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Balancing your Demands and Capacity

Balancing your Demands and Capacity

July 1, 2017 Blog

Given the information that exists through courses, the Internet, books, etc., we can easily lose sight of our reasons to be physically active. But when we step back and reflect on the reasons why we exercise, it likely boils down the picture below. Ultimately, we train, exercise, become educated, etc. to ensure that we have sufficient capacity to meet the demands of our lives.

Your demands reflect the activities that you need, love or want to do. For a physical active population such as firefighters, they reflect the skills necessary to safely fight a live fire and effectively assist at the scene of an accident, but also encompass those activities performed at the end of the day such as going for a run, doing chores around the house, or playing with their kids. Every one of these activities imposes demands (physical, psychological and emotional).

Your capacity can be viewed as your ability, (e.g. strength, endurance, flexibility), desire (e.g. motivation) and awareness (e.g. perception of risk) to perform, safely and effectively. The DEMANDS – CAPACITY framework can be used as a foundation to make your exercise matter!

What would you do if you had the ability and motivation to perform every activity you’ve ever wanted to try?

In the unfortunate situation that an individual’s demands exceed their capacity, their risk of injury and cardiac or respiratory distress will go up, their performance will go down, and quality of life will suffer. In these situations, we can reduce life’s demands (e.g. no more golf, no more lifting…and yes, this also applies to playing with your kids), but this is no way to live!

How you would feel if you were told that you could not participate in an activity that you really enjoy?

Most of us want to be active today, tomorrow and 10 years from now, and therefore we need to look for opportunities to build our capacity to meet the demands of our lives. This approach also offers an excellent strategy to enhance motivation and adherence to exercise in the long-term.

To gain a better appreciation for the demands of your life (i.e. your reasons to exercise), begin by asking three simple questions.

  1. What activities do I need to perform, love to perform, or want to perform? Consider work, life and play?
  2. In general, what frequencies (how often), intensities (how hard), and times (how long) are the activities that I need, love or want to perform?
  3. In general, what movement patterns are associated with the activities I need, love or want to perform? In general, each of us should exhibit the control and coordination to squat, lunge, hinge push and pull.

While your demands can offer insight into how “fit” you need to be, your capacity highlights where you are now. As a first step towards establishing your capacity, pose the same three questions from above, albeit in the opposite order.

  1. In general, what movement patterns are associated with the activities I need, love or want to perform? This question will help to establish the types of exercises or activities that could be used during an assessment.
  2. In general, what frequencies, intensities, and times are associated with the activities that I need, love or want to perform? This question will help to establish the frequency, intensity and duration of the exercises or activities that will be used during an assessment. However, as a rule of thumb, start low!
  3. What activities or exercises will provide me with an opportunity to assess the movement patterns, frequencies, intensities and times listed above?

Using this framework, your exercise programs can be created to progressively build your capacity to meet or exceed the demands of your life!

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If it’s a priority, you’ll find a way to make If it’s a priority, you’ll find a way to make it work.

Consistency builds resiliency.

One leg RDL x 10
Asymmetrical walking lunge x 10
Inverted hang w/ press x 10
Repeat with opposite limb

4 Rounds

#performanceredefined #activeeveryday #beactive #moreactivemoreoften #physicalliteracy #activemindset #resiliece #exercisehabits #snowday #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #5minutesoffun #fittothrive
Physical activity is not a substitute for mental h Physical activity is not a substitute for mental health treatment when needed, but it does play a significant role in our cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.

Just 10 minutes of exercise or physical activity can...

…Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

…Improve feelings of connectedness and social support.

…Increase confidence and emotional control.

…Enhance body image and lower feelings of guilt.

…Improve cognition, attention, and intrinsic motivation.

Tremendous work being done by the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre at the University of Toronto to better understand the link between exercise and mental health.

Be more active, more often, but seek help when needed.

#mentalhealth #exerciseandmentalhealth #bellletstalk #beactive #exerciseanddepression #connectedness #selfconfidence #bodyimage #cognition #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #fittothrive
Treat every workout as an opportunity to learn som Treat every workout as an opportunity to learn something about yourself that can help you be better tomorrow.

Kettlebell Swing x 10
Squat to Press x 10
Push-up x 10

Same load. 10 Rounds. Drop reps by 1 each round. Finish as fast as possible.

#performanceredefined #execisechallenge #fitnesschallenge #kettlebellchallenge #beactive #activeeveryday #movementhygiene #physicalliteracy #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #5minutesoffun #fittotthrive
What you choose to do for exercise is important. What you choose to do for exercise is important.

It can bring you joy.
It can challenge you.
It can make you better.

But to take advantage of the opportunities that an exercise can provide, we should also place an emphasis on HOW we perform.

It is not ‘squatting’ the exercise that helps us jump higher and run faster; it is our execution of the squat that can change the way we jump or run in a positive way.

Likewise, it is not ‘deadlifting’ the exercise that helps us avoid low back injuries, it is 
the way we lift and the movement habits that can be established with the deadlift over time that make us more resilient.

Every exercise can be performed in many ways. Choose an option that will bring you joy, challenge you, and make you better!

#performanceredefined #movementmatters #makeexercisematter #physicalliteracy #7keyfeatures #movementhabits #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #movebetter #performbetter #fittothrive
New challenges bring new opportunities! The Chal New challenges bring new opportunities!

The Challenge: Pull and push rep ladder using a single dumbbell with as few breaks as possible.

Alternate between the two exercises below (or a pull and push of your choice) and add one rep each round until 10 rounds are completed. Use same load for both exercises the entire time.

One arm snatch
One arm push jerk

1. Perform 1 rep each exercise using right arm.
2. Perform 2 reps each exercise using right arm.
3. Perform 3 reps each exercise using right arm.
4. Continue adding 1 rep to each exercise using right arm until can no longer perform with right arm or 10 reps of each exercise is achieved.
5. Switch arms and perform 1 rep each exercise using left arm.
6. Continue adding 1 rep for each exercise using left arm until can no longer perform with left arm or 10 reps of each exercise is achieved.
7. Switch arms and continue where last round with right arm finished.
8. Continue adding reps and switching arms until 10 reps of each exercise are performed with both arms.

Enjoy!

#performanceredefined #exercisechallenge #fitnesschallenge #dumbbellchallenge #beactive #activeeveryday #backyardexercise #movementhygiene #physicalliteracy #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfittness #5minutesoffun #fittothrive
Honoured to part of the working group that is shap Honoured to part of the working group that is shaping the standards for Comprehensive Occupational Medical Programs and Health-Related Fitness Programs for the fire service.

NFPA 1582 and NFPA 1583 continue to prepare and protect thousands of career and volunteer fire fighters across the United States and Canada.

Check out the latest edition of each standard for information regarding the design and implementation of comprehensive programs that will save lives!

#nfpa #iaff #iafc #firefighter #firefighterwellness #firefighterfitness #firefighterhealth #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #performanceredefined #fittothrive
Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service.

Exercise is now widely accepted as one of the best things anyone can do to lower theirrisk of developing cancer, control disease progression, and enhance physical functioning and psychosocial outcomes.

The literature also supports the use of exercise before, during and after cancer therapy and suggests that regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing many cancers, several of which are more prevalent amongst fire fighters.

A recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise examined the proportion of cancer cases that could be attributed to physical inactivity and concluded that many cases could be avoided by promoting interventions that aimed to help the population be more active.

The fight against cancer in the fire service must involve exercise.

More fire fighters. More active. More often.

#firefightercancer #ffcancermonth #extinguishcancer #firefighterwellness #iaffwfi #exerciseandcancer #moreactive #beactive #fightcancer #performanceredefined #iaffpeerfitness #fittothrive
If your experiences are limited to the things you’ve always done, you may be constraining your success, happiness, accomplishments, relationships, etc.

Commit to trying new things and being a little more curious (and courageous) in 2023!

Wishing everyone a healthy and active start to the new year!

Asymmetrical squat (with tire) x 5 each side
Asymmetrical push-up (over tire) x 10 each side
One arm bent-over row x 15 each side
4 Rounds

#performanceredefined #physicalliteracy #activestart #activenewyear #exercisegoals #becurious #beactive #bedifferent #bebetter #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #5minutesoffun #fittothrive
Consistency is key to building new habits. But l Consistency is key to building new habits.

But life happens, things won’t go as planned, and there will be times when it feels impossible to stay on track.

Do whatever you can to check the box.

No time for the 60-minute exercise session you had planned for the gym? Do 5 minutes at home instead of saying “I’ll do it tomorrow”.

Feel like a cookie or drink after dinner? Enjoy 1-2 instead of saying “I might as well make it a cheat day”.

It is the small things we do daily in pursuit of consistency that change our lives in the long-term.

“Stick with the schedule, reduce the scope” – James Clear

#performanceredefined #habits #consistency #eatbetter #movebetter #connectbetter #breathebetter #sleepbetter #bebetter #mindset #jamesclear #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #fittothrive

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If it’s a priority, you’ll find a way to make If it’s a priority, you’ll find a way to make it work.

Consistency builds resiliency.

One leg RDL x 10
Asymmetrical walking lunge x 10
Inverted hang w/ press x 10
Repeat with opposite limb

4 Rounds

#performanceredefined #activeeveryday #beactive #moreactivemoreoften #physicalliteracy #activemindset #resiliece #exercisehabits #snowday #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #5minutesoffun #fittothrive
Physical activity is not a substitute for mental h Physical activity is not a substitute for mental health treatment when needed, but it does play a significant role in our cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.

Just 10 minutes of exercise or physical activity can...

…Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

…Improve feelings of connectedness and social support.

…Increase confidence and emotional control.

…Enhance body image and lower feelings of guilt.

…Improve cognition, attention, and intrinsic motivation.

Tremendous work being done by the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre at the University of Toronto to better understand the link between exercise and mental health.

Be more active, more often, but seek help when needed.

#mentalhealth #exerciseandmentalhealth #bellletstalk #beactive #exerciseanddepression #connectedness #selfconfidence #bodyimage #cognition #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #fittothrive
Treat every workout as an opportunity to learn som Treat every workout as an opportunity to learn something about yourself that can help you be better tomorrow.

Kettlebell Swing x 10
Squat to Press x 10
Push-up x 10

Same load. 10 Rounds. Drop reps by 1 each round. Finish as fast as possible.

#performanceredefined #execisechallenge #fitnesschallenge #kettlebellchallenge #beactive #activeeveryday #movementhygiene #physicalliteracy #iaffwfi #iaffpeerfitness #5minutesoffun #fittotthrive

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  • Build a growth mindset to be active for life!
  • The pros and cons of CrossFit…

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