The last few years has seen a huge increase in products with CBD or cannabidiol. So much that now, you can even get top cbd gummies for kids and pets! But is the research there to prove CBD provides an advantage to athletes? And more importantly is it safe for athletes to use CBD? CBD is one of the active ingredients in cannabis and comes from the hemp plant. Due to all the claims as to how CBD can help with anxiety, pain, cognition and more we're seeing more and more companies looking for ways to add this to their ingredients. But what about sports performance? Does CBD lend any benefits? The short answer is no. Despite the claims made by the tokin' athlete there isn't any research that proves it is effective and will enhance performance. TSN did a special in the fall and interviewed a number of athletes that talked about how they use CBD and how it helps them. And I believe this. Yes people are using CBD. And people believe that it works. They will take it for anxiety, pain-relief to treat inflammation and more. The problem is that none of these things will enhance performance. In fact, you could argue that taking CBD will impair performance. And here's why. When you train you want there to be an inflammatory response. This is necessary to trigger certain pathways i.e. m-TOR, that lead to protein synthesis. Taking a product with anti-inflammatory properties will blunt the natural growth response that should occur. But besides CBD working against your efforts to get stronger in the gym there is also the risk of a positive drug test during competition. If you are looking to get stronger without the use of any drugs Legacy Healing Miami can help. While taking CBD may...

This is one of the busiest times of year at the gym. Many put their health and fitness on hold during the Christmas season. But now we've flipped the calendar to a new year, and decade, and we're ready to get started. Normally fat loss is the number one goal of those going to the gym. After a few weeks of egg nog, short bread and late nights this is worse than it normally would be. With that in mind I want to share with you some of our top fat loss tips. This will give the best chance to shed the holiday pounds and then some. Plus when you put these habits to practice you'll be able to not only lose the weight but keep it off. In no particular order here are our Top Fat Loss Tips for 20202. 1. Sleep 7+ Hours per Night - When we are sleep deprived a couple of hormones get disrupted. Ghrelin, which tells us we are starving, gets amplified. We tend to eat when we aren't needing nutrition. Leptin tells us we are full and we miss this message. So we end up overeating. And if you're someone that struggles with cravings, sleep will help you win this battle. When you are sleep deprived a part of the brain, the amygdala, is stimulated. This is the part of the brain that tells you to have a treat or reward. Additionally the insular cortex which is your will power is suppressed and makes it harder to say no. Lastly, when you're sleep deprived you'll be less likely to pop out of bed for a training session. You won't be able to train as intensely when you're tired. And when you do push it will take you longer to recover. 2. Journal - Maybe...

It's New Year's Eve and we're not only about to start a new year but a new decade. Plus it's 2020. Very few people were around for 1919 and fewer still will be here for 2121. So this is a special one. Many will be looking to start anew. This might be wiping the slate clean and getting a fresh start. It's like making your bed and cleaning your room. You feel a sense of accomplishment and want to keep it up as long as you can. I'm sure this is how many feel with their health and fitness as we prepare for a new year. And if we flashed forward 12 months to this time next year I can tell you right now, without any doubt, whether you will be successful or not. And I know this because of one thing. And that one thing is your habits. Let me share a quick story about habits with you. It involves our 4 year old daughter Vangie. Every since Vangie was old enough to communicate with us I've said the same thing to her at dinner time. I ask her: 'Vangie, do you want to say grace?' Similar to our family...holding hands and praying before we eat. Sometimes she rolls her eyes. Other times she'll ask why we have to? And on occasion she'll just start eating. But even if she's reluctant to do so she'll always lead our family in grace. She'll add her own version every now and again as well. We'll usually hold hands as we pray but she may mix it up and cross her arms to the opposite sides and want the other family members to do the same. She's also be known to link with the person beside her with knuckles and finish the amen...

Accountability for gym routines – coaches are just like you! Accountability to go workout or be active must be one of the biggest barriers or fall outs of an exercise routine. That is what most people who work with coaches need the most help with. But it is important to know that even the most fit people and coaches themselves have trouble with accountability and sticking to exercise routines. Coaches have all the components to keeping to a routine best; unlimited access to a gym at any time of the day, and unlimited knowledge of what to program for a workout makes it that coaches have no excuse to miss a workout, yet it still happens! There have been weeks at a time where I am unable to fit in a solid workout in between work, studying, and general life activities. Eventually, missing workouts leads to lower self efficacy and impacts on our mental health; we feel that we cannot control our time as much as we hope to fit in those important healthy activities like getting to the gym or going for a run. It affects coaches as well because they are supposed to be the ones leading by example when it comes to healthy living. However, we also have the resources to get you back on track! The first part of the solution to get back to a regular exercise routine is to: 1) recognize that you are in a dry spell of gym workouts so to speak. After you recognize that there is a need to get back to being more active, then 2) find an amount of time you can commit to being active (on any sort of level or intensity); say if you can commit to 30 minutes of activity everyday, then cut that in half...

Nutrition is one area of fitness and performance that many struggle with. Take for example the recent documentary Game Changers as an example. Since this film has begun to trend we're hearing of more and more people making the switch to becoming vegan or vegetarian. What this tells me is that the average person: A. Can be easily swayed by a Hollywood story i.e. James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan produced and/or directed this documentary. B. Is seeking more or better results and is willing to make changes to achieve better results. Knowing that many don't have a background in nutritional science and want to achieve the best results was the inspiration for this piece. Oftentimes those seeking the best results may invest in a supplement and so we want to provide some direction on that end as well. As we evaluate the various aspects of nutrition we want to identify if there would be benefit to adding a supplement to the mix. We need to be on the same page as to what is a supplement and here is our criteria. Something that is in addition to and not in place of.Something that is morally and legally justified.Something that has 3rd party labeling to assure the quality. If a substance doesn't adhere to these three rules we, the coaches at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc., would not recommend it to our clients. Obviously it is possible to source many products that don't satisfy these three rules, and find coaches that may recommend them, but these are our rules. Now onto the nutritional guidelines. Step 1 - Energy Balance The first step is to determine is you are eating enough calories to support your goal. The last part of the sentence is key. If we want to change our mass we...

Well we're less than two weeks from Christmas. And that means the parties, dinners and celebrations will be in full effect. Typically we consider the extra calories and sugar during Christmas. But what about the alcohol? How Bad Is Alcohol For You? A colleague with the NBA Hawks, Marie Spano, MS, CSCS, RD, CSSD, shared something on her social media. And I've going to share it with you as well. Alcohol interferes with muscle growth, especially in type II muscle fibers. These are your explosive force-generating muscle fibers 🏋🏾‍♂️that help you sprint, jump and lift weights. In one study, 1.5 g/kg bodyweight (this is 5-6 glasses of beer for a 155 lb. man; I show you how to calculate this below) consumed after exercise reduced the synthesis of protein in muscle by 37%. When protein (25 grams post exercise and again 4 hours later) was consumed along with alcohol the reduction in muscle protein synthesis was 24%. ❓How Does Alcohol Wreck Your Gains? Alcohol interrupts the transcription of genes involved in muscle growth by impairing IGF-1 signaling and in men but not women, mTOR signaling. Note: alcohol still reduces muscle protein synthesis in women though mTOR signaling is not impaired. Drinking alcohol after resistance training or a game decreases testosterone concentration and bioavailability in men but not women. Studies consistently show an alcohol intake > 1.5 g/kg lowers testosterone in men. 😳 Also, long-term alcohol use decreases the androgen receptor, so even if you have a lot of testosterone circulating, there’s a decrease in your body’s ability to use testosterone. How to Figure Out the Grams of Alcohol in a Drink 1 - Multiple the oz in the drink by the alcohol content. A 12 oz. beer with 6% alcohol has 0.72 oz. of alcohol. Multiple alcohol fluid oz. x 29.57...

Ankle dorsiflexion restriction is an important issue that can be easily missed or ignored in training. If not addressed, it can have a negative impact on sports performance and injury risk.  From a weight room point of view where this can have the biggest impact is with your squat depth and mechanics.   On the left we see that the knee is able to pass the toe, resulting in a more upright torso and improved squat depth.  While the right side is not wrong, it is more of a “hingey squat” and will lead to greater amounts of low back sheering and possible lower back pain. Picture credit:https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-squat-without-hip-pain A common solution that I see is to raise the heels using plates.  This helps bypass the needs for greater amounts of dorsiflexion at the ankle joint and usually results in instantly improved technique and greater depth.  I love this option but it does not mean we should not work on improving the restriction at the ankle, especially with athletes. It serves as a crutch, and how wants to be on crutches their whole life? From a sports performance point of view, limited ankle mobility can reduce power production in athletic movements such as sprinting and jumping.  To get into optimal positions for acceleration (first phase in sprinting), an athlete needs to be able to get into greater degrees of positive shin angle. This is very challenging if you don’t have the required ankle mobility.  The image on the L shows the shin moving forwards the foot. One the R there is less movement of the shin towards the foot. Picture credit:http://miguelaragoncillo.com/2016/01/20/4-methods-to-improving-speed-qualities/ The ankle joint can also act like a spring, helping the body to be propelled through space, such as a jump. The more you coil spring, the more force it is going...

Athletes are always looking for ways to gain an advantage. And good sportsmanship requires that we play by the rules and avoid known short cuts or cheats. When it comes to sports supplements we've got to be really careful. An athlete can be putting in the time training for their sport. They can work in the gym. The will get their rest, eat their vegetables and make sure everything to ensure performance has been checked off the list. And then they hear there is something that will give them an edge. It will help them go harder, recover more quickly or heal faster. Whatever the promise they are keen to give it a try. They are already doing everything it takes and are so close to a podium, scholarship or a championship. What do they have to lose? Well, it could a ban from sports. It could be the loss of a scholarship or contract offer. Maybe it's the termination of an endorsement deal. And the inclusion of your name alongside other dopers. How awful would it be to have your name forever alongside the likes of Ben Johnson? Unfortunately there was a local supplement store selling a banned product during their Black Friday sale. On Black Friday you get could get yourself to a positive drug test twice as fast with the buy one get one free. Allmax Impact Igniter contains higenamine and is listed on the label below. The Word Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has a list of all banned substances. Higenamine is in a class of substances known as beta-2-agonists and are banned at all times. From the WADA list of banned substance we see higenamine included on this list. So what is an athlete to do that wants do everything possible to achieve the best result in sport...

Most of us have a good idea of how exercise makes us feel better; it makes us feel accomplished, keeps us energized, and it releases our happy hormones to change the biochemistry of our brains. But exercise can have a greater effect than just feeling happier in people with mental health conditions such as depression or seasonal affective disorder, it can actually help deal with these conditions and allow people to have a more positive well-being. Depression is a highly publicized mental health condition, but it is a lot more than persistent feelings of sadness. Depression manifests itself in different ways and can take away your passion for previously enjoyed activities or negatively impact things that you use to define yourself and your happiness. Depression can impact anyone including youth, older adults, those living with chronic illnesses or substance use issues, and those going through big life changes, if you suffer from this illness you can visit https://freshbros.com/bulk-raw-material/compliant-full-spectrum-cbd-distillate to find CBD products that will help you reducing the symptoms. Approximately 8% of all adults will experience major depression at some point in their lives, with many more going through acute bouts of depression. Depression has had a growing focus on it in recent years, which has allowed people experiencing depression to find help and support to manage it. Physical activity is one of the leading treatments someone can use to help manage depression due to the release of ‘happy’ hormones and endorphins, as well as increasing feelings of self-worth and providing social support outlets. Self perceived quality of life increases exponentially when including physical activity into daily routines – as little as 30 minutes of physical activity per day will permanently change the way in which our bodies produce happy hormones to make us feel better. As the season is switching...

A common goal of everyone that trains is to be lean. And I don't mean to be skinny. By lean I mean to carry the most amount of muscle mass and the least amount of body fat possible. And this should still allow us to do our regular tasks and activities without lacking fitness or mobility. Sometimes when someone initiates a fitness program the results can be slow in coming. We know we feel better. We have fewer aches and pains. We sleep better at night. And our performance in sports is trending up as well. Yet the scale doesn't budge. If this happens to you we recommend you to buy CBD oil for its many benefits in weight loss and pain reduction. Below are a number of nutritional reasons this may be the case. Meals Eaten Alone When we eat with others there are natural pauses for conversation. We want to hear how the other person's day went. We comment on the flavour and textures of the prepared meal. We put the fork down every now and again to listen and answer. Eating alone leads to eating more quickly. Nutritional quality tends to be lower. Maybe this is because we like to have a treat when no one is watching and won't be judged. Or it could be that when we cook for others, i.e. for children, we feel a responsibility to provide the best nutrition possible. Eating alone also means we could be doing something else while we're eating. Maybe we watch a TV show. Sadly, we used to do this. Maybe we're on our phones. Maybe we read a book. Maybe we try to get some work done at the computer. Regardless of what we do while we're eating it serves as a distraction and leads to mindless...

When we young kids growing up our family hosted a young boy from Northern Ireland. Peter Casey was from Belfast and spent about 8 weeks one summer in Kelowna to get away from the turmoil back home. We spent that summer riding our bikes, going to the beach and doing all the things 8-10 year old boys do. And that included getting dragged by their moms to go cherry picking. One time when we were cherry picking, Peter thought it would be funny to throw cherries at my brother Jon and I. It didn't take much for us to get drawn into this fruit fight considering: A. There were two of us and only one of him B. We were in the habit of throwing from playing football and baseball. Peter was used to playing soccer and had a terrible arm. So the war was on. Since August in Kelowna can get very hot Peter soon ditched the tarp giving us this nice, pasty white target to aim at. We quickly realized if we bit half the cherry off a direct hit resulted in red circles all over Peter's body. Now while it's fun to reminisce about fun stories growing up we weren't the only ones cherry picking. If you've seen the 'documentary' Game Changers you'll know what I'm talking about. But in case you haven't here's a quick overview. A MMA competitor injuries himself and spends his recovery time researching the best ways to come back to his sport better than ever. What he discovers is that a plant-based diet is not only better for health but it also gives athletes an advantage as well. Those are a couple of the claims anyway. Having produced some great pieces of fictional content such as Avatar and Terminator I'm sure James Cameron...

What do you believe? I don't mean this specifically related to health and fitness. Although for people nutrition can become a theology and they speak of it as though it were a religion. I believe eating organic is the only way to go. I believe that eating meat isn't healthy. These statements don't reference science but instead our beliefs. And sometimes our beliefs can be at odds with science. Just ask Kyrie Irving. So there are times in life where we believe so strongly in something that we make life decisions based on this belief. Consider the placebo effect which basically says that a positive health change is due the placebo itself. The placebo has no active medical ingredients and therefore it is our belief that the placebo will work that accounts for the beneficial effect. We are probably familiar with these types of research studies. One group takes a pill to treat a disease and the control group does not. The pill has no medical ingredients but the study participants don't know this. They are made to believe the pill will deliver a positive health result. The experimental group, i.e. the ones taking the pills, experience the positive health outcome. More recently there have been studies involving an open label placebo and a control group. An open label placebo involves a group of research subjects that know they will be receiving a placebo. The other group of study subjects continue their regular treatment plans known as treatment as usual. Now it's important to be clear that the placebo group knew what a placebo was and that is what they would be receiving during the study. I'm imagining the information session for the study going something like this: You're not getting any medicine. Instead you're going to eat Tic Tacs twice...

If you are an active person there are probably still aspects of fitness that you don't enjoy. For example, we all know someone who is really fit but doesn't enjoy running. They will do almost anything else rather than run. They will swim, bike, row and even go hiking. But go for a 5 or 10 km run? Never. This reminds of the dinner hour at the Collins household. Alexandra does a great job of preparing delicious meals each evening. But with two little girls there will be something that's been prepared they don't enjoy. With Vangie, 4 years old, this could be peppers. It doesn't matter the colour i.e. red, yellow or green, she has an equal distaste for all of them. If you try to hide them in chili or something else she will pick them out and set them off to the side. Sometimes we have to do the things we don't like in order to get better. Given the choice if every meal were ice cream, cookies and pudding she'd be OK with this. And it's tough for her to recognize that her mom and dad feed her foods to help with her growth, development and overall health. So there are the foods she'd like to eat and then the ones she needs to eat. And it's trying to find the balance to make sure gets what she needs and every now and again she gets a little bit of what she wants. This is kind of be how fitness is for many people. Maybe we are already active. We go to the gym. We squat, bench and deadlift. The numbers are all going up. We're getting stronger. And everything is great. Until it's not. And it stops being great when we have a new physical demand...

Hey everyone, it's Coach Jane here. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I just wanted to recap the Fitness for Cancer seminar that we presented earlier this week.It ran on Tuesday and Wednesday evening and basically over-viewed the benefits for exercise during and after cancer treatment.As most of you know, exercise is important for healthy lifestyles, and there is some research that suggests that it can help prevent certain cancers from occurring (although much more research is still needed to fully confirm this). However, exercise during cancer treatment is very important as it helps to reduce negative side effects from treatment, increase energy levels, and preserve physical and mental health. In the presentation, we covered these topics in detail, as well as discussed the common misconceptions, fears, and precautions that many people have around exercising during treatment.***Chris here...A couple of my key takeaways include:Fitness is recommended by all health associations globally (Canada, US, Australia etc) for all types of cancer. Sure there may be modifications or things to keep in mind with certain patients. But this is no different than programming for any type of client.[caption id="attachment_5814" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A pie chart showing the percentage of cancer patents that would benefit from exercise.The other comment that stuck was that exercise can be beneficial for preventing secondary types of cancer. For example, with exercise there is increased circulation and this facilitates digestion. As food is moved along at a more optimal rate this helps minimize the the potential for cancers such as rectal.Now back to Jane...***I am planning on creating an exercise group for people going through or recently finished cancer treatment that would like to increase their health with movement. If you know anyone who you think would benefit from attending this fitness group,  feel free to pass...

Do you eat healthily? If so, what is it that you do that makes your diet healthy?For some people this could mean eating more fruits and vegetables. For others it could mean limiting processed foods, sugar, liquid calories or alcohol. Sometimes we can think of healthy eating as limiting snacking and low nutrition foods. Or it could be an effort to eat more protein,or breakfast. Maybe it's an effort to eat more protein at breakfast.This conversation could take on a number of different angles. And because it has to do with nutrition this can almost become a theology, or a religion, for some.Consider the follow:'I believe in intermittent fasting'or'I believe in eating low-fat'These statements don't reference the science or evidence from research. Instead nutritional lifestyles are based on a belief system which may or may not have the support of science.Recently meatless products have appeared on the menus of fast food establishments. This will obviously appeal to the vegan and vegetarian crowds. Plus there will be some omnivores that will be curious to try a Beyond Meat burger.My question would be why?These burgers are marketed on the basis that it is important to reduce our consumption of red meat. And for those that are looking to be healthier but still satisfy their craving for a burger they can have the best of both worlds. Less red meat and a healthier alternative.But is this the case?Because there are, at minimum, two separate issues here.A. The first is that eating less red meat is healthier for you. There may  be some truth to this but we'd need more details. Who is the individual we're talking about? How old are they? How active are they? What are their goals? How much red meat do they already eat? What else do they eat? What is...

You may have noticed a new addition to the team at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. And that would be Jane. Jane comes to us via Australia where she recently completed her Master's degree in Melbourne. But besides her schooling and travels we also learned something new about Jane the other day.A motorbike rolled into the parking lot at OPP. Not a Harley but more of a crotch-rocket style bike. Anyways, after the bike was parked and turned off the rider pulled off their helmet. It was only then that we realized the rider was Jane and her coolness factor jumped up a few points.But that rather than have me tell you all the fun and cool facts about Jane I'll step aside and let her take it from here.Hi everyone, I'm Jane and I'm returning to live and work in Kelowna as a coach at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc! Originally, I'm from South Africa, then moved to Alberta, and then moved to Kelowna to attend UBC-O for my Bachelor of Human Kinetics degree. After my bachelor’s degree, I completed my certified personal training license and became a kinesiologist. From there I wanted to learn more about working with clinical populations using exercise as medicine, so I ventured to Australia to complete my master’s degree of Clinical Exercise Physiology before moving back to Kelowna.I enjoy working with all types of clients, including those who can benefits from exercise to help manage and treat chronic conditions, injuries, or just want to improve health and fitness. I specialize in working with clients that have health conditions such as metabolic, neurological, mental health, heart and lung conditions, as well as those with cancer, chronic pain, and women’s health (such as pregnancy, post-natal, menopause). I believe that exercise is medicine, and everyone should have the opportunity to...

Recently I was away with the family to Idaho. We went down to Silverwood for some roller coasters and water slides. And with a 4 and almost 7 year old our plans for the rides were dictated by their sizes and appetite for thrills. And this reminded of a time with Olivia, the almost 7 year old, when we were going to go on a drop slide together. Sometimes a young person can see the slide at ground level and express their interest in going on that slide. And then you line up and spend whatever amount of time it takes to wait in line for your turn to go down. And at that point everything can change. The perspective of looking at a slide from the ground as a spectator is much different than standing over the flume at the top as a rider.And so I had my doubts as to whether we would actually get on the ride or excuse ourselves to let the next person ride. And begin the long walk down the slide to mom at pool level.But to my surprise we loaded and did the ride. Olivia was quiet throughout the ride mostly because the fear of the ride had taken her voice away. But either way, she did it. And she was so proud of herself after. And she kept reminding her 4 year old sister how scary it was and how her younger sibling was much too young to even attempt such a ride.And for me it felt really good to see one of our kids face their fears and overcome. And was incredible to see how good they felt about themselves. And you could see the wheels spinning in her head as she scanned the water-park seeking the next challenge.This is similar to the feeling I have with Dale Charlton....

Have you read the Da Vinci Code? Or any of Dan Brown's books? They're kind of fun if you're looking for a good fictional escape.Recently I read The Lost Symbol by the same author and featured Robert Langdon as the protagonist. In the movies this character is portrayed by Tom Hanks. Anyways, one of the other characters in this book is a scientist and their area of research is noetic science. This looks at the power of the mind and the effect it has on the physical world.Anyways after finishing this book a number of stories in the gym demonstrated the power of the mind. And they both involve golf. The first story involves Mike Lee.Do you know Mike? He's the English sommelier and comes in early mornings during the week. While he trains for health and to feel good a major part of his training is related to golf.[caption id="attachment_5783" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mental strength and visualization is huge in golf.Last week Mike messaged me to share that he had one of his best rounds ever at the Harvest golf course. I asked what he attributed to this success? And here's what he hold me.He said he had played with a couple of tourists that had never played the course before. And so on each hole he was giving them clear notes on how to successfully manage each shot to achieve the best score. I wasn't there but I would guess it went something like this. 'This is hole 8 which although is a par 5 plays more like a long par 4. From the tee you want to aim for the tallest of the 3 trees on the left. When you clear those trees that will put you right in the middle of the fairway just past the 150 yard marker...

What would you say is the most important ability in sports? Regardless of which sport comes to mind the answer is the same. And this ability is availability. Because unless you are healthy and able to play nothing else matters much. And that's why our number one goal for our athletes is to make them resilient to injury. All of their athletic gifts and hard work are wasted if an athlete is on the sidelines. Until recently we looked at the injury status of an athlete in terms of their physical abilities. Did they have an ankle spain? Shoulder impingement? Back spasms? Or something else related to the moving parts of the body. I know when I was young no one was talking about concussions. That's not entirely true. My mom is an OT (occupational therapist) and told me repeatedly how dangerous a motorcycle could be due to the head injuries that could happen. In adult sports concussions happen at higher rates in some sports compared with others. The highest rates for a concussion in competition are in: Men’s rugby match play (3.00/1,000 AE) Men’s American football (2.5/1,000 AE) Women’s ice hockey (2.27/1,000 AE) Men’s Ice hockey (1.63/1,000 AE) Women’s soccer (1.48/1,000 AE) Men’s football (or soccer) (1.07/1,000 AE) For younger athletes (under 18) here's what the numbers look like: Rugby (4.18/1,000 AE) Ice hockey (1.20/1,000 AE) American football (0.53/1,000 AE) Lacrosse (0.24/1,000 AE) Football (or soccer) (0.23/1,000 AE) Wrestling (0.17/1,000 AE) AE stands for Athlete Exposures and means one athlete playing in one game or practice. So if 20 soccer players play another team of 20 players in a game there would be 40 Athlete Exposures. Or if a football team of 50 players goes through one practice than there are 50 AE. As sports can be divided up into...

Yesterday I competed in the the 2019 Prospera Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan. This was a 160 km bike race down in Penticton. One year old and I was able to set a personal best. There are a few things that allowed me to set a best time. And some things I will definitely change for next year. Either way below are 8 Takeaways from the 2019 Prospera Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan.First I'll cover the things that I believe helped me have a great ride. Next I'll get in to some things I wanted to work on and improve. And lastly I'll touch on a few general observations from the race. Investing and spending time on the trainer - Last winter I bought a trainer. And I set a goal to commit to two rides per week for training. If I achieved three rides, great. But I didn't want to plan for three and then be getting two days consistently. This schedule worked and I was able to make those appointments from December until March. Once the snow melted and I got the bike on the ride it didn't feel like I was starting from square one. My legs and lungs felt good and I was more comfortable in the saddle. Riding on vacation - In the spring we like to go away with the family somewhere warm. The past few years we have some cruises through the Caribbean but this year we went to Kona aka the birthplace of Ironman. Now I know you're probably thinking. "Chris, you just set up your family trip so you get in some riding". And honestly I didn't plan it that way. And it was really a last minute decision to bring my bike to the island. But what a great decision. I was able to take...

There are a few goals we have for everyone we work with. It doesn't matter if the individual's goal is performance, weight loss or rehab we look to achieve this with all of them?Do you know what 'it' is?What we're looking to achieve with all these clients is help them be as lean as possible. And here's why.For a movement, non-collision sport athlete one of the goals is to generate as much strength and power per unit of body weight. In cycling, the unit of interest is watts/kilo. And to improve is to increase our power, decrease our mass or both. Sometimes an athlete has maxed out on the power they can produce but they are carrying a few extra pounds. Leaning up a little bit can be the difference to increased performance.Obviously for the weight loss client we want to shed as much unnecessary mass as possible while keeping as much muscle as possible.And for the rehab client a leaner physique helps in a number of ways. A leaner indivudual can move better than an overweight one. They will have more energy to do more. And a leaner frame takes stress on load-bearing joints. With the knees for example, every pound that is shed takes four pounds off the knees.With my own training and goals I'm looking to be as lean and strong as possible. With the fondo coming up in a little over a week all the hard training should be done or wrapping up soon. And now it's just a matter of dialing in the nutrition and resting up.Obviously a lighter bike helps, especially when climbing hills. But instead of looking to save grams by upgrading seat posts, wheels and bottle cage holders, it would make more sense to shed pounds on the scale.For example, going from an...

The other day I went out for an early morning training ride. But on this ride I crashed. Hard. And I learned a few things some of which may help you.To give you some context this was the first time I had gone down on my bike. A few years ago I flatted out on a descent and my back wheel was flailing about like a fish. I gradually brought the bike to a stop but my spiked heart rate kept going for a well. It took a number of weeks, maybe months, to feel comfortable pushing it downhill again.And up until this morning I was feeling comfortable on the bike. I got in over 500 km during our trip to Hawaii and have gotten out for some good rides around Kelowna since we've been back. And I'd include the ride where I crashed in this category. There were lots of good take-aways.But before I get to the positives from this ride I want to explain what happened. I was going down a descent after finishing on Glenmore road and heading down to OK Center. I guess I had a little too much lean and little too much wheel turn. Plus I think I hit a patch of pebble or loose gravel. Before I knew it was down and sliding along the pavement. Checking my computer at the end of the ride my max speed was 60 km/h. I don't know if I hit that speed at the time of the crash but I do know I was checking my speed after the crash. So there's a good chance I was going close to that speed.After I stopped sliding I took a moment to see how I was. What was sore? What hurt? I felt my arms and legs for injury....

You know the expression 'you don't have to reinvent the wheel?' In other words, there might be a really good way of doing things. And you don't have to invent a new way.You can benefit from those that came before you. Success leaves clues and if we just open our eyes and pay attention we can realize success more easily.For example, in aviation I believe it was West Jet that first started using winglets, or the curved pieces of wings. These apparently reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of the plane. As this helps the plane cut through the wind it stands that this would also make the flight safer as well.Now you see this feature on all planes but West Jet was among the first to make this change to its planes. And the rest of the industry took notice, realized the benefits and followed suit.[caption id="attachment_5731" align="aligncenter" width="300"] West Jet changed the design of its wings and the rest of the industry followed suit.Other times you can see a change from the norm that isn't ideal yet the masses follow suit. They assume that success must have been attributed solely to what is different.Consider for example when Usain Bolt burst onto the track and field scene. He was late to the track and field party yet started having success almost immediately. He was winning races and gold medals were being draped around his neck. Coaches from around the world started dissecting video of this races and they noticed he was doing something differently.Bolt was using a toe drag at the start of his races. As he was coming out of the blocks he was driving his lead leg forward and the toes on this front side leg were almost dragging the ground in front of him. And a number...

A couple of things I really like are efficiency and great value. I like it when things are moving forward at a good clip and when the return is better than expected. Who doesn't like that though, right?This is no different than our health and fitness. For most the obstacle to better health and fitness comes down to time and finances. We don't make the time for fitness and exercise and we would rather spend our money on other things.The truth is that the fittest people in the world have the same hours as the rest of us. It's what we give our time to, or don't, that fills up our day.So with that being said I wanted to give you 11 tips to get lean. And the cool part is these things won't cost you an extra dime. Plus as your health improves you'll find you have more time in your day. You see what I did just there, right? Solve one problem and provide a solution for another as well.Anyways on with the tips. Minimize liquid calories - If our goal is to be as lean and healthy as possible we've got to be mindful of the calories we drink. This can be a chai tea in the AM, a coffee with cream and sugar, a store bought smoothie or any of the other ways we can drink calories. The truth is we only need water. Sure a red wine on occasion or a beer at a BBQ isn't going to derail your results completely. Just be aware of what you are drinking. And guess what? When we cut back on your liquid calories we'll find you have an extra $5-10 per day by opting out of the drive-thrus and coffee shops. Eat meals without snacking - Were you ever...

Do you find people constantly mistake you for a pro athlete? And I don't mean based on your appearance.If they do, congrats. You probably won the genetic lottery.I mean this based on your lifestyle habits. You get 8 hours of sleep every night. You consume the right amounts of high quality foods at the right times. You take supplements to fill any gaps that may exist. You make time for pro-active appointments to see the dentist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, massage therapist...You do something active on a daily basis. And you have an abundant mindset that seeks to be your best.Often-times we think of these as associated with professional or elite athletes.But here's the thing...These aren't the exclusive domain of the top sports performers. Each of us can make these choices a part of our daily routines. And when you do the results are incredible.Consider for example what is going on in the playoffs right now.The teams that are succeeding have adopted a self-less attitude. They are committed to doing all the little things right. They are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good of the team. The communication among teammates is open, clean, honest and continual. There is no sulking. They are enjoying the moment and having success as a result. Aligning your teeth requires clear braces that work.Did you notice I didn't mention which sport I was talking about? All of the descriptors above apply to both basketball and hockey. Sure there will cultural differences between the sports. But the basic philosophy about what it takes to win in sports in consistent whether we're talking about hockey, basketball or any other team sport.It gets back to basics.[caption id="attachment_5207" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Basics x Frequency x Time = SuccessWhen you have positive habits (i.e. the basics), and practice them regularly (frequency) over a...

Youth Summer Athletic Program Attention Kelowna Athletes!Okanagan Peak Performance Inc is hosting the Youth Summer Athletic Program. This program is fully coached, follows LTAD protocols and includes access to the Okanagan Peak Performance Inc training facility.There are programs for athletes 8-11 years and 12-15 years with 2 training days in June and 3 training days in July and August.To register call 250.212.2972, email athletetraining (at) shaw (dot) ca or stop in to the training facility on Sutherland ave.      

The other night we finished everything that needed to be done for the day. We had cleaned up from dinner. We bathed the kids, brushed teeth and read some stories. As it wasn't too late there was an opportunity for mom and dad to watch a show. Alexandra wanted to get started on some preparations for a 4 year old birthday party. I didn't really want to make popcorn or some other snack from just one. So I headed off to the bedroom to read. During lent I'm trying to stay off my phone after 7 pm.I got a chapter or two deep into 12 Rules for Life before I drifted off to sleep. Since I didn't have a snack before bed and didn't have any exposure to the light from my phone I had a great sleep. Add to this the fact that I didn't have to set an alarm for the morning and this set the stage for a great day.But this very easily could have gone the other way.You see most evenings I do a sweep through the kitchen before bed. I'll have a quick poke in the pantry to see what grabs my interest. It might be some chocolate. Maybe I'll have some cereal. It could be a handful of Veggie Snacks.[caption id="attachment_5699" align="aligncenter" width="225"] These come in pillowcase size bags and the bag size is appropriately named 'Sensible Portions'. (see top left)Anyways, this got me thinking how our habits can be slippery or sticky. Here's what I mean by this.Our indulgences, treats, snacks and cravings can be thought of as sticky. Once we start it's hard to stop. We tend to back to our old, less than optimal, ways. It can be really tough to shake a bad habit.And on the flip side all of the positive things we...

Have you ever sat through a presentation and been overloaded with great content?I mean the type of presentation where the information is registering on multiple fronts? And you know that you will leave that presentation much more knowledgeable on the topic than an hour prior.This is the case whenever I have the chance to see Dr. Susan Kleiner present. Not only is she in the know on all things related to nutrition she has the evidence at hand to show you the proof. And with all the elite and professional athletes she has worked with there is a ton of street cred to see the proof in the real world.I few weeks ago we arranged a nutritional seminar for the AquaJets swim club with Dr. Kleiner. With clientele including the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, these swimmers were keen to hear everything Dr. Kleiner had to say.Below are a few of the sound bites from the presentation.1. Only buy supplements that are 3rd party tested99% of the supplements on the market do not have 3rd party testing. In other words, these companies haven't sent samples of their product to an independent lab to ensure that what is on label is in the product and nothing else. You'll recognize 3rd party testing by the logos for Informed Choice, NSF or BSCG.By the way, all supplements Okanagan Peak Performance Inc carries have NSF or BSCG labeling.2. Be Aware of 'Proprietary Blends'Sometimes on the ingredient label you'll see an ingredient listed as a 'Proprietary Blend'. And a rep for such a company may dismiss this as an attempt to prevent competitor supplement companies from ripping off their recipe.Here's the thing though...If a supplement company creates a new product in the lab that helps performance they can apply for a patent. And...

Nutrition seems to be the area people struggle with the most when it comes to taking control of their health. The exercise can be fairly straight forward but not easy. For example, most people know to go for a walk, jog or a run if they enjoy that type of exercise and want to be more active. And if you go to a pool it's not hard to figure out the you start at one end of the pool and work your way to the opposite end before pushing off to return. You never see anyone get confused in a pool and try to swim cross-ways, over and under the lane ropes, rather than the way everyone has ever done it. And if you step foot in a gym littered with machines you can very easily figure out what to push or pull in order to complete a rep. And if there are free weights available you can pick the weight up and put it down. Simple as that. But nutrition gets confusing. What are macros and should I be tracking them? Should I eat 3 square meals a day  or 5-6 smaller meals. Should I be low-fat or low carb? Would keto be a good option for me? What about intermittent fasting? How many calories should I eat? Should I even worry about calories? How important is protein? And can I get enough as a vegan or vegetarian? Should I be taking supplements and if so, which ones? Should I be buying organic food? Or are conventional groceries sufficient? Phew! That's a lot of questions. And those are just the main ones. There are tons we won't even go into here. For simplicity let's look at the following questions. How much should I eat? Why do I need carbs? Fats?...

Do you travel? Either for work or pleasure. If so, have you ever found this to be a challenge in maintaining the results you've achieved in the gym? If so, you're not alone. It's not uncommon to feel that as soon as we travel we will lose everything that to leads to success with our health and fitness. We won't have access to our gym. Our coach won't be there. We may not be able to access our program (not a problem for OPP clients). We won't have access to our kitchen. We won't have our training partner. The list goes on. There are a number of things that are different when we travel. That doesn't mean we can't maintain, or possibly even progress, our results while away.   Below are 7 Ways to Use Travel to Get Better Results. Take Advantage of the Climate - If you live in Kelowna in the winter than you're aware we can sometimes go days without seeing the sun. With some low cloud cover and being surrounded by the valley mountains it can become quite gray. In more temperate clients this can be a great opportunity to soak up some long missed vitamin D. This is an important element for bone health that we get from the sun. Vitamin D may also play a role in muscular strength helping you to hit that PB in the deadlift.Up Your Nutritional Game - One of the best things about travel is experiencing new things. Maybe there is a different language where you'll be. Foods that are commonly imported for us might be native to your travel destination. Healthier eating could simply involve fresher, local foods that we typically don't have access to. Research your destination ahead of time to find out which fruits, vegetables and fish are produced where you'll...

We're a week into 2019. And how is it going for you so far? Are you someone that makes resolutions? When you mention new year's resolutions you get a variety of responses.'I don't make them''I already have my goals figured out''Not really'It's surprising how setting goals at this time of year generates a negative response. Maybe it's due to the fact that a number of will fail in their attempt to achieve. Maybe it's because if you're not a goal oriented person it's hard to connect and relate to the number of people that are. Maybe it could be that if the individual has tried before, and failed, they are reluctant to try again.Regardless the reason to not making a resolution or goal at this time of year I'm OK with it. And maybe this has to do with a part of my definition of success is to fail faster. I'd rather find out the efforts that don't lead to success, sooner, and get on to success sooner as well.So for the sake of this post let's assume we are the type of people that sets goals or resolutions. And let's also assume that 2019 hasn't started out on the right foot. That's not an unreasonable scenario as we know most won't achieve their goal.But that's not entirely true. When we say most won't achieve their goal we usually mean this on the first attempt. But how often do we get things right the first time in life? How often do we have to try again, change our approach, ask for help or whatever else before success happens?With that in mind below are 5 things that can derail a health and fitness goal. And with each there are some solutions to spin this challenge into an opportunity. And then use this opportunity to help you...

When I was younger I used to train with my brother. And we would follow a typical bodybuilding split. What I mean by that is that our training days were divided up based on body parts and certain exercises.In other words our workouts might have looked something like this:Day 1 - legs, arms and absDay 2 - glutes, chest and absDay 3 - back, shoulders and absA few things should jump up at you right away. First of all, what does 'legs' mean? Is this quads, hamstrings or calves? Or all three?Apparently abs were really important with bodybuilding and they never require a rest day. And getting huge, or swole as the kids now like to say, was priority numero uno. No one did cardio.A warm-up involved a few light sets under the bar before starting in with the first sets of bench press. There was zero stretching or mobility work. And although we did abs it was mostly to target the rectus abdominis, or six pack. We didn't know or care about the core at all.We took rest days when the gym was closed. Otherwise it was simply rotating through this three day rotation looking to add load to the bar at every workout.Although we now know this to be terrible programming it's surprising what hard work over time will achieve. When Jon went to depot for the RCMP I believe he put some lifting records in the weight-room.But we could have gotten even better results. And a study from a few years ago might have given some clues as to how often we could train certain movements and muscles.What the researchers did was look at muscle damage to the arms and legs after training. They wanted to know if there was a difference in recovery between smaller (arm) and...

The other day I was over to one of the coffee shops close to our gym. I'm late to the coffee party but I definitely enjoy an americano once or twice a week.  Anyways there were a couple of younger women in line in front of me. And their conversation went something like this: Woman 1: I think I'm going to do an apple cider vinegar cleanse before Christmas. I can do it for a week now before Christmas and lose up to 7 pounds.Woman 2: Yeah, I've heard of that one as well. Why would you do it before Christmas?1: I typically gain 5-7 pounds over the holidays so if I lose the weight before I can enjoy the holidays guilt-free and be at the same weight I am now.2: Cool. Let me know and I'll do it with you.1: Ok I'm going after work to (local health food store) to pick up the cleanse kit. Why don't you come as well?2: Sounds good. Let's do it.*** Of course I had to bite my tongue while in line. What I would have to like to have shared with these young women is that cleanses just don't work. I've written about cleanses and detoxes before. And a review of the literature (1) on detoxes and cleanses stated: ..no randomized controlled trials have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of commercial detox diets in humans.But unfortunately the blog of strength and conditioning coach is going to get less traction than the headlines of supermarket tabloids. Most people would say they use cleanse or detox to get rid of toxins or to lose weight. The young women in the coffee shop are a perfect example of this. The problem with this is the 'weight loss' attributed to cleansing is typically due to caloric restriction and...

What comes to mind when you hear the word stress? For most people they have negative connotations with the word.When someone is stressed this may mean they are anxious. Or maybe in an uncomfortable situation. This could mean having too much on their plate. Sometimes this can be associated with tight traps, headaches and overall body tension.Stress might be related to someone pushed to their limit. And feeling as though there is no end in sight to the work or tough times.But the truth is that stress is not all bad. When stress is beneficial for the individual we would refer to this as eustress as opposed to a distress that has a negative effect.And this is similar to our autonomic nervous system (ANS) which can be divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Just as when we talk about stress in general most people associate this with distress so too when we think about the branches of the autonomic nervous system we are probably more familiar with the sympathetic nervous system.Think about it this way. What sounds more familiar, 'fight or flight' or 'rest and digest'?For most people they are more familiar with the term fight or flight. Although the words 'rest and digest' are uncommon we don't use this expression as commonly. And this is telling as to where the needle tends to sit for most people.So what do we mean by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?The graphic below does a great job of illustrating how the physiology of the body changes depending on whether we are in a parasympathetic or sympathetic state.[caption id="attachment_5648" align="aligncenter" width="300"] An illustration of how the physiology of the body changes depending on whether it is in a sympathetic or parasympathetic state.On the left are the physiological functions associated with being in a...

======================KNEE SOLUTION SEMINAR====================== Do you have knee pain?Have you suffered a knee injury?Does this joint limit the sports and activities you do? [caption id="attachment_5348" align="aligncenter" width="289"] Come learn why we have knee problems and what we can do about it If you answered 'yes' to any of these, or would like to continue having strong and healthy knees, than you should join us for our Knee Solution Seminar on Thursday December @ 615 pm. The presentation will take place at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc located at 1511 Sutherland Ave. During the presentation you will learn about:* The structure and proper alignment for the knee* Why we experience so many knee injuries* What we can do to have strong and healthy knees All are welcome. Pre-registration is required. To register send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with Knee Solution in the subject line.

The other day a client asked me what our thoughts were on lifting belts. And soon the conversation moved to the use of lifting straps, gloves and other gear people use when lifting. There are a number of different tools and gear used when we step inside the gym to train. If training means some light stretching and going for a run this doesn't require a lot of special gear or equipment. However for those that are into Olympic or powerlifting there may be more tools used. Below is a brief description of some of the more common things lifters may use as well as our take on them. Gloves, Chalk and StrapsWhen you see someone get to a certain level of strength in deadlifting you'll typically see them fail in a particular area. And this tends to be the grip. I remember a colleague sharing that the grip serves as a governor for the body. In other words when the body has reached it's capacity strength-wise the nervous sends a message to release the grip and we let go of the weight. This is to protect the body so we don't do harm. [caption id="attachment_5642" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The governor prevents the golf cart from going too fast downhill. Our hands serve as governors when we pick up heavy items. If the object is too heavy our grip releases. To get around a weak or slippery grip you'll see people use a variety of tools including gloves, chalk, straps and towels. And not a tool but a common method to get around a weak grip is alternate the hands when doing a deadlift. In this situation one hand would be overhand and one would be underhand. So what do we think of the use of each of these? Well if you've...

Growing up our parents put us in competitive swimming. My dad's sports background was football and although he still follows the game I guess he thought swimming was as different from football as you could get. And although I spent countless hours in pools and had permanently wrinkled fingers I'm not that strong in the pool these days. The technique has changed enough that I'd have to spend some time with a coach to learn the new way to swim. But if there's one thing I would change with my swimming technique it would be head position. And maybe it wouldn't be so much to change my head position but instead it would be to be aware of it. Below are 6 Reasons Head Position Matters for Swimming. Less Resistance - When you watch a non-swimmer swim a short distance this is usually done with the head up. The problem is that when we lift the head we increase drag resistance. And swimming is all about over coming resistance forces. If you are swimming in a pool you should be looking down at the line on the bottom not ahead of yourself towards the end wall. If you're not sure about your head position have someone shoot a video. Or time yourself for 50 m with your chin tucked, your chin up and with your head in a neutral position. Which position resulted in the fastest time? Ideally it would be best to video yourself doing these time trials.Better Gas Exchange - Distance swimming is primarily an aerobic sport and relies primarily on the availability of oxygen to fuel the activity. When oxygen supply is diminished or delayed, swimming performance suffers. As well, we remove waste products with cellular respiration. If breathing patterns are impaired we won't be as effective drawing...

======================KNEE SOLUTION SEMINAR====================== Do you have knee pain?Have you suffered a knee injury?Does this joint limit the sports and activities you do?  [caption id="attachment_5348" align="aligncenter" width="289"] Come learn why we have knee problems and what we can do about it If you answered 'yes' to any of these, or would like to continue having strong and healthy knees, than you should join us for our Knee Solution Seminar on Thursday November 8 @ 6 pm. The presentation will take place at Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) located at 1876 Cooper Road. During the presentation you will learn about:* The structure and proper alignment for the knee* Why we experience so many knee injuries* What we can do to have strong and healthy knees All are welcome. Pre-registration is required. To register send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with Knee Solution in the subject line.

When I was in grad school in Regina I went to Las Vegas for a guys trip. This was the first time I had been to Las Vegas and we went to see Andrew Dice Clay.If you're familiar with ADC this isn't someone to check out on YouTube with the kids around. And while my life and tastes have changed since that show, I'll admit that I did have fun.And there was one point in the show where ADC was commenting how everyone in the crowd was looking good and appeared ready to go out and have some fun. Except for one guy.ADC pointed out one guy in the crowd and said 'You're wearing beige? You're in Las Vegas. You can be anyone you want. You can do whatever you want (within reason). And whatever happens in Las Vegas...'This poor guy. He wasn't looking to heckle the comic or draw attention but ADC was sure giving it to him.At one point, ADC comes back to this guy and says 'You know who wears beige? People on safari! People who are looking to blend in with their surroundings. People who don't want to stand out. And you're wearing beige in Las Vegas?'So besides reminiscing about Las Vegas and stand-ups why share this with you?It's because ADC had a point.And that was to stay away from the middle.Here's what I mean by staying away from the middle.Having the best health, fitness and performance means making daily choices. And when we choose we should be choosing all the way for the good staff and avoiding the bad stuff (as much as possible).For example, if we're talking about getting enough sleep for recovery we should get 8 hours every night. Preferably more of these hours should occur before midnight. Once in a while we might take...

Last week Okanagan Peak Performance Inc hosted a seminar for the gymnastics community. The title was The Most Important Ability for Gymnasts - What it is and how to improve it. Below is a brief recap of the seminar.Probably about 15 years ago I did a clinic for Pacific Sport on speed and agility. This was a short clinic for a number of athletes in their teens from a variety of sports. One of the athletes, Jordy, really stood out during the clinic and later I began coaching her and she eventually came to work for us.That was the first time I had worked with a gymnast. And a few things stood out right away. Gymnasts are really hard working. Gymnasts have really high relative strength. In other words their strength per body mass is excellent. Gymnasts tend to be hyper-mobile. Gymnasts tend to injured quite often.It was this last feature of gymnasts that was the inspiration for this presentation.You see, gymnasts tend to get injured. A lot.It's especially high when you consider gymnastics is a non-contact/non-collision sport it's unfortunate to see the high injury rate among gymnasts. You might expect to see injured athletes in football, rugby or hockey where an opponent is trying to run through you.In terms of gymnastics injuries, these are more commonly chronic rather than acute. This means the injury is the result of a pattern over time. Acute injuries can be traced back to a specific episode such as a fall or awkward landing.With male gymnasts the hands and wrists are the more commonly injured joints. This can the result of high speeds and loads being borne by the hands and wrists in an awkward position. Sometimes landings or transitions are one hand at a time doubling the force on these joints compared to when both...

Is there someone in your life that epitomizes health? They always look good. They don't have a weight issue. They always seem to have energy and be in a positive mood. You rarely see them getting sick.Do you know this person?If so, maybe you've noticed that they can make this all look pretty easy.And they also don't seem to get sucked in by the various nutritional and fitness fads. The probably haven't tried intermittent fasting. They didn't eliminate all carbs from their diet. And they didn't give German volume training a go when everyone was going crazy over 10 sets of 10 reps.So what is it that accounts for these people having the best health and fitness? Why do they seem to have it all without having to work for it?Part of this has to do with the fact that these people have established really good health habits. And they practice these health habits all the time. They exercise when on vacation. They get 8 hours a sleep every night. And they have good nutritional practices.Well success leaves clues. And we can model what works and reap some of the rewards ourselves.Really it comes to doing one thing. And doing it really well. What is the one thing? Well it could be one of a number of things. And below are a few examples. Read through the list. And pick the one thing that resonates and sounds like would fit you the best.A. Build New Habits - We are creatures of habit and it can be hard to break patterns. For example, when I wake up in the morning I grab my phone and go to the bathroom. While waking up I'll check my email, business and personal. Then I'll check social media, usually Facebook and Instagram. Next I'll check the...

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Dr. Robert Reid of the Norwegian Alpine Ski Team. Dr. Reid had previously worked with the US Ski Team and presented 'A Day Without Training is a Day Without Meaning'.If you followed the Olympics this year you'll have noticed the success Norway had with skiing in North Korea. And a big part of this has to do with Norway's Long Term Athlete Development model. While Canada is considered a leader in this area there are still lessons to be learned by countries such as Norway. Below are some of my takeaways from this presentation.Isolation Leads To Stagnation - Dr. Reid emphasized the need for integration of different teams and practitioners. There is a synergy that comes from training as a team. Personally I know my own training, and competition, was  better with others than alone. When someone is a specialist this is at the expense of being the best at lots of things. For example, the best dietitian in the world probably doesn't have a lot of tips to share with a sprinter on their mechanics. We need to work in groups, share, learn and get better together.Numbers Are Less Important Than Principles - In skiing you can measure how many gates someone did, how many ski days they had or even how many pairs of skis they own. What is more important is the big picture principles that last forever. Do no harm. Eat quality nutrition. Get enough sleep. Give your best effort. When you focus too much on the numbers you narrow it down too much and may exclude those that could become something great but haven't put up the numbers at a young age yet.Don't Shut Down Or Exclude Wild Ideas - Sometimes we know who geniuses are...

How much of what happens to us in life is completely random? How much control do we have over what happens to us? I don't mean to make this a deep philosophical or religious discussion. Instead I'm referring to the fact that a lot of what happens to us in life is a consequence of our choices. If someone doesn't apply themselves in school when they are younger they may find their career options limited. If someone eats and drinks whatever they want through their adult life they may find the have poorer health than their friends. If someone doesn't maintain their vehicle and have it serviced regularly there is greater chance it will breakdown at some point in the future. These are examples of correlations and not causations. There are high-school dropouts that go on to become hugely successful in the professional world. Some people hardly ever brush their teeth and won't have one cavity. And others won't get any exercise or activity but aren't overweight or diseased. The take-aways from these examples is that we don't make good choices expecting bad things will never happen. But when they do hopefully we'll be in a better position to handle whatever the adversity or accident is. This was my reality this week. I tweaked my back. As is normally the case I was plugging away on some writing, programming, emails and presentations. Long story short I spent numerous hours on end in a seated position. Looking at the clock I realized I had minimal time to get in a training session before the next appointment. I rushed through my warm-up skipping certain key stretches and mobility drills I normally do. I didn't do any of the drills to get my core turned on. I stepped straight on the platform to deadlift and then...

Did you ever take chemistry in school? If so, you may remember something known as the rate limiting step. What this means is that when there's a chemical reaction the speed of the reaction may be limited by a particular element. Increasing the concentration of this element allows the entire reaction to happen more quickly. [caption id="attachment_5569" align="aligncenter" width="300"] With the 3 pours, the first funnel will be limited, followed by the middle series and then the 3rd series of funnel. The flow rate in each is limited by the smallest funnel. It's important to know the rate limiting or determining step because then we know where our efforts will generate a better result. Let's look a different example to see how this works. Imagine a busy restaurant that measures each day's success by the number of tables turned over. There will be a maitre-d, a hostess, a server, sous-chefs, head-chefs, bussers and dishwashers. If the dishwasher doesn't show up for work eventually the plates pile up and there will no clean plates to set a new table. Everything backs up at this point. And it doesn't matter if everyone else does a little bit more because the dishes are still piling up, not getting washed and tables are not getting turned over. We can know appreciate that when we're looking to achieve a goal there may be something that limits the outcome. With sprinting for example, we know there are contributions from the lower body joints i.e. the ankle, knee and hip. When walking there is a contribution from each of these joints. As we progress from walking to sprinting is the increased role of these joints proportional? Or are certain joints prioritized? A recent study looked to answer this question. Researchers looked at the involvement of the ankle, knee...

Alright it's time for a pop quiz. And today the question is 'What's the best way nutritionally to achieve a weight loss goal?'Now depending who you talk to the answer will vary. Answers may include: keto low fat intermittent fasting cleanse or detox whole foods raw foods vegetarian vegan IIFYM (aka if it fits your macros) flexible dietingAnd there's more than this to add to the list.Get's kind of confusing doesn't it? Paralysis by analysis comes to mind.Recently a colleague shared a graph on his social media. And it caught my attention and became the foundation for this post.Here's the graph:[caption id="attachment_5560" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Carbohydrate intake and percentage of adults with obesity over time.Here's what the graph shows:One the left vertical axis is carb intake in grams/person/day. The range is from the low 400s to the mid 500s per day.On the right vertical axis is the percentage of adults with obesity.On the horizontal axis is time in years from around  1980 to 2010.Two lines are plotted on the graph. In black we can see the consumption of carbs. And a black line represents the percentage of individuals with obesity.A few observations from this graph include: Carb intake increased steadily from 1980 to 2000. From 2000 to 2010 carb intake has been on the decline. Obesity rates have increased steadily from 1980-2010 The graph is based on a certain population i.e. obese individuals. We don't know anything about the quality of the carbohydrates consumed.This now creates an interesting conversation.First of all, we understand carb intake was reduced. Was caloric intake reduced as well? Or were carb calories replaced with additional protein or fat?I haven't dug into the reference for this graph so can't comment on what else changed with the population. Has nutritional quality decreased? Have activity levels dropped off? Have sleep...

Did you watch cartoons growing up? Did you have a favourite animated Disney movie? Maybe you were more into super heroes and really enjoyed Superman, Batman or another Marvel or DC character. For me it was the Man of Steel. I loved the movie. He had incredible super powers including being faster than a speeding bullet, x-ray vision, superhuman hearing and being able to fly. Every year I looked forward to dressing up as Superman for Hallowe'en. And of course it was exciting when the new movie in the series would come out. ***quick aside...there's no contest when it comes to Superman v Batman. You're talking about a super human versus a regular human that wears a special suit with lots of gadgets. So I'm sorry if you're a fan of Batman but I'm not sure if we can be friends...*** Anyways, at a certain age you realize Superman is fictional and he and all of his abilities are made up. In my case, I believe this age was 13 or 14 years old. And there other things in life that we believe when we're younger but eventually learn the truth. This includes Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately there are certain nutritional fables, stories and other made up nonsense that won't go away. We get older. We get wiser. Yet these concepts in nutrition hang around. Well, it's time to take some of these terms and concepts out behind the barn and kill them off once and for all. Below are 3 nutritional terms that simply won't die. 1 - Clean Eating - Despite the fact that most people understand what we're getting at when we say that we eat 'cleanly' there is no accepted definition for this word. Does it mean it an elimination of certain unhealthy foods? Does...

I've just gotten back from a family vacation. And it wasn't just Alexandra, the girls and I but my parents, siblings and their kids as well. All in there was 24 of us getting together for a few days in Washington and Idaho. We were there to go to a theme park and waterslides for a few days. At the end of the days we would gather at a restaurant to recount stories and review pictures from our adventures. Next door to one of the restaurants we were going to was a supplement store. And in the window of this supplement store was a cut out a fitness model advertising a particular supplement. In this case the supplement was branched chain amino acids or BCAAs as they're more commonly called. Before we carry on it's important to explain what a BCAA is. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Sometimes amino acids are thought of as beads on a string. Which amino acids are present and in which order is part of what determines which protein it will be. Three amino acids in particular have functional groups referred to as 'branched' to help distinguish them from other amino acids. These amino acids are leucine, isoleucine and valine. [caption id="attachment_5548" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The branched chain amino acids valine, leucine and isoleucine. Notice the part in blue is the same for all, only the part in green is different. And for a while it was believed that BCAAs, or even more specifically leucine, was the trigger for protein synthesis. So for someone looking to add some lean mass, get stronger or tone you would need to consume more protein. You could consume 20 grams of whey protein, or 6 grams of BCAAs or 2 grams of leucine. All were thought to be equivalent...

Have you ever heard something in health or fitness that wondered if it were true?Maybe it's something that you've heard for long enough that it makes you wonder how something could survive that long if it weren't true? For example, I remember back when I was in university and people were talking about doing their cardio on a empty stomach. The premise was that if the body didn't have any nutrientsMaybe it's because enough people are repeating the same message that you begin to believe as well. At one time 99% of the world's population thought the earth was flat. But majority numbers don't change the truth.Nowadays, almost everyone acknowledges the world is not flat. Well, unless you're NBA star Kyrie Irving.[caption id="attachment_5541" align="aligncenter" width="273"] Science won't sway Kyrie. He knows the earth is flat. And maybe it's because health and fitness is not our area of expertise that we don't have enough to question what we are hearing. You'll recognize when someone brings up a topic but isn't overly familiar. Sometimes this is a newer concept and the individual goes along with the consensus as they don't have any experience or specific education to think otherwise.Bro-science can be another source for the prevalence of nutritional myths. If the individual passing on the (mis)information is big enough, ripped enough, lean enough, confident enough etc they can hold court around the bench press of the local gym while passing along their pearls of wisdom. This can be anything from the best way to get gainz, to their favourite supplement or what they do or don't do nutritionally.Whatever the reason there a lot of myths that continue to be spread.So with that in mind I wanted to cover 5 of the most common myths still getting passed aroun1 - Carbs Keep You FatIt's funny how things...

Is your health & fitness the best it's ever been? If you answered 'yes' congrats! The follow up question would then be 'what could be better?'. For those that aren't experiencing the best health, what could be better? Would it be to lose some weight and take stress off certain joints? Would it be to increase mobility and range of motion so movement is easier and pain-free? Would it be to increase energy, do more and keep up with friends and family? Maybe it would be to have a release outlet for daily stressors and to have a more relaxed mindset. When we take stock of our health, fitness and performance, most people aren't satisfied. More than just not satisfied many aren't happy with their health, with the way their body looks and how they perform in sports. For some people the level of dissatisfaction gets to such a point that it changes things beyond their health. They opt out of social gatherings due to a lack of confidence. They stay home rather accept invites to reunions, parties and other fun events. When it comes to sports, they may abandon the idea of competing or even just participating in a sport. Skiing hurts their knees too much. Their shoulders are so bad they don't play tennis more. And running always sets off their back and hips. Maybe you can relate to some of these situations? You may feel as though you're caught in a catch-22. You know what you want. And you have an idea of what you need to do. But you don't want to do the wrong things and waste your time, or worse, get injured. And there's always the challenge of finding the time to fit in one more thing into your day. Below is a solution that...

Did you ever have quizzes when you were in school?I'm talking about surprises quizzes that were given without advance notice.[caption id="attachment_5529" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pop quizzes were a good way to assess how well the class learned the basics.Usually they didn't count much toward your final grade but were important to get a quick pulse on how the class was doing. Did they learn the previous lesson? Can the teacher proceed with more advanced concepts?In other words, does the class understand the basics?Well, guess what it's quiz time!And the question is what is something most people want when it comes to their training but will neglect as well?The answer of course is stretching.And I would guess the reason stretching gets little attention is that it's not as appealing as a good strength or energy system training session.Bodybuilders, power and Olympic lifters all like the pump after a good lift.Aerobic athletes seek out 'the high' they get from a good ride, run, hike or swim.And once we've gotten what we need out of the training session there isn't much interest in stretching. It gets pushed to the side and ignored.But the irony is more and more people identify flexibility and mobility as their goal for training. Maybe they have restricted mobility which impacts their quality of life. For example, maybe a lack of shoulder mobility impairs an individual's ability to sleep at night. They may have nagging low back pain from tight hips and a weak core.So we know what we need but for whatever reason we are reluctant to give stretching and mobility the attention it deserves in our training program.This may be partly due to the fact most people train for a fat loss goal. They train to look better. They train to change the aesthetic which then helps with confidence and...