Health & Fitness Continuing Education Workshops and Certifications

In this workshop, a brief overview of the different types of diabetes will be presented, followed by the tools the fitness professional should have to best support their client living with diabetes or at risk for getting diabetes.

This workshop aims to provide health and fitness professionals with some introductory tools into the basic concepts of nutrition. It then helps them navigate through some of the food and supplement studies and anecdotes that are either motivated by ideology or grounded in scientific evidence.

Since the dawn of time, people have written about the best way to activate and reinforce the posterior chain as it is often weak. But is this true?
If it is true, could the cause be that we sit a large part of the day? Is it the fault of an overly tight psoas?
A lively workshop led by a facilitator whose stance is sure to surprise participants and that will encourage participants to see things through a neurological lens.

Our clients have moved beyond the workouts when it comes to their health, and we are perfectly poised to meet their needs. Gain a clear understanding of the skills needed to tap into the ever-growing wellness market. Confidently choose your path through services including mindfulness, sleep, stress management, mindset coaching, and so much more!

Your body’s core is often referred to as “the powerhouse of your body.” It is the area around your trunk and pelvis; it is where your centre of gravity is located; and it is where all your energy and movements originate from. The common misconception is that the core is all about abs when in fact it consists of 29 muscles all working in harmony to provide stability to your body and protect you from injury. The core is 60% of your power regardless of age! In this workshop, we will first review the anatomy of the trunk from the inside and outside. We will then address the needs of the young at heart, taking into account the physiological changes that occur during the aging process and how they affect trunk engagement. Finally, we will cover a variety of exercises that engage the core muscles. These include functional movements in different planes of mobility, either sitting, standing or lying down. We will discuss regressions and progressions for different fitness levels, as well as proper techniques and safety factors. Our goal as instructors and coaches is to help our older participants and clients improve their core strength and functional performance in a safe and inclusive manner.

Cycling is a very popular sport. This workshop will help you better understand the various topics related to the sport. Here are a few topics we will broach that will help you separate myth from fact:
• Cycling causes testicular cancer
• Cycling gives you big thighs
• Losing weight through cycling is no easy task
• Compression gear: it’s just about looks
• Riding against the wind is all about good wheels
• Drafting means you can finally sit back and relax
• Hairy like Chewbaca: not very aerodynamic
• To be a champ you need to be thin as a rake
• Anyone can do the Tour de France
• Cyclists who dope can ride like inexhaustible thoroughbreds 
• Cadence: the faster, the better
This workshop is based on the book Mythes et réalités sur le vélo.

Running is often not recommended for new moms. What’s the situation with the pelvic floor? Are there steps to complete beforehand? How can new moms do it right? How can you properly support new moms who want to start running? If a woman had a caesarian, can she start running sooner? 
In this workshop, Sarah helps separate myth from fact and will share the parameters to consider when the time comes to support and guide new moms in their return to running.

How often do you hear the following?
“My left knee hurts when I jump—what can I do?”
“My neck bothers me when I do this exercise—what am I doing wrong?”
“I can only do the first part of the class—I have difficulty getting down to the floor”
“My shoulder is sore from playing tennis this past weekend—can you give me alternatives for upper body today?”
This workshop will provide both group fitness instructors and personal trainers with a variety of strategies and alternative exercises for dealing with pain in exercise.
They will include:  
1. Identification of common issues encountered in group and personal training sessions
2. Discussion of immediate easy-to-use “on-the-spot” alternatives
3. Discussion of intermediary and long-term strategies and possible solutions

In training, there is simply no other exercise, and definitely no machine, that produces the level of nervous system activity, skeletal load, muscular stimulation, and overall systemic conditioning that a well-executed squat does. Just like a deadlift, the squat must be correctly executed and remains one of the fundamental movements every individual who works out should learn.
This practical workshop will cover squat progressions and lead to an understanding of the proper squat technique. 
• Technical movement analysis
• How to avoid injuries by doing proper warm-up exercises
• Learn to perfect the movement with a particular focus on progressions
• How to detect and correct mistakes our clients make
• Learn the different types of squats and their characteristics (back, front, overhead, etc.)

In the presentation, we will look at how to fuel for any type of long-distance event lasting more than one hour—half marathons, marathons, triathlons, etc. We will go through the fundamentals of carb loading leading up to the event as well as what to eat and drink during and after the event. We will also compare different products on the market such as sports bars, gels, and drinks. Participants will gain more knowledge to be able to make the right choice for them to have more energy during their event and improve their performance.

This six-hour gap course for trainers with existing YMCA Canada Individual Conditioning Certification to upgrade/update their certification to YMCA Canada Personal Trainer has been developed. This course can also be taken to obtain continuing education credits for all the FIT certifications.

This six-hour gap course for trainers with existing YMCA Canada Individual Conditioning Certification to upgrade/update their certification to YMCA Canada Personal Trainer has been developed. This course can also be taken to obtain continuing education credits for all the FIT certifications.