that will take off the inches and target muscles beyond your abs such as your stabilizers. Here are a few body shaping exercises that you can incorporate into your regular exercise routine.