On November 25th, I participated in another Fitness Walking class. This class we were sent on a scavenger hunt, evaluating another groups fitness walking route. We had to answer a set of 10 questions, the answers scattered along the route we followed. The walk took around 15 minutes. The intensity was around 3/10. I did not feel tired at all, it was very easy. My heart rate was 84 bpm, which is under my maximum heart rate. The walk took place near St. Catherine, the central shopping place of the city. It was black Friday so it was extremely busy. The effort I gave on this activity was an 9/10. I searched very hard for the answer to the questions, even going back and retracing my steps in case I missed anything. It was a rainy day and very crowded but it was enjoyable because of my friends. The fresh air also woke me up and felt invigorating.

If you were to follow this route, make sure to dress according to the weather cause it is quite long and it would be very uncomfortable if you were cold the whole while.

On November 25th, which was coincidentally my birthday, we retook the fitness test. The fitness test, as the name suggests, consists of tests such as a push up test and 3 minute step test to test our current fitness level. It was interesting to see the difference between my fitness level at the beginning of the semester and at the end. I saw some small improvements which always makes you feel good. The intensity of the workout was a 7/10, some moments were really intense but others not so much. The test took up almost the whole class. My heart rate was 104 bpm and I did not reach my target heart rate zone. I put an 8/10 effort because I was really motivated to do better this time around. I kept to myself as I was really focused on doing well. I realised that I need to focus on my upper body more since I tend to neglect it when I work out. The Waist to Hip ratio used in this test is also used by many cardiologists when determining your health.

If you were to do the fitness test, try not to be disappointed if you are not as in shape as you originally thought. Fitness is a lifelong journey and there is always room for improvement.

On November 18th, I also attended the following gym class, which was a Fitness Walking class. The activity that day was to create your own fitness walking route which meant specific criteria. I went along with some of my close friends Kosta, Samantha and Kristen, who are also in that class. The walk lasted around an hour and a half since we had to think of questions to send that were relevant to the route we took. The intensity was around a 6/10 and my heart rate, 84 bpm, remained below my THR. The scenery was honestly so beautiful. I loved walking around downtown and admiring the welcoming atmosphere . It was definitely one of my favourite activities since I saw so many interesting places and was able to have fun with my friends. I gave an effort of 9/10, trying really hard to come up with a route that was interesting and also challenging at times. We passed by College de Montreal, which was founded in 1767.

If you were to walk down this route, make sure to bring a camera as it takes you passed many beautiful buildings.

On November 18th, our class took a walk to Atwater market. It was a 2 km walk and it only took about 30 minutes to get there. The intensity was 4/10, along the way I was able to converse easily with Neha and Shayla. My heart rate reached around 90 bpm, even though I put a 7/10 effort into the walk, which is not in my target heart rate zone. Atwater Market has been around since 1933 and it was my first time visiting. I found it very quaint and enjoyable. The shops were small and family owned, which I respect immensely. There is just something about walking through a place that is not super commercialised. It also feels great to support small businesses. I stopped at Premiere Moisson to get myself a healthy lunch. It was delicious and consisted of a quinoa salad and a fruit salad. If you walk to the market, make sure to give the quinoa salad a try. It is honestly one of the best I ever tried.

On October 28th, we did a Cardio Interval workout. It was definitely one of the most tiring classes we had. I never broke such a sweat in any of the previous classes. The workout consisted of high intensity intervals and low intensity ones performed at a 1:2 ratio for 15 minutes. A workout such as this one is a great way to get cardio into your day without spending an hour slaving away at the treadmill. It was only 25 min including the warm up and cool down.  Afterwards we did lots of stretching which felt good after such an intense exercise. The intensity was a 9/10, my heart was racing and was around 160 bpm during the cardio portion of the workout. It was definitely in my target heart rate zone. I should definitely start doing these kinds of workouts on my down time as they are so effective and time efficient. I also met someone new and did some partner exercises with Shayla. She was super friendly and we got along well. Furthermore, we graded our nutrition assignment, which consisted of scanning and interpreting a nutritional label.

If you were to do a Cardio interval workout, make sure to have plenty of water around you because it gets really intense.

Fit!

On September 30th, we worked on our own resistance training routines. It is an area of fitness that I am quite familiar with, as I attend the gym regularly and have already developed a routine for myself. The intensity of the exercise was around a 7/10 and I definitely felt it in my muscles the day after. I had trouble using the stairs as they were really sore. We did the workout pretty much the entire class and I did not reach my target heart rate zone as the class was all resistance oriented.I did not meet anyone in particular this class as I prefer to do my routine on my own so I can concentrate and put a 10/10 effort into the class.

There are many different goals that one might have while resistance training and you need to alter your workout depending on your goal. A person who wanted to gain muscle would have a really different weight training routine compared to someone who wanted to increase muscle endurance.

On November 11th, we did some Yoga which was my all time favourite activity. It is so relaxing and there is something soothing about the burn in your muscles as you do some of the poses. I left the class feeling stress-free and ready to conquer the rest of the day. The intensity was around a 5/10 and I did not reach my target heart rate, my heart rate staying around 72. This was a Hatha yoga class, which focused on fundamental stretches and poses that did not necessarily make your heart race. Hatha yoga has been around for quite a while and is the foundation for all the different branches of yoga such as yin, power yoga etc… The workout was an hour and the rest of the class we finished up the nutrition lecture.

The effort I gave for this class was a 10/10. I love yoga with all my heart and nutrition peaks my interest to no end. It was a very engaging class, all in all. I met no one new in this class, doing partner exercises with Neha again as we get along really well. If you were to try a yoga class, try not to be so self conscious. Everyone is so occupied with what they are doing that they have no time to worry about you.

On October 21st, we did an abdominal workout and had a lecture on nutrition. The intensity was a 6/10 though my abs were definitely sore the day after. The duration of the workout was 45 min and my heart rate was around the low nineties. I did not achieve my target heart rate zone but it is to be expected due to the low cardiovascular intensity of the workout. My observations are that a core workout can be quite misleading, you feel like you have not worked too hard as you take some breaks between the exercises, but the next day you wake up and it hurts to breathe due to sore muscles.

Abdominal workouts have been around for a long time and have been surrounded by the common misconception that they will make you lose weight around your stomach. That is a myth, you cannot spot reduce fat and also, to lose fat you should implement cardiovascular exercises into your routine, not simply resistance.

If you were to participate in a core workout, remember that proper posture is vital in most of the exercises. Furthermore, remember to use your abdominals when doing crunches, don’t strain your neck.

On the 16th of September, our class took a walk up Westmount summit. The walk was around 2 km long and lasted around 40 min to go and come back, we also took our time at the top to enjoy the view and have a moment for ourselves. The intensity was around a 6/10 and equivalently, my heart rate reached 120 bpm at the peak of the journey.

The summit belonged to Mcgill University, which used the area as a botanical garden. On the condition that it be used as a bird sanctuary, the University donated the forest to the city. The effort I gave in this activity was a 9 out of 10. I really enjoy walking and this was so fun and one of my favourite activities we did. The area we walked in was surrounded by beautiful houses and really nice scenery. The forest was so serene and calming and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I definitely visited the place a couple of times after that day. I met a nice girl by the name of Neha, we spent a lot of time talking on the way up.

If you were to embark on this hike, I would suggest going in the summer or spring time,  taking advantage of the beautiful scenery and the melodic sound of birds chirping.