Equisport Fitness

As riders, we care deeply for our equine partner's health and as such go through great lengths to have the best nutrition and exercises programs for them.

But at a cost to ourselves.

We like our horses are athletes and should treat ourselves as such!

A big obstacle for many of us is lack of time due to our already crazy schedules.

Meal prepping is great way to help you if you don't have alot of time in the kitchen or just dont like cooking.

Meal-prepping promotes nutrient-rich, healthy meals and discourages less nutritious fast food options.

Depending on your goals, schedule and meal preferences, meal prepping may involve making large batches to be frozen, full meals to be refrigerated or prepared ingredients to be combined as needed.

Find a method that works for you and pick one day per week to meal plan, shop and cook.

We, equestrians, are athletes just like in any other sport and whichever discipline we ride, our fitness is as important as the fitness and performance of our horses.

When both the horse and the rider are equally fit, this enables them to achieve their goals easier as the rider will have more stamina, endurance, strength, and flexibility in the saddle to be the perfect partner for the horse.

It is known that many professional riders have professional fitness programs besides riding programs to improve their riding by improving their general performance.

Furthermore, having a regular fitness program helps riders to stay always in show shape even when they cannot practice enough on a horse.

Where to start and how to get in great shape?

Follow to find out!

Staying consistent is hard and so is working out, however, there are things that you can do daily to help this habit grow.

After riding horses, working out, and training people both in taekwondo and the gym for most of my life, there are a few things I have learned that you can do to help you not only stay consistent but build lasting habits that will completely change your lifestyle.

The key is starting small and introducing things that you enjoy doing. Do things little by little, day-by-day and build from there.

Real results come when you can stick to something on a consistent basis.

Do you have any motivation hacks that you use on a daily basis? Let me know below!

COMING SOON - EQUISPORT FITNESS!

Equisport Fitness is a home-based equestrian fitness coaching business specifically developed to help busy equestrians become their best selves for their horses both inside and out through mindset, fitness and food.

We are committed to providing fun and effective fitness programs with accessibility and affordability in mind for riders of all ages and levels.

It is our mission to empower and educate equestrians on the benefits of fitness both in and out of the saddle while also promoting diversity and inclusivity in the sport.

A simple hack to help you more effectively reach your goals!

This is actually based on legitimate research that finds that people prefer to engage in actions that directly reflect who they believe to be.

My programs help you to:
- develop a strong sense of your values and get clear on what it is you want to accomplish and why
- successfully maintain high adherence on your behaviour goals
- gain a better understanding of how the behaviour change process works so you can continue to implement behaviour change principles on your own long after you have completed my programs!

Stay tuned for my business launch!

In order to be a good partner for your horse, a certain level of fitness is required.

You need to be able to maintain balance and move fluidly with your horse, whether you’re performing a dressage test, clearing a jumping round, or flying through cross country.

Unfit riders tend to lean on the horse’s neck, grab the pommel of the saddle, or hang on their horse’s mouth.

You may notice that your saddle shifts from one side to the other due to a lack of balance.

You may fall back down onto your horse’s back from the two-point after a jump, slamming into the saddle.

All of these actions have a negative impact on equine welfare and are signs that a rider is lacking fitness.

Having a training program that helps build the appropriate muscles in the correct spots is what every rider should aim for if they care for their horse.

Do you follow a structured training program?

"I'm trying to get fit. What workout should I do?"

The other day I was having this conversation with a good friend of mine.

Shes confused.

Every minute she spends on the internet, she learns about the next "best" workout, or superfood or diet or whatever to help achieve her fitness goals.

I was explaining to her that there is no "best." But to instead focus on gaining strength and mobility in whichever way is most enjoyable to her.

I was telling her that all of these new "best" things to help achieve fitness goals are all marketing hype!

Fitness companies confuse and complicate fitness so much, that they convince you that you cannot do this on your own. All your problems solved with just 3 small payments of $99.99.

Fitness really isn't all that complicated, but the endless debates, weird diets and training protocals avaliable tell you otherwise.

So I went home and compiled a list of advice that I hope would will help you, whether you're wanting to lose fat, gain muscle, or overall just want to be a happier. healthier person for yourself, family and horse!

Hey Equestrians! Do you round your shoulders forward when your ride?

Here are 6 ways to help you fix that:
1. Stretch your shoulders and neck everyday
2. Strengthen and learn to engage your core
3. Use fascial release techniques in tight areas
4. Build up back and shoulder strength
5. Stretch out your chest daily
6. Strengthen your glute and hamstring muscles

Due to our modern sedentary lifestyle, we develop a lot of muscular strength imbalances and tightness in our shoulders and neck because of our bodies compensation for these weaknesses.

Not strengthening your core or stretching your chest outside of the saddle leads to common issues such as falling too far forward while riding, leaning on your horse's mouth or losing you balance.

Stretching for just 15 minutes a day everyday, and before and after your ride along with resistence training can make a huge difference with your riding and can really help maximize your time in the saddle.

Do you have a routine outside of the saddle? Let me know below!

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

How you think and how you talk to yourself should be the FIRST place you look at when starting your fitness journey. Nobody is with you more than you so the quality of your thoughts matter ALOT. Being positve, loving, and kind with yourself is the BEST way to get you started off on the right track to your goals. Remember, transformation comes from within.

SHARE to someone you know who may need to hear this!

Meet Dunkin! 🐎❤️

He's a 13 year old, 16.2 hand Ottb thoroughbred gelding I've started part-boarding this month.

I figured it was time to get back to what I love after selling my mare a few years back. I learned that you just can't ever leave this life behind. The joy and sense of calm a horse brings to my life is unmatched - as I'm sure you can understand.

Dunk and I are focusing on dressage as our main discipline. We will not be jumping because I have chickened out as I've gotten older lol. Besides I firmly believe that dressage is the best training foundation for any horse to have.

In addition to that, Dunk is also going to be helping me test out all the new equestrian fitness programs I have lined up for you ladies, but don't worry! He's being repaid in the form of mints, carrots, apples, and cuddles. He's a willing participant - trust me 😜

What are your horses names? I wanna know! Comment below ☺️

Hey Equestrians! It's You 🆚 You

Our potential versus our actual outcomes is the greatest gap in life.

We stay comfortable.

We just cruise.

We keep doing the same thing day in, day out and net the same results for 20... 30... 40... years...

And then - we live the last 10 years of our life with regret. Sounds lovely right? 🤦🏼‍♂️

Stop selling yourself short. You got one shot. Seize it!🔥

Hey Equestrians! Another HIGH PROTEIN snack idea coming your way!

A Greek Yogurt Parfait is an excellent option if you are short on time, but need something in your stomach that is delicious, nutritious, and filling.

Because of the high protein content in this snack, you will be full for hours - so if you're having a busy day and don't have much time to meal prep or eat, a greek yogurt parfait can sustain you for those hours.

I love blueberries and strawberries in my parfait, what do you like?

Comment below!

Hey Equestrian's! Did you know that...

Mastering the outer game of fitness is simple and straight forward?

Half of it is knowing how to press the right physiological buttons to achieve your intented results, and the other half is just showing up every day and rolling up your sleeves.

Mastering the inner game can be much trickier...

It's what sets the "fitness elite" apart from everyone else. Building and maintaining an outstanding physique requires a disciplined and orderly approach to not just your diet and exercise, but your life in general!

And for most women, this comes as easily as shaving their legs with an axe.

Motivation and discipline are the biggest inner-game barriers, of course. Every week countless women leap into fitness programs with full tanks of energy and resolve, but it doesn't take long for their enthusiasm to dwindle.

That new TV show is starting during their workout time, that extra hour of sleep would really hit the spot, skipping a few workouts isn't that big of deal, another cheat meal shouldn't matter too much. So goes the skid down the slippery slope back towards the status quo of quiet desparation.

This loss of momentum is probably why women seem to give up on their fitness aspirations around the 3 month mark. I've seen it time and time again. Someone buys into some new fad diet or exercise regimen, follows it for 3 maybe 4 months, and then for one reason or another, throws in the towel.

Sometimes they get sick and never return, other times they take a week off and never come back, and other times they "stop caring" about getting in shape and go back to life as they knew it.

Fitness is hard, and no matter how gritty you might be, if you're not seeing clear & consistent progress from all your work, it's only natural for your drive to dry up.

Hey Equestrians! If you are showing any of these signs while riding, it is time to consider doing some fitness training out of saddle!

A lot of the problems that we experience as riders - like muscular imbalances, tight/tense muscles, weakness in our core and poor lung capacity, cannot be fixed directly with more riding time, but rather with cross training done from the ground.

Cross training combines different types of exercise activities to keep things fresh in your fitness program. The variety this type of training provides keeps your cooridination and responsiveness tuned while also keeping you injury free.

Resistance training, yoga and martial arts are all great examples of the different cross training exercises an equestrian can use to maximize their time in the saddle.

Do you engage in exercise outside of the saddle? Let em know below!

The day I tried a pizza with a cauliflower base, I was shook😂

Without good core strength & stability, a rider's back is unprotected and subject to wear & tear!

Many riders with back pain would do well to exercise their mid and lower ab areas, as well as working on their hip flexors - which allow your seat to follow the horse instead of transferring the motion to the unprotected and hyper-mobile lower back.

Having strong core muscles means that any excess motion can be managed through these muscles, instead of the spine and hip joints. This is because muscle (soft tissue) is designed to respond to motion in ways that ligaments and bones are not.

In addition to supporting a stable upper body, the core strength also controls aids. Balance, leg aids, weight shifts, torso rotation (shoulder turns) and even arm strength are all supported (or limited by) the level of your core strength as a rider.

Riding through your core allows you to be clear, without using force - for example, being able to resist your horses attempt to run away without actually pulling on the reins.

Really good core strength that is built through movement on various planes, and integrated into limb movement, enables you to ride initially from your torso, and secondly from your limbs.

It also enables you to be better able to apply aid or respond to a situation on one side of the body, while keeping the other side neutral (free of tension).

Horses naturally listen to a rider's weight and torso direction before they listen to hand or leg. That's why it is important to work on strengthening these areas first as it is the foundation to riding with balance.

(Sansom, 2016 P. 21-23)

Hey Equestrians! Want to level up in your riding?

Work out what's important to you and cut everything (and everyone) else. We have a finite amount of time before death, you gotta cut the bs out now!

Hey Equestrians! Hungry bur stuck on snack ideas? Try some Chia Pudding!

Chia pudding has recently become quite a popular snack, and for good reason – it is packed with protein and nutrients. There are 4 grams of protein in 1 ounce of chia seeds, but they also a source of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus and manganese.

To make chia pudding, soak chia seeds in milk for a few hours until it achieves a pudding-like consistency. You can then add flavours like vanilla or cocoa to make it even more tasty!

Comfortable?

A plateau in your personal growth only leads to a mediocre life. Get out while you still can!

The moment you stop growing is the moment you start dying.

Hey Equestrians! Ever wonder how to go about changing a bad habit?

According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, the first thing you need to do to change a habit is to create awareness to it.

The Japanese railway system is regarded as best in the world. If you ever ride on these railways, you will notice that the conductors have one interesting habit.

As each operator runs the train, they proceed through a ritual of pointing at different objects and calling out commands. Every detail is identified, pointed and named aloud before the "all clear" is declared by all staff members.

This process is known as Pointing-and-calling. Pointing-and-calling is effective because it raises the level of awareness from nonconscious habit to a more conscious level.

Because the train operators must use their eyes, hands, mouth, and ears, they are more likely to notice problems before something goes wrong.

The more automatic a behaviour becomes, the less likely we are to consciously think about it. And when we've done something a thousand times before, we begin to overlook things. We assume that the next time will be just like the last. We're so used to doing what we've always done that we don't stop to question whether it's the right thing to do at all.

Our greatest challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of what we are actually doing. This explains why the consquences of bad habits sneak up on us and as such we need a "point-and-call" system for our personal lives.

Literally say outloud the habit you want to change and bring it to your concsious awareness whenever you are about to engage in it.

😎POINT. MADE.😎

Nobody goes from zero to one hundred. Nobody. It's never happened. It never will happen. Every single successful person that you know - whether it be the president of the United States or your next door neighbour... they have all busted their butts to get to where they are right now. They are driven by failure. They are hungry for the next knock back. They are relentless in their approach. You need to LEARN to LOVE IT!

"Success is a product of daily habits -- not once-in-a-lifetime transformations" - James Clear

If you think that you have to go through drastic measures such as starting a 6 day workout routine and cut out all of your most favorite foods - you have got it wrong!❌

In order for you to transform your life - you only need to improve in small, gradual ways like drinking an extra glass of water a day💧, or waking up 5 minutes earlier in the morning☀️

These changes are so small that we often don't place any priority on them on a day to day basis - but it is in these areas were true transformation occurs.

Just like compound interest on money 💲- habits build over time which can either help you reach your goals or bring you further from them.

It is ultimately your choice whether you practice the right habits for you and your goals❤.

KNOW YOUR OWN LIMITS!🤔

You are probably not training to be the next olympic gold medal champion 🏅🏅🏅

So don't feel like you have to constantly push to the extreme.

Do your best, push yourself but don't push so you quit.

Consistently walking, running, weights or your choice of exercise is better than burning out and doing nothing.

Exercise isn't puinishment, ultimately you should feel good doing it!

🤔STUCK ON HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS? TRY EDAMAME BEANS🤤

Immature soybeans that are still in their pod.

They’re high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and make for a quick and easy snack.

One cup of edamame provides some of just about every nutrient that you need, including 17 grams of protein, 52% of your daily need for vitamin K, and over 100% of your daily need for folate.

Edamame is typically served as a steamed dish with a little bit of sea salt added.

Many stores offer pre-cooked and frozen varieties that need to be heated in the microwave. All you have to do is place the heated edamame in a portable container so that you can enjoy it on the go!

To get the change, we need to make the change.🔀

You don't just lose weight overnight, you don't just get educated in a couple of days, you don't just become a millionaire in a week.

You want the outcome? It's time to stop being so soft, cut the chat and stand up for yourself!💯

ACT!

Blunt but fair✌️

BUILDING A PROGRAM RIGHT FOR YOU

Horseback riding, like any sport, is unique with what it demands of your body.

It is important to keep in mind when training for your discipline, the specific things you must do in order to ride well.

Perhaps your flexibility and mobility are preventing you from getting that smooth transition from trot to canter or perhaps you are putting too much of your weight to one side of the saddle causing you and your horse to ride crooked.

Whatever your current problem is in the saddle, chances are it can be improved with the correct fitness program.

What fitness exercises are you doing right now outside of the saddle right now?

If you aren't doing anything, stay tuned as more equestrian specific exercises are coming your way!

🦝COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY🦝

You are unique and that's what makes you special.

You are exactly where you need to be and know that you are doing just fine.

Please don't give up on what you're doing just because someone else is doing it too...

They don't matter - but you do ❤️

Social media is a highlight reel of people's best moments - don't fall into the trap of thinking that the few seconds you see is their whole life.

The sun and the moon both shine, but when it is their time.

Again - you are doing just fine ✌️❤️