Let's Kick The Warm Weather Season Off On The Right Foot!

I am standing at front of my class writing today's post while trying to keep on an eye on them while they write their midterm. Sneaky buggers think I don't see their eyes straining left and right....

I started teaching fitness management and marketing at Humber College this past semester and so far it has been good, challenging but good.

Who knew preparing 6 hours of new material a week would be this tough. Oh well, next year will be a breeze with everything done.

When they first contacted me to do the class it was something I had never thought of doing but did not want to miss the opportunity and always like to challenge myself to do more.

I realize the busiest most successful people on earth get far more done in a day than I do so I thought "bring it on". If you're not pushing your comfort bubble it's not moving you forward. I also heard a quote that went something like this...

"If you feel no fear, stress or apprehension the challenge is probably not worthy of you and will do little to propel you forward in life."

I know I completly butchered that quote but I'll look for it and post the real one soon.

I also realize that some of you are far busier than I am but I challenge you here today to take on one more thing and that is to start jogging or walking this warm weather season.

And what better time to start than this Saturday as it's supposed to be awesome.

Looking forward to seeing a big group out... we already have 10 committed but the more the merrier.

So, this Saturday at 9am I invite you all to meet up with me and a few others at the studio for a 3-5km walk/jog and let's start this warm weather season off on the right foot.

The Best Piece Of Home Workout Equipment Available

I get asked this question a lot and have always given the same answer.

There is no one piece of home equipment that is best as it depends on what you are looking for.

If you want to run or walk a treadmill is the obvious choice and the model depends on how much you are looking to spend. A decent residential treadmill will cost around $1000 and entry level commercial models start at around $3000.

If you have knee problems you may want an elliptical, back problems you may want a recumbent bike.

All of these choice are hundreds of dollars at a minimum, take up a lot of space and may or may not be used for something other than a clothes rack.

after years of giving the same answer I can now give you a definitive answer that I truly believe is best, most effective and costs only $25!

This piece of home equip met is actually more of a tool that you can take with you anywhere. It is small and light weight and is used for your cardio workouts and resistance workouts too.

The tool I want to share with you today is the Gymboss timer.

Rather than using a watch to time your intervals when you run, you can set the timer to beep or vibrate to let you know when to sprint, walk or run.

Training at home with a basic lifting program and want to give yourself specific 45 second rest periods. Set the timer to beep manually and just tap the button at the end of your set.

Tabata training is one of the most effective training principles ever created. Named after Dr. Tabata of the Japanese Olympic speed skating team, he proved in clinical studies that training with maximum intensity over 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds and repeating this for 8 sets stimulates fat loss and muscle building simultaneously.

You can do this at home or at the gym with a watch or looking at the clock but it is a pain the ass. Try remembering if you are set 6 or 7 when doing some Kettlebell high swings... trust me you won't. It will get annoying and ineffective PLUS you always end up giving yourself a little more rest when you don;t have a timer going off in your ear. I don't know why but it is hard to ignore.

I am just now putting the finishing touches on my eBook site where I'll be selling the GymBoss timers in conjunction with my newly edited version of the "Vitality Fitness Solution for Busy Professionals."

Until then you could always just email the studio at info@vitalityfitness.ca to get one shipped to you or wait a few days for the relaunch on Sunday, March 7th.

I just test released the "Vitality Fitness Solution for Busy Professionals"
and GymBoss Tabata training program through my associate in Sweden and they are making a really big deal about it.

They say that I have changed their opinion on how to get and stay in shape. Check out what they are saying about me here...

http://en.tackfilm.se/?id=1267573947593RA62

Third Annual Guelph's Fittest Kid Championships

This years contest did not disappoint with over 90 kids out for the finals the competition was stiff, as usual.

I'd like to thank all of our supporters who helped make this day possible.

First of all, this event would not take place if we did not have a volunteer from each school running the preliminary testing.

I'd also like to thank my trainers for the day who lead each group during the finals and made sure everything ran smoothly.

The local media who help give this annual contest a voice in the community.

And last but not least I'd like to thank the parents who drove the kids in and picked them up in the blizzard and obviously preach a healthy lifestyle at home.


Overall Winners

Junior Girls, Christina Nadalin, St. Paul’s

Senior Girls, Olivia Lane, St. Paul’s

Junior Boys, Kyle Kush, Mitchell Woods

Senior Boys, Patrick Carnahan, Kortright Public Schools

Do You Smell Like Ammonia When You Sweat?

If you have ever done a really intense cardio session and started to smell like cat urine... you were secreting an undiluted form of ammonia.

Don't be alarmed... this is normal and there is a way to minimize the smell next time.

First of all, the key to ammonia in urine and sweat is the nitrogen.

In order to get rid of the excess nitrogen, your body typically processes the nitrogen in your kidneys and forms urea. Basically, a carbon dioxide molecule bound to nitrogen and hydrogen. Urea is then excreted in the urine. If your kidneys cannot handle the load of nitrogen, then the nitrogen will be excreted as ammonia in your sweat.

The other factor to consider is water.

If you are not getting adequate fluid, then the solution (ammonia + water) will not be diluted. Therefore, water plays a definite role. If you are not drinking enough fluids to have at least one or two clear urination's every day, you should drink more.

What's the solution?

The obvious answer is to drink more water and the other is to consume more carbs NOT protein. Don't give the body more of what it is already having a hard time burning. Try increasing your carb intake before long duration exercise like a slice of whole grain bread, an apple or some oatmeal.

The next time you smell ammonia, don't worry. It doesn't mean that your muscle tissue is being broken down, and it doesn't mean that you're doomed to stink for the rest of eternity just follow these tips and you'll smell just fine.

What Should We Call The Baby?

Some of you may not know this yet but Sheri and I are having a baby.

It/he/she is about 12 weeks now and besides calling it a thing or "Tad" we don't know about the name yet.

We thought it would be fun to take some of our favourites and throw them out to you in a survey. This list is not complete and was compiled but our studio clients, family and friends. There will probably be a round 2 with the winning name getting a strong chance at being the one.

A window should pop-up for you when you follow this email to the Blog.
Make sure to allow for pop-ups and pick your favourite girl and boy name.

Who knows, we may end up picking your choice.

Take Time To Relax

Last weekend we took a day to go up to Collingwood and spend it at the Scandinavian Spa. Google it and check it out.
If you have not heard of it I highly recommend it.

Outdoor hot tubs and cold tubs, saunas, steam rooms, firepits and reading rooms.

By the end of the day I felt as relaxed as I can remember being.

Besides the obvious reasons for wanting to be free from stress, how I see it transfer into real life beneficial results is the improved mental focus and interaction with others, better sleep equalled better workouts and more time to get the things I needed to do done, which left me more time to prepare the right foods.

the beneficial transfers of being relaxed and stress free sometimes needs to be verbalized and rationalized to make it a priority.

Take the time and get up there you'll be glad you did!

And no I am not getting paid to tell you that, which sucks but we have no deal... yet.

Coffee Lovers Raise Your Cups

Coffee lovers may be raising their cups at the growing stream of positive news about their favourite drink. For healthy adults, having two or three cups of Joe daily generally isn’t harmful and it may have health perks. Some recent findings even suggest that coffee may help lower the risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

A cup of coffee contains about 1 gram of soluble fibre, the type that can help lower cholesterol, according to a recent report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Recent Harvard studies, involving more than 193,000 people, found that regular coffee drinkers had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who abstained. The more they drank, the lower their risk.

Despite coffee’s reputation for being bad for the heart, recent epidemiologic studies haven’t found a connection; some even suggest coffee can be protective. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that healthy people 65 and over who drank four or more cups of caffeinated beverages daily (primarily coffee) had a 53 percent lower risk of heart disease than non-coffee-drinkers.

Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries do, making it the top source of antioxidants in our diets. Antioxidants help quell inflammation, which might explain coffee’s effect in inflammation-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

Magnesium found in coffee might help make cells more sensitive to insulin (increased insulin sensitivity results in healthier blood glucose levels).

Caffeine seems to have its own beneficial effects; the diabetes studies found that those who drank regular coffee had lower risks of the disease than decaf drinkers.
Caffeinated-coffee drinking has also been linked with reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, gallstones, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Bottom Line:
For most people who enjoy coffee, there’s no reason to cut back; there may even be health benefits. However, for some, exceeding one’s caffeine tolerance—which varies—can cause irritability, headache and insomnia. The temporary rise in heart rate and blood pressure could cause problems for people with heart disease, and new moms should be aware that caffeine passes into breast milk.