The Sydney Bednarik Mental Health Foundation Is Open!

Exciting news!

Most of you know the reason Elate Fitness exists is because of my sister. Elate Fitness was created to give people a way to build better mental health that is affordable and could be started immediately.

I am very excited to announce we have just opened the Sydney Bednarik Mental Health Foundation.

This is a great way for us to continue Syd’s legacy.

The purpose of this foundation is to fundraise and compile donations to either make donations in Sydney’s name to support youth mental health services that need it most, or as a scholarship to support the advancement of mental health.

Our mental health systems and services are a long way from being perfect, but steps like this will help us get there,

Here’s what you can do:

1. Visit our new website SydneyBednarik.com and learn why this foundation is needed and why our mental health systems need help.

2. Join our email list. This is the best way to stay up to date on what we’re doing, and to get annual reminders when we look for donations. The sign-up form is at the bottom of the website sydneybednarik.com

3. Use the “Click Here To Donate Now” button if you have the ability to make a donation towards the fund. Every single dollar that comes in will go out, and it adds up fast when lots of us make even $5 donations. But of course, don’t feel obligated, just your support and sharing our message helps as well.

4. Follow our social media pages (Facebook & Instagram) to stay up to date.

5. If you have any suggestions, please share them with us. You are as much of a part of this foundation as we are.

That’s all for now. 

It’s hard to believe we’re coming up to seven years. But that is also why it is so important to keep working towards change.

Take Care,

Corbin Bednarik

Are You A Mental Health Professional? See How We Can Benefit You!

If you recommend things like physical activity, healthy eating, staying hydrated, and better sleep to your clients, but don’t give them a proper action plan or program to follow, then Elate Fitness can be a great resource for you.

There is a disconnect between health professionals recommending physical activity and physical health habits and people actually doing it.

The scientific research over the past several years shows how vitally connected our physical health is to our mental health.

Improving one’s physical health goes hand-in-hand with what you do as a health professional. This can be a great asset to seeing progress with your clients, which is the entire reason both of us do what we do, right?

Exercise is now recommended (and prescribed) being as effective as other treatments for mild-moderate depression, including medication (among a host of other benefits), as an adjunctive treatment for moderate-severe depression, AND it goes hand-in-hand with therapy and complements many medications as well.

This is ESSENTIAL to creating good well-being.

Elate Fitness is a great resource for you at no cost to you and low cost to clients, helping create big changes in your clients lives by encouraging more physical activity and better healthy habits.

If you work with clients but do not give them an action plan to start improving their physical health, I strongly suggest recommending our 12-Week Challenge or our Free 5-Day Challenge.

We’ve made it easier than ever to get started, stay consistent, and create good mental health through physical health.

Please visit elatefitness.ca/how-we-benefit-you to learn more, get a free toolkit. and see how you can refer us.

CSEP Member Feature

I was honored to be the member feature a couple years back for the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) whom I hold certifications with.

I have also been lucky enough to be featured in a few news articles including the Victoria News and the Goldstream Gazette as well as an interview with a radio station The Zone 91.3 so far.

If the photo doesn’t load or is hard to read, it is written out here:

CSEP Member Feature: Corbin Bednarik

Elate Fitness – Founder, CSEP-CEP, CSEP High Performance Specialist™, BCAK - Practicing Kinesiologist

Tell us a bit about your day job, what inspires you and how are you coping during COVID-19?

I operate Elate Fitness which is designed to improve individuals' mental health by improving their physical health, primarily focused around physical activity.

Elate Fitness was created in part as a way for mental health professionals, who recommend exercise to their clients, to have a place to refer them.

Elate Fitness is completely virtual. My day is filled with 1:1 sessions with clients and check-ins/monitoring everyone using Elate Fitness. Our mobile app records when workouts, meals, and habits are entered so I can see how clients are doing and who may need more support. Most clients have direct messaging with me to increase accountability and motivation.

In 2017 my sister died by suicide and this now empowers me to create easily accessible programs for people who are wanting to improve their mental and physical health. I am inspired by the ability to genuinely improve people's lives and make them more secure, healthy, and happy with everything they do.

I have been lucky not to have been too negatively impacted by COVID-19 mostly due to working virtually. With the growing concern surrounding everyone's mental health during COVID-19 and in isolation it is more important now than ever to have access to mental health services, supports, and resources.

What contributions or achievements are you most proud of?

I am proud and lucky to be growing a network of counsellors and psychologists who are happy having somewhere to refer their clients to when recommending exercise.

I am also proud to have the Elate Fitness App going which has greatly helped with client accountability and engagement.

How can CSEP members add mental health check-ins to their programs?

First, I would strongly recommend getting more of an understanding of mental health such as taking a course like Mental Health First Aid offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

Second, if your job allows, creating check-ins with clients between sessions to ask a few basic questions around what they did and how they feel, for example, is a great way to get a sense of how they're doing and if they might need more support.

Lastly, don't be afraid to open up the conversation around mental health. I was surprised how much more information was shared with me and in turn how much more invested in the program they became.

Any interesting projects coming up for you?

Currently, I am working on building a more accessible program that teaches the basics and benefits of exercise, healthy eating, and how living a healthy lifestyle improves our mental health and boosts our feel-good chemicals. 

I am also currently taking a graduate certificate in mental health and addictions to further my knowledge and experience.

Find Elate Fitness on social media!

Facebook: ElateFitnessCanada
Instagram: Elate_Fitness

Visit Elate Fitness' Website

Introducing The Healthy Body Happy Mind 12-Week Challenge!

Can I Ask You A Question?

When was the last time you truly felt good about your mental and physical health?

We all have our challenges:

• Maybe you’re struggling lately, challenged by depression or anxiety…

• Maybe you’ve lost someone you know, a family member, a friend, and are challenged with grief…

• Maybe you’re going through a break-up, and are challenged with deep overpowering emotions…

• Maybe you just feel like your health could be better…

If you’re dealing with grief, depression, despair, how are you taking control of your mental and physical health?

If you’re just not feeling 100% and feel like your physical body and mental health could be better, how are you working on this?

How are you building yourself up?

If you don’t know how to answer this, you are the reason I created this challenge.
 

***Introducing the Healthy Body Happy Mind 12-Week Challenge***

The human body is intricate and there are so many powerful ways to help balance your mood, manage anxiety, lessen depression, attain a healthy body, and create good health for life.

The Healthy Body Happy Mind 12-Week Challenge is my way of creating a powerful, affordable, and accessible program that anyone can start immediately.
 
If you have ever wanted to help create good mental and physical health, take a look at what this challenge has to offer you.
 

https://www.elatefitness.ca/challenge

Take Care,

Corbin Bednarik

Helping you understand and create the Healthy Body and Happy Mind you deserve.
 

P.S.  There are a couple bonuses that won’t stay around for long. I wanted to make sure the value in the challenge is SO much higher than the investment to join.

P.P.S. Do you know someone you think might benefit from this challenge? I would LOVE for you to share this with them.


Always remember, all of us have mental health and you are NOT alone.

It's Been A While!

It’s Been A While!

First off,

The best way to stay updated is being on our email list. If it’s your first time you will also get a 5-Day Challenge including a Free Guide and Videos to welcome you!

As always, I promised every email will be valuable to you and include important information, free stuff for you, new research and information on mental and physical health, and resources for you.
 
Ok, here are the BIG UPDATES:
 
First:
Something exciting (and long awaited) is coming!

The Healthy Body Happy Mind 12-Week Challenge is releasing very soon! You’re not going to want to miss this.

Everything I’ve learned and practiced over the past decade, from all my education and working with hundreds of clients, all packed into a 12-Week Challenge to make it easy for you.

Because YOU deserve to wake up knowing you’re happy and proud of your life, your body, and your Mental and Physical Health.

Learn and practice what really creates good mental and physical health, for a fraction of the cost of other programs.

Just 12-weeks, with one to two easy tasks per week, to completely change your mental and physical health.

This has taken literally years to put together and is unlike anything currently out there.
If you’ve ever been interested in what I do, you won’t want to miss this.

Just 12-Weeks, but the results can last forever.

Second:
Emails and social media will start again, but much less frequently.

Social media can be a good tool, but it has never been something I enjoyed being on and can be very time consuming. It is a great tool to help reach more people, but it can also take away time that would otherwise be spent with clients or working on programs.

So, you will only get periodic updates on important information and free stuff for you, new research, and information on mental and physical health, and offers specific to you.
 
That’s it! Sound good?
 
There has been A LOT more research into Exercise and Depression the last couple years, and there is now even a Toolkit. All of this is funneled into the 12-Week Challenge. 

You can check out this Exercise and Depression Toolkit, designed for health care providers, but you may learn some cool stuff too.
Created in partnership with many organizations including the Canadian Mental Health Foundation and the University of BC: 
https://exerciseanddepression.ca/

I am happy with the research lately surrounding mental health and I'm looking forward to sharing some of that with you so you can understand what creates good mental and physical health (the whole point of Elate Fitness).
 
That’s all for now.

Take Care, 

 Corbin Bednarik

Elate Fitness: Helping you understand and create the Healthy Body and Happy Mind you deserve.
Always remember, all of us have mental health and you are NOT alone.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and this we focus on: “Creating Hope Through Action”.

As many of you know, mental health is very dear to me after losing my sister to suicide 4 years ago.

Sadly, many of us are touched by suicide, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal ideations within ourselves or the people we know.

Almost 800,000 people die by suicide each year, 20 million attempt suicide, and 160 million contemplate suicide, an astounding and tragic number.

Yet, it is preventable.

We know that certain actions can make a difference.

Especially among youth and young adults who haven’t had the time and support to overcome their struggles.

Together we can prevent suicide.

We can all help by…

… becoming educated about mental health

… reducing stigma to help others feel more comfortable talking about it

… offering an ear to listen or support with your knowledge or resources

1 in 5 of us will experience a mental health problem or illness each year.

We all know more than 5 people, that means the likelihood of someone you know struggling is very high, whether you know it or not.

For those of use who have lost someone to suicide, as tragic as this is, it is also an opportunity to help prevent ourselves and others from going through the same pain.

This is an opportunity to learn how to create good mental health, band together as a community, and support and educate our friends and family to make sure everyone knows they have support, never feel alone, and know suicide is preventable.

What can you do today for World Suicide Prevention Day?

Join the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at 2pmEST or 11amPST for a virtual online event: https://suicideprevention.ca/WSPD

Learn more on the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) website: https://www.iasp.info/wspd2021/

Watch this 2-minute video by IASP on Suicide Prevention Awareness (just click below):

As always, I am here to start that conversation with you, and I am always happy to point you in the right direction to create good mental health.

Do you want to learn more about mental health? I invite you to have a casual conversation with me where I am more than happy to share some of what I know. Just send me a message.

Take Care,

Corbin & Elate Fitness

P.S. Take a moment to think today. Do you have the resources to help a friend, loved one, colleague if they said they were struggling with mental health? Do you know what to do for yourself? Visit our external resources page to learn what’s available: https://www.elatefitness.ca/resources

Creating Personal Joy

Did you know you can improve your overall satisfaction and self-esteem just by making time to do things that bring you joy?

Whether that’s physical activity, watching a movie, playing an instrument, drawing/painting, listening to music (which has powerful effects on mood and emotion), or trying something new.

The key is DEDICATING TIME to it.

Because it is SO easy to put off those things when we have seemingly “more important” or “more stressful” things to do.

But guess what. You can’t do those things (or at least can’t do those things at 100%) without building more stress, and/or negatively affecting your mood.

Here’s what I need you to do…

Set 20 minutes aside each day (set a time, there’s 1440 minutes in a day, 20 minutes is not much) and do something you love. If you’re really enjoying it, keep going!

This helps…
… create joy
… increase sense of purpose
… boost rewarding feeling (like you’re accomplishing something)
… lowers negative stress

And of course…
Releases endorphins that literally enhance your feeling!

Something that simple helps reduce anxiety and depressive feelings, almost instantly!

Fun Fact: Just the thought of doing something you enjoy is enough to start boosting those feel-good chemicals!

And combined with daily movement makes this work even better!

Yes...
...This is permission to put yourself first.
...Prioritize your self-care.
...And create good mental health.

For me my main joy is of course physical activity. I do this in many forms, and at least every day, including the gym, mountain biking, running, simple walks and hiking in nature (If you haven’t noticed by now, I LOVE getting out into the forest). Yet I also love to read, often combine music with all of those, and am always open to trying new things.

It’s just 20 minutes, but it has the power to change your entire mood, self-esteem, and sense of accomplishment.

Take care, 

Corbin

Helping you understand and create good mental & physical health.

P.S. Need some ideas? We can totally brainstorm, let me know what you like and I’ll make some suggestions.

Don’t forget there are tons of free How-To videos online to learn something new. And of course flick through my my past emails or blog for more ideas!

Always remember, all of us have mental health and you are NOT alone.

The Key to Succeed Creating Happiness

Life is short. 

When was the last time you sat down and thought about what you want in life?  

Thought about what would make you happy? 

That is the first step to decide what you should dedicate your time and effort to. 

Whether that time is for more exercise, better relationships, etc. 
 

It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day life that we neglect what is truly important to us. 

Life is short. 

Too short to not be working on yourself every single day. 

Time disappears. You can spend months or years of your valuable time wishing for something different, wishing you felt a different way. But you will never get that time back. 

What you do every single day matters. 

You are either working towards a better life, or you’re not. 
 

Happiness and health come directly from spending that time on things most valuable to us. 

The first step to taking control of your time is setting goals. 

Goals are a GREAT way to start taking action. 

• Whether it’s to read every night for 20min before bed because it will help you sleep better and calm your mind. 

• Whether it’s spending 20 minutes outside per day to improve your physical shape and boost feel-good chemicals. 

• Whether it’s spending 20 minutes of direct time with your partner or a friend to boost your emotional connections. 
   

Goals give us some structure. 

They give us realistic things to look forwards to, and they help improve our lives every time we accomplish them. 

So take 5 minutes, sit down, clear your head, and think about what would make you happy. 

Then make a goal and go do that. 

As you continue working on yourself… 

• You CAN create good mental health,  

• You CAN create a good relationship with your body image. 

• You CAN create empowering self-esteem.
   

That’s all I want for every single one of you. 

To create mental health you are proud of. 

Don’t be afraid to be yourself because you’re afraid of what other people might think or say. 

Be authentically you. 
 

Here is my post from January 29, 2020 that reached over 70,000 people, because the message was inspiring, and my vision is still the same: https://www.elatefitness.ca/news-blogs-updates-source/lets-talk 

Take care, 

Corbin

Helping you understand and create good mental & physical health.

P.S.  I am so excited to getting close to launching a new 12-week program PACKED full of goals, weekly challenges, workouts, healthy eating guidelines, and more!  

I am so excited because this has all the tools and tricks I’ve learned over the past decade, and I am more than sure you will improve your live by completing it. It can be yours soon… 

Always remember, all of us have mental health and you are NOT alone.

3 Ways Exercise Transforms Your Brain

You live in your body and mind every second of every day. You deserve to enjoy them.

I created Elate Fitness as a way to guide people to understand their physical and mental health, subdue depressive feelings, and thrive in their life.

Wendy Suzuki, a professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University has a similar mission and has spent many years studying the mind and body.

Wendy gave a Ted Talk called the brain-changing benefits of exercise explaining how exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain for 3 reasons:

1. Immediate Effects:

- Increasing neurotransmitters for an immediate boost in mood after the workout

- Improves focus and memory for at least 2 hours afterwards

- Improves reaction times

2. Long Term:

- Exercises increases new brain cells in the Hippocampus which increase its volume

- Improve long term memory

- Improve attention function

- Long lasting increases in those good mood neurotransmitters

3. Protective Effects on the Brain:

- Regular workouts increase volume

- Help prevent neurodegenerative diseases (like dementia and Alzheimer’s) and cognitive decline

Practice healthy movement 3-4x per week with 30min session and aerobic sessions to get the most from this!

You can watch her Ted Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_suzuki_the_brain_changing_benefits_of_exercise?referrer=playlist-the_most_popular_ted_talks_of_2018#t-694292

If ANY of those are something you want to improve then you should incorporate healthy movement into your daily routine.

There are health professionals, scientists, and researchers all over the world showing how important and beneficial exercise and healthy living is for our physical health and mental health.

How do we make it easy to start, easy to understand, and easy to follow?

That is what Elate Fitness is for.

Elate Fitness takes the guess work out of becoming healthier and creating a better life.

Make sure you follow our social media pages (Instagram and Facebook) and sign up for our newsletter so you never miss valuable free info, and I’ll send you a FREE Build Better Mental Health Guide just for joining!

Not sure where to start? Send me a message and let's find what works best for you!

60+ New Exercises in the Elate Fitness app

Things are changing!

60+ new exercises have been added to the Elate Fitness App!

Including a whole new set of stretches and mobility exercises too.

Did you know having proper exercise descriptions actually helps people be more active?

It helps increase confidence and take away any anxiety around:

• starting

• not knowing what to do

• not knowing if you’re doing right

• fearing hurting yourself from improper form

• and forgetting what to do

Every exercise loaded into the Elate Fitness app has a:

• Video walkthrough including proper form, tips, and ways to make it easier or harder as you progress.

• Full written description of every movement and tip.

• The ability to track either the weight, reps, or length of time so you can see your progress.

These are in preparation for our NEW 12-Week Self Paced program being released early this Fall.

These are just another way we’re making a healthy body and happy mind attainable.

Do you already have access to the app?

To view the new exercises in the app just click “Add New Workout” click “Freestyle Workout”, on the bottom right click “Exercise Library” then you can scroll through all the exercises!

4 Nutrition Tips for Better Health

Did you know that the majority (almost 90%!) of your serotonin is produced in your gut from the food you eat!

Remember that Serotonin is a major player in regulating our mood, happiness, and anxiety, it also helps us regulate sleep (refer to my June post for more information).

So stable Serotonin levels help us feel emotionally stable, happier, and calmer.

Do you see why WHAT you eat is SO important.

Can you see why having a balanced diet and eating healthy can greatly improve your mental health?

Yes?

Awesome.

Here are 4 nutrition tips for better mental and physical health:

1. QUANTITY!

Portion sizes go a VERY long way in being healthy.

Food should be a pleasure and it should be something you are excited for.

That is why our taste buds are so powerful!

So, you should never think you CANNOT have that food.

The key here is moderation, choosing the right (and often smaller) portion sizes for each meal as well as controlling (but not necessarily limiting) the amount of food you eat in a day.

Many of my clients are shocked when they learn they can still eat lots of food and feel full AND still lose weight and feel energized.

Most meals you buy out are way too big for a single portion, so packing up that extra food is a great way to enjoy it again and have another meal too!

So the next time you eat, be mindful of the quantity you are consuming.

2. QUALITY!

Focus on what’s IN it.

Not all food is created equal.

If you’ve watched my Healthy Habits video on Nutrition you might remember there are different kinds of Carbohydrates, different kinds of Fats, different kinds of Proteins (these 3 make up Macronutrients), and there are many kinds of Vitamins, Minerals (Micronutrients) and other beneficial chemicals.

For the most part, when reading nutrition labels, one with less ingredients and less ingredients you cannot pronounce, the better.

Complex Carbohydrates (usually dark carbs like whole grain rice, brown pasta, and whole oats) give a steady release of energy (mostly because they’re digested slower).

Adding more colours to each meal is a helpful guide (it may not seem like much, but those colours are packed full of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we need), cutting back on trans fats, processed sugars, and added salt (sodium) will help you get more nutrients which in turn helps your mood and energy!

Did you know? The less you eat heavily sweet, fatty, or salty foods, the less your body craves them.

Learning about the Quality of food is one of the BEST ways you can help healthy eating.

3. LISTEN TO HOW YOUR BODY FEELS.

After eating,

Do you get a spike in mood?

A spike in energy?

Do you feel fatigued and lethargic after a little while?

Do your cravings for certain things increase?

These are all signs from your body showing you what it thinks of the food you’re eating.

Ideally you want to feel a little boost in mood and energy that stays there for several hours.

Remember, slow releasing complex carbs and veggies, and healthy fats and proteins help with that sustained energetic and good feeling.

Next time you eat pay attention to how you feel after.

4. TIMING IS IMPORTANT!

We all know how important having energy throughout the day is.

A regular eating schedule can help that by having consistent meals throughout each day.

We also know how important SLEEP is for mental and physical health.

So, avoiding eating close to bedtime and avoiding heavy fats and sugars before bed can also help us sleep better.

Bonus: WATER!

Water greatly helps with digestion and helps prevent tiredness, headaches, and multiple negative affects of dehydration (which is just a 2% drop in body water!)

And remember, that boost in mood from unhealthy foods is most often following by a drop in mood, drop in blood sugar, and increase in cravings. Which might not be worth it…

Above all else, please remember:

• Eating should be enjoyable.

• You should feel good, full, and satisfied after eating.

• Healthy eating can help you lose/maintain weight or gain muscle (whatever your goal is) without excessively restricting calories.

For more information please check out the HelpGuides.Org article on Healthy Eating: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm#

At Elate Fitness, our goal and mission are to make obtaining a Healthy Body and Happy Mind easy.

To do so, I want to make sure that every aspect of healthy living is accessible for you.

As much as nutrition helps, it doesn’t mean much if you don’t know what to make.

So, I have been putting together a NEW HEALTHY RECIPE COOKBOOK!!!

Are you on our mailing list? We are giving away FREE parts of the Cookbook if you are, as well as loads of information and ways to win free stuff in the future.

As always, remember every one of us has mental health and you are NEVER alone.

Take care,

Corbin

P.S. I’ve changed a few things in the Elate Fitness app to make it easier, including making it easier to sign up! Everything is now found in one place to it’s even easier to get started.

Try These FREE Workouts + Learn What Chemicals Make You Happy

Hey there,

What is something that makes you feel happy?

You might answer something like: my partner, going out with friends, watching a funny movie, running outside, etc.

Which in a sense is true, but the actual feelings come from chemicals released in our bodies.

There are certain chemicals our bodies need for good mental health and to feel happy, fulfilled, and good.

These include chemicals like Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins, BDNF, & GABA.

All of these are either increased or regulated with physical activity.

And each contributes to good mood, feeling motivated, feeling calm, not feeling stress or pain, and managing (or even completely reducing) anxiety and depression.

So what do these chemicals actually do?

Serotonin – Serotonin plays a large role in helping regulate appetite, sleep, and mood. The target for several depression medications including SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).

Dopamine – A neurotransmitter that greatly influences your motivation and reward. The release of dopamine creates a feeling of euphoria, boosted mood, and sense of calmness when you complete a task. This plays a huge role in addiction, seeking pleasure, and creating habits.

Endorphins – Endorphins aid in your mental well-being and they increase feelings of pleasure helping reduce negative effects of stress or pain (like pain-killers do).

BDNF – Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor helps to protect neurons and assist cells in transmitting information more efficiently while developing new connections.

GABA - Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps regulate activity of the specific nerve cells in the brain that process visual information, determine heart rate, and affect your emotions and your ability to think clearly. This is the target for some short-term anti-anxiety medications helping balance mood and anxiety.

Hey,

You’ve heard me talk about physical activity so many times before.

Because it is SO ESSENTIAL for good mental & physical health.

Today, I am sharing a few FREE ways for you to get active online:

1) ParticipACTION: TONS of activities (and partnered with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) who I am certified with) including quick fit breaks, jazzercise classes, family workouts, and activities for all fitness levels. Follow online or download their FREE App to follow along.

2) Yoga with Adrienne: Individual yoga classes as well as 30 Day Challenges for all levels with easy to follow instructions.

3) Heather Robertson: Follow along workouts for bodyweight, weights, as well as low impact including individual workouts and 12 Week Challenges ranging from 10 minutes to 50 minutes.

There are TONS of FREE classes online, if you can think of what it is you would enjoy doing!

Being outside and going for a walk, run, or bike is still an excellent way to get your exercise, outdoor time, and sunlight in, but online video classes can help get that extra sweat from the comfort of your house while working your muscles hard.

It can be as easy as choosing one, clicking play, and following along.

No matter your physical activity level, these will help you get moving.

Let me know what ones are your favourite!

And soon, our self-paced program will be ready for you!

I am so excited! I have recorded over 60 NEW exercises and added them to the Elate Fitness App!

Combined with simple daily tasks, weekly challenges, and all the info you need to create good mental health.

As always, I love hearing what’s going on in your life, what your challenges are and what is working for you. Send me an email to Corbin@elatefitness.ca.

You got this,

Corbin

Sore Back? Tight Neck? Bad Posture? Try These Exercises.

Do you struggle with back pain or bad posture?

Sore lower back? Stiff middle back between your shoulder blades? Tight neck?

Often that pain, tightness, and discomfort can get in the way of the things we want to do.

This can even affect our sleep (and we know how important sleep is now, right?) and cause frustration and lack of motivation, which can all have a negative impact on mental health.

If you spend a lot of time sitting this can also easily (but slowly over time so you don't notice it) contribute to bad posture.

Poor posture can cause lower back pain, soreness through your mid back, tightness up the back of your neck, and stiffness through your shoulders.

Anxiety and depression can also cause us to feel like receding into ourselves often in the form of lowering our heads and rounding our shoulders forwards.

How do you help this?

The good news is simple exercises done each day can increase your flexibility and mobility to help improve your posture, ease soreness, and even lessen depression and anxiety.

Try these 6 simple exercises each day (or as often as you want) to improve your posture and increase your mobility so you can get on with life with less discomfort.

Try each exercise for 30-60 seconds. Move slowly through each one and hold each stretch for a few seconds before repeating the movement.

These are an excellent active break during your day as well!

Want to see a video walkthrough of each exercise? Watch on our YouTube page here.

See the descriptions for each exercise or watch the videos on our YouTube page by clicking the YouTube link below!

How can you help your posture during the day?

Do your best to make sure you stay upright preventing your shoulders or head from coming forward too much. You can do this by gently pulling back with your shoulder blades, standing tall, and looking forwards.

Slight changes such as your head slightly down or your back rounded forwards cause the muscles to continuously work which can cause discomfort and tightness.

Sit a lot? Make sure your back is properly supported and if you use a computer make sure it is raised to eye level and your arms are supported without forcing your shoulders to raise. Making sure your feet are flat on the ground can help as well.

Join Me For Mental Health Week

May 3-9 is the CMHA Mental Health Week.

• The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week is understanding our emotions.

• Recognizing, labeling, and accepting our feelings are all part of protecting and promoting good mental health for everyone.

• Naming, expressing, and dealing with our emotions—even when they are uncomfortable—can make us feel better.

Today is especially important to me as it marks exactly 4 years since my sister Sydney died by suicide.


Why Do We Have a Mental Health Week?

• It is easy to carry on day-to-day without making a positive change or even thinking about it.

• This is a week to open up the conversation about mental health, learn there are things every one of us can do to improve our health, #GetReal, and take action.

Since the start of the pandemic studies show a 40% decline in peoples mental health.
Now more than ever it is important to learn about and improve our mental health.


What Can You Do For Yourself or Someone You Love?

Get educated.
Learn how our mental health works so you can take control of your own well-being.
What do I mean by that?

I mean learn some of the easy ways to:

• Boost your feel-good chemicals

• Elevate your mood

• Help create better physical health (body image, pain, strength, etc.)

• Help create better mental health (confidence, self-esteem, coping strategies, etc.)

How Do You Do That?
1. Learn from some FREE and EASY guides out there:

• View my Build Better Mental Health Guide by clicking here. (If it's for someone else, send them here for a FREE 5 day guide to Build Better Mental Health).

• Visit https://mentalhealthweek.ca/ for free guides and blogs on improving mental health.

• Visit https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/support-myself for workbooks, info sheets, and information on what to do.

2. Take it upon yourself to start. It’s easy to procrastinate, but this is THE week to make a difference and open up the conversation surrounding mental health with those around you.


What Can You Do to Help?
Show your support for Mental Health Week and help #GetReal about how you feel.

Let's do this together.

Follow our social media (Facebook | Instagram) for tips and tricks as well as challenges this week. There are ALWAYS ways to improve your well-being.
(Most of our content will be posted here, and not sent via email, follow us so you don’t miss out!)

Help me make this Mental Health Week impactful.

Add our Facebook profile frame to your profile picture here!
(Or go to your FB profile picture, click add frame, and search ElateFitness.)

Want to use it for something else? Send me a photo of you and I’ll send it back to you!


What Could You Do Today?

Get Active.

Studies show a 26% decrease in becoming depressed for each major increase in objectively measured physical activity. This can be as simple as replacing 15 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of walking or running!

By spending only a few minutes a day exercising, you will learn to reduce daily stress and anxiety levels to maintain a healthy mental state.

There is no better time than now to go get 10 minutes of activity in, and a 10-minute walk in nature is the perfect start.

Watch this 1.5 minute video on supporting Mental Health with Physical Activity.

I look forward to engaging with you on social media this week!

How To Sleep Better to Improve Mental Health

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?

Sleep is SO important for everything we do and is ESSENTIAL for our mental health.

Want a quick way to improve your sleep starting today?

Physical activity!

Studies show that 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity can give great sleep benefits.

Including a higher quality of sleep, meaning you feel better, more rested, and more energized the next day!

Exercise helps stabilize your mood and calm your mind.
Exercise helps with sleep disorders like Insomnia.
Exercise helps limit discomfort while sleeping (sleeping in the right positions help too).

Your body will also FEEL sleepier in the evening when you are ready for bed, helping you fall asleep faster and drift into your different stages of sleep easier.

Adults aim for 7-9 hours per night.

Want tons of tips on how to have the best nights sleep? Go read the SLEEP section in our Build Better Mental Health Guide.

Understanding and taking control of my sleep has helped me soooo much. I would love to know how exercise and sleep have helped you. Hit reply and share 😊

Now go get a good nights sleep!

Seriously, good sleep is one of the top MOST IMPORTANT ways to have good mental health. If you don’t have a good sleep, I would strongly suggest trying to improve it starting tonight.

Sleep is one of the things our brains and bodies REQUIRE every single day to have good well-being. Lack of sleep greatly increases symptoms of depression. If you have a hard time sleeping and are not sure what to do send me a message and let’s figure it out.

Managing Anxiety & Depression with Movement

Exercise is an effective way to help manage anxiety and depression and can be as effective as light to moderate medication.

Yes you knew that already (well hopefully).

Well, physical activity also has strong therapeutic effects similar to psychotherapy (often the recommended treatment for depression).

But…

What makes exercise unique is its accessibility.

Many mental health services can take time to get into including waiting for referrals and being put on waitlists which delays the time is takes to start feeling better and creating a change.

Exercise is something that can be started immediately, with no barriers.

Exercise starts boosting endorphins and building better mental health from the very first time and builds and releases more benefits over time.

Making it an option that you are in control of.

That you can start at any time to improve your mood no matter if you are just looking for ways to be happier or are in need a serious change.

That is AWESOME!

If you want to start improving your health, physical activity is one of the first things you should do, especially if you are waiting for treatment, or not yet ready/are not currently wanting to seek professional treatment for depression or anxiety.

How To Make Healthy Decision and Stick To Them

Why is it so hard to make healthy decisions and stick to them?

The main reason is our motivation, or lack of.

It takes a lot of motivation to sacrifice short term joy for long term happiness.

For example, it takes willpower to say no to that tasty treat right in front of you because the reward is immediate when the healthy weight you are aiming for might be weeks or months away.

Dr. David Asch, the Executive Director of the Penn Medicine Centre for Health Care Innovation gave a speech at a Ted Talk in 2019 called Why it is so hard to make healthy decisions.

During his speech he stated that outcomes in front of us are always more desirable than one’s way in the future.

This is why fad diets, short term exercise plans, and basic nutrition plans are so popular but often do not work or create long term changes.

So, if it is so hard to make healthy decisions, how to do we it?

According to Dr. Asch, we fundamentally care what others think of us.

So, one of the most powerful ways to change our behaviours is to make it witnessable to others. Because we behave differently when we are being observed than when we are not.

Yes, one of the most powerful ways to make change is having support and accountability.

And that can be as simple as doing things with someone else or telling and checking in with a partner, family member, or trainer.

Another proven trick is to look at what you are losing, rather than what the benefits are.

This works surprisingly well.

For example, if exercising more is a goal, rather than thinking ok if I DO exercise regularly I will feel better and reach my healthy weight.

Reframe it to think if I DON’T exercise regularly than my health and well-being will get worse, I may gain weight, have poorer mental and physical health, or whatever else you might be afraid to lose.

The cool part?

You can implement BOTH of these starting right now!

Can you think of a way you can reframe a benefit into a loss? Send me a message and let me know!

Our New VIP Coaching is LIVE! Your Personal Coach to Better Mental & Physical Health

I am extremely excited to announce what we’ve been working on for the past several months.

I’ve taken all our previous programs, all our content, all my years of experience with clients, and put it all together into this one amazing program.

I am SO excited to announce I’ve opened up the “Build Better Mental Health VIP Membership” for enrollment.

This experience is everything I’ve learned these past many years… and trust me, you want in on that, because I’ve spent the time figuring out what works, tested it, and compiled it all into this.

Intimately, one-on-one, with maximum support. This coaching program is going to open up your world to a completely new view on improving your mental health and physical health.

In case you missed it, the BBMH VIP Membership includes:

• A crystal clear action plan to improve your mental health & physical health.

• A tried and true system for improving mental health, following a structured process personalized with you, for you.

• Incredible support and accountability always keeping you on track and motivated.

No more feeling lost, anxious or hopeless not knowing how to make your health better.
No more trying to figure it all out on your own.
No more second-guessing yourself.

You don’t have to do it alone. I have a better way. And 12 weeks from now…
You will have a healthier lifestyle that you are confident continuing for the rest of your life.

In this program I’m going to walk you through creating positive change in your life.
In 3 core parts; Movement, Nutrition, & Lifestyle Habits.
You’ll know exactly what you’re doing every week, and feel so empowered with our weekly coaching calls.

Think you want in?

Just need to know how to start?

Here’s what to do…

Click the blue button to learn more and schedule a free 30 minute strategy session.

Listen, if you’re unsure, I’ve been there. I know how hard it is to take action and invest in myself.
And I know what it feels like wanting to feel better and be healthier but not knowing how.

<< Test First Name >>... I know how easy it is to make yourself last on your priority list, push the things you want further away, and feel frustrated with lack of results.

But creating better physical and mental health is so possible when you understand how.

It truly makes it easier, and the progress faster.

I put this 12-week program together so it can be the difference between you waking up a year from now in exactly the same spot you are now…

And waking up a year from now feeling great, confident, happy, and in control of your physical and mental health.

Yes it sounds amazing because it is. It really REALLY is.

Because I’ve poured my heart and soul into creating this, because knowing how to improve our health should be something we all have access to!

This is your chance to work one-to-one with me to make a healthier happier life a reality.

To get rid of that doubt and uncertainty.
To stop the cycle of being hard on yourself without creating lasting change.
To start creating healthy habits in your everyday life.

How Physical Activity Helps Mental Health

With depression and anxiety being 2 of the most common mental disorders.

Being one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

And an average of 1 in 5 of us experiencing a mental illness each year.

Having long-lasting health, social, and economic impacts on ourselves, our families, and even those around us.

Continuing throughout life unless it is managed.

WHAT DO WE DO?

At what point do we start finding the knowledge to change ourselves and start building better mental health?

That is a HUGE reason I created Elate Fitness.

To show you how to improve your physical health and in turn your mental health, and to give you the knowledge to convince yourself that this is important.

Physical Activity is a very powerful, often misunderstood, tool that any of us can use to improve our lives.

Many studies show physical activity can generate several physiological changes in our bodies which

• lower Stress Levels

• Improve Mood

• Elevate Endorphins

• Create Feelings of Euphoria

While improving the function of neurotransmitters like

• Serotonin

• Dopamine

• Noradrenaline

Physical Activity acts in a similar way as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants and can be as effective as mild to moderate antidepressant medication.

It has also been shown to have similar therapeutic effects on mental wellbeing as that of psychotherapy.

This is IMPORTANT!

This is something that is right in front of all of us.

Something we can do daily…

Maybe that’s going for a walk, following a workout online, hiring a trainer, or finding whatever works for you!

Sometimes we need to make the decision to make our health a priority and that can start with becoming more physically active.

So please reply share how you plan to be more physically active, or share what your favourite form of physical activity is.

Benefits of Time in Nature

In the winter, with colder days and less sunshine, it is important to find ways to boost our feel-good chemicals.

Staying indoors is often something we do a lot more.

But the winter months can also be a time when things like anxiety and stress rise.

This is actually a great time to focus on getting outdoors more.

To use physical activity outdoors to boost our endorphins and serotonin.

Allowing those endorphins and serotonin to help alleviate feeling anxious or stressed.

Combined with physical activity helping boost dopamine as well is a great combination.

So how can you make this a regular habit?

Choose an activity you enjoy - honestly a 10 minute walk is something I use every day.

Choose a consistent time, creating habits is often easier when done at the same time each day. Most people prefer first thing in the morning, afternoon (like after work), or after dinner in the evening.

To get the fastest benefits, try walking quickly (or jogging) until you are out of breath or your breathing increases until it is hard to talk without breaths between words, then slowing down for a couple minutes. This really helps release the chemicals that help relieve stress and anxiety.

Do this every day, especially when you feel tension rise and need something to help calm you.

Your mind and body will thank you. And you may be surprised how quickly you notice a change.

How great is that!?

Up for a challenge? Add in some walking lunges and high knees, to get your muscles used to moving and increasing your mobility, further helping your body adjust to activity.

What is your favourite activity to do outside? Mine is definitely hiking, as I spend lots of time in the mountains and overnight trips in the summers with winters often full of day hikes.

The combination of the sounds/smells/sights of nature and physical activity is incredible for calming ourselves.

A hike in Golden Ears Park Vancouver, BC, Canada.