Hi there: So last week I introduced the debate 'Is being vegan/vegetarian healthier for you?' And now I want to present my answer to this question. Yours may differ. And that's ok. But I thought it would be important to have the information listed below before coming to a conclusion. Before I get to the article however I wanted to share something funny from last weekend with you. After stairs last Saturday we had everyone over for brunch. Yes, you do get rewarded for exercise. Anyways while we were preparing the meal we offered everyone something to drink and cinnamon buns. But there were no takers. I was pretty surprised that after a hard 90 minute workout no one was going to go for a cinnamon bun. Alexandra and I continued on preparing the food while everyone sat out on the deck. At the end of the meal as plates were being cleared I noticed all the cinnamon buns were gone except one. Good to see everyone was able to relax and enjoy themselves. We look forward to more of these in the future. So back to the vegan/vegetarian (v/v) question...it seems like people automatically ascribe this as being a healthier way of living without considering all of the facts. So here we go. BenefitsI do recognize there to be some benefits to being a v/v the most obvious being that you'll eat more fruits and vegetables. Many of us don't get enough fruits and veggies to begin with and then we tend to eat the same ones repeatedly with little variety in our nutritional habits. So out of necessity a v/v will eat more fruits and veggies which would be a good thing. As well, by incorporating more fruits and veggies into the plan we will get a shift towards a more alkaline diet. Most North Americans...

Hi there: Last weekend we met for our weekly stairs workout. Everything was as per usual leading up to the workout. Rest was good. Motivation to train was good. I had hydrated well before the workout and had breakfast before training. As we showed up for the workout we began with a general warm-up consisting of an easy jog around the soccer fields. From there we went into our dynamic warm-up, some skip drills and then a short jog over to the stairs. After a few leg swings and some ankle mobilizations we then proceeded to walk up the first flight of stairs. By the top of the stairs everything was feeling loose, warmed up and ready to go.But I wasn't feeling too hot. I wasn't sure why but thought the feeling would pass.So we proceeded on with the workout. And I was having difficulty getting my legs going. You know the feeling I'm talking about? Even though you've gone through a thorough warm-up your body still feels sluggish.Well that's how I felt. Add to that my heart rate was at or above the normal level for this type of workout. Then I realized what I had done wrong. The day before I had made an omelet. And whenever I cook I like to make extra on purpose. This saves me time then next time I go looking for something to eat.So when I woke that Saturday morning all I could think about was the left over omelet calling to me from my bed. 3 eggs, a good dose of shredded cheddar, more than enough bacon with some peppers. After getting ready I was in the kitchen warming up these left-overs and looking forward to my pre-workout meal this omelet would make.Bad idea.I should have known better. When we load the...

Hey there: Alright I think I need to change my FB profile pic. I put up the picture from my Hallowe'en costume and the feedback has ranged from:'That is so creepy'  to'The girls are hot, Chris is not'  to(my personal favourite)  'I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth'So to salvage any sort of shred of confidence I may have this pic will have to come down haha. Good times though.Anyways for most people the goal when they go to the gym is to lose bodyweight. They are carrying a few extra pounds and would like to tone up or just get lean.But what about for the other people? There are some people out there who are looking to gain weight. I was one of them. I graduated high school at 154 lbs and then got up to 217 lbs in university. So it can be done. Below is a question from ST. He writes:Hey Chris, I really having problems with my diet. I'm really  not eating at the right times or nearly enough i think. I did about 3 weeks of the workout we did, and not even a dent on the scale. I  really think its a diet issue, just having troubles keeping up to it and eating enough. So should i be eating about 5 meals per day? I just need a couple tips maybe and a bit of modivation haha. Is there something that i can consistently have for a few of the meals and it not be unhealthy or anything? Once i start to see some results i get pretty motivated, but when im in a lul like this it makes it harder for me to get to the gym (vicious cycle and so on). Just looking for a  few ideas along the diet and motivation lines.Thanks,SYou know what's...

Hi there: Hope you're having a great week and are accomplishing all of your health, fitness and performance goals. One of my favourite ways to relax and unwind is to go the movies. Last night my wife and I check out 'Due Date'.  Think of it as an updated version of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'. Anyways, it was good for a laugh. Never underestimate the value of relaxing and having a good time as it relates to your body's ability to regenerate and recover.But enough about relaxing and movies because it's Wednesday and that means it's time for a nutritional tip. Over the past couple of weeks I have been experimenting with how many calories my body is burning. Knowing this informating allows me to be not only more specific with my training but also more specific with my meals.I now know how many calories I should have at each meal. And how often I should eat in order to put on 10 lbs of muscle. So with that being said check out the following video where I show you a sample healthy snack and a great online nutritional resource for looking up your favourite foods.Here's the link for the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UomdVRRzzzsLet me know what your favourite snack is. And have you used this online resource before?Your coach,Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                    okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'

  I had another topic planned for today but someone asked if I would cover this one instead. Since more and more people have been asking me about cleanses lately I thought I might as well cover this topic now. But first I need to ask you a few questions. How you ever done a cleanse? What were your reasons for doing so?   Was it drop some weight quickly to get ready for a beach vacation?   To fit into an outfit?   To rid your body of toxins?     Because Oprah said so? (just kidding, I don't want to get sued by O)   You might laugh at the last one but it's unfortunate what our rationales are for doing a cleanse. And they are rarely due to the advice of a medical professional. Instead they seem to be based on the anecdotal evidence of friends and family. What do I mean by that?   Well the benefits of cleanses aren't front page news on the cover of JAMA or other medical journals. Instead it is usually a friend that has done this exact cleanse before, lost 7 lbs and feels great. And oh yeah, this friend is usually a distributor for a supplement you need to take during the cleanse.   (what a cynic I am, right?)   But seriously if weight loss is your goal, what would you expect to happen if you stopped eating food for a week or longer? Some cleanses last as long as 45 days.   And when you stop eating for this much time, what do you think happens to your metabolism? It comes to a screeching halt. And with a slower metabolism body fat will increase over time.   Doesn't seem worth it to me.   But what about the benefits of all the...

 Hi there: Alright I'm not sure where you're at when you're reading this but here in Kelowna it is cold! -14 C to be exact! All the prairie people are rolling their eyes right now thinking 'wimps'. Speaking of prairie people maybe this is just our way of being hospitable to the Regina Pats who are in town to play the Rockets tonight. Yeah that's it, just our way to make them feel at home.But enough talk about the weather it's almost Thanksgiving weekend and with that means big meals, a few days off and maybe some football on tv. So whether you are south of the border or not I want to make sure you are well armed going into this weekend to stay on track with your training, to enjoy the holiday to the max and mostly importantly to stave off the weight gain experienced by so many. So here are 9 Ways to Beat Back the Thanksgiving Bulge.1. Schedule your big meal earlier in the day. Most of us tend to eat dinner at the end of the day after school and work. But school is out for this holiday and many get the day off work. Since this frees up the schedule use it to your advantage to schedule the big meal earlier in the day.  This will allow you more time after to work off some of the extra calories than if you finish late into the evening and simply slide in front of the tv before going to bed.2. Eat your veggies first. This is important for a few reasons including the fact that when our plates are left unfinished often times it is the yams, broccoli and cauliflower that go untouched. Secondly, there are many enzymes contained within vegetables that assist in the digestion and absorption of other nutrients. Lastly,...

I might be contradicting myself here but it's got to be done.'How so?' you might be saying to yourself.Well for a while I was encouraging you to do something nutritionally that I believed was in your best interests. That would give you better results related to weight loss and performance.But maybe I was wrong. (said in a whisper so no one can hear me)What it is that I had you doing was reading food labels. So how can this be a bad thing? Why would I suggest you stop doing so? Well for three reasons.Reason #1 to Stop Reading Food Labels - You are being misledI wouldn't go so far as to saw you are being lied to but consider the following titles on food packages:'made with real sugar''all natural''organic''95% fat free'So how are these titles on packaging misleading? Well there really is no benefit to eating real sugar. It still causes an insulin spike and puts the break on your fat burning.What about 'all-natural' and 'organic'? Well just because something occurs naturally doesn't mean it's healthy and a good idea to put it in your mouth. Heck, in the case of arsenic, it can kill you.And organic, well often times this is marketing-hype imo. If you eat organic for environmental reasons, do organic bananas leave a smaller organic footprint to ship to Canada than regular bananas?Reason #2 To Stop Reading Food Labels - It's less about the caloriesAsk most people what they check when they read a food label and what is the most common answer? Calories. We still believe, incorrectly, that a calorie is a calorie and we simply need to create a deficit or surplus in order to have the best results.The truth is that it's probably more important to consider the quality and timing of your food selections rather than the calorie count....

Over the next few days you're going to see an emphasis on nutrition with respect to the content you receive.Why nutrition?Well because it has such a HUGE impact on the results you achieve. I mean we can put emphasis in our workouts. We can do more resistance-based workouts.And we can also put more efforts on our recovery by doing more stretching, foam rolling, immediate post workout shakes and get adequate sleep at night.But if you want the absolute best bang for your buck and return on investment than nutrition is the best place to start.With that in mind here are The Top 5 Reasons Nutrition Should be Your Emphasis for 2011 Health, Fitness & Performance Goals.Reason #1 - We may eat up to 20 times more than we trainIt's not uncommon these days for people to have their three squares a day, a post workout shake and a snack or two. This works out to 6 meals a day times 7 days and you have 42 meals a week.The average gym goer visits their gym less than 3 days per week. This is the average of people who have gym memberships! Many others get a lot less exercise than this.So if someone were eating 40 plus meals a week and training two times a week it's easy to see where there is huge opportunity to make substantial gains and improvement by modifying their nutritional plan.Reason #2 - We always consumeEven if you're the most serious, dedicated athlete out there, there will still be times when you'll take a day of rest.But most of us aren't professional. Or that serious. Or that motivated.And there will be times when we are sick. Or injured. Or travelling. And therefore not able to train at all.So while the outputs may slow, or stop altogether for brief periods,...

I remember reading a journal article on this topic a number of years ago. But guess what? The idea is still a good one and the science is still valid so I thought I'd share it with you. So how does this tip work exactly? Well it's a way for you to be able to quickly and effectively control the calorie content of your meals. Because most people don't count calories. And some people even tell you not to read food labels. haha We eat based on portion size, don't we? And the bigger the portion the more we eat. Sure there's one in every crowd who weighs out their food and has a pretty good idea of how much they're eating. But for most of us we don't the equipment, knowledge or time for this. So this makes it pretty hard to know whether a particular meal has more or less calories than what you need. And here's the really cool thing about this tip. It works for everyone! Yeah, that's right. It doesn't matter if your goal is lose a few or a lot of pounds. Or if you're trying to gain a few or a lot of pounds. The concepts in this tip will work for everyone. And it's very easy to follow. So let's get to it already (you're probably thinking, right?) Ok so here are 3 Ways To Automatically Control the Caloric Content of Your Meals. Rule #1 - Add more water Ok here's a nutritional trivia question that 100% of you better get right. How many calories are there in water? If you said 'zero' give yourself a gold star and let's move on. (if you answered anything other than zero I can't help you...sorry) So if we agree that water has no calories then...

 Recently I was down to Las Vegas for some meetings, lectures and networking. In between our meetings I had the chance to track down Dr. Peter Osbourne for a quick interview on gluten and celiac disease.In the interview I ask Dr. Osbourne a number of questions including:1. What is gluten?Dr. Osbourne defines gluten as a poison for certain individuals that when they eat it this causes an immune system reaction. This reaction causes a host of problems of up to 140 auto-immune diseases.2. What foods trigger a response or reaction to gluten?Gluten is found primarily in grains such as bread, pasta and cereal.3. Is it possible that some people have celiac disease and may not even know it?Lots of people have gluten sensitivity but have been misdiagnosed and don't know why they are sick. In terms of celiac disease there are an estimated 2 million people that are 'silent celiac' meaning they are asymptomatic and have the disease but won't find out until their fourth decade when the symptoms really start to set in.I ask him a couple more questions but you'll have to watch the video to see what they are.At the end of the interview Dr. Osbourne shares with us his website and facebook fan page. Make sure to watch for this information and contact him for more resources or to inquire about being tested for gluten sensitivity.Are you gluten sensitive?Do you have celiac disease?Do you have reactions to certain foods where the cause hasn't been diagnosed yet?Post your answers in the comments section below.Chrisokanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'

So I have to ask...do you crave salt or sweet?For me it's salt. I like artichoke hearts, some cheese and peppers on stoned wheat thin crackers.Lame! You're probably thinking. What about the nachos, wings, pizza and burgers? Yeah I like those too but I don't really crave them.And once in a while I might have a diet coke with lunch or some chocolate when we go to a movie.Ok now I've got half of drooling thinking about all these snacks. So how do we deal with cravings? How do take foods that should be once in a while and make sure they don't become daily rituals? Well below are the Best Ways to Deal with Cravings.#1 - Get it off-siteIf something is bad for you don't want it anywhere near you. Think about the fuss people make about nuclear reactors, power lines or any other type of waste or contaminant. NIMBY is the common response.So how come we are so casual about the poisons we stock in our fridge and pantry? I'm talking about the high sugar, high fructose corn syrup and processed foods that we buy and stock at home.Make it a lot harder to resist the urge and indulge but refusing to have the stuff in the home. On the rare occassions you are going to indulge, go out for a treat.#2 - Put delays in placeUsually there is a time factor to our cravings. And these can be more psychological than physical. With a bit of a delay there is the chance the craving will pass.Smokers trying to quit are told to store their papers, tabacco, cigarettes and lighters in different locations. Chronic shoppers put their credit cards in a glass of water in the freezer.By creating a diversion or delay in satisfying the craving there is the possibility...

As many of you know I'm in a business group with Craig Ballantyne of Men's Health and Turbulence Training fame. Craig's a great guy not only because he produces incredible real-world training programs that help so many but because he is a great resource to others in the group, including myself.So when Craig let's me in on what he's been up to, who he's been interviewing and where he's been, I take notes. Because the guy is cutting edge, passionate and intelligent. And when he spots a winner he backs it. 100%.Recently Craig turned me on to a nutritional program designed by Isabel De Los Rios.Who's Isabel you may be wondering?She's the nutritionist Bill Phillips invited down to his home in Beverly Hills recently to pick her brain before the launch of his upcoming book Transformation. And Bill knows a thing or two about nutrition and exercise. His book Body for Life helped over 2 million people change their lives.And he asks Isabel for advice.Or what about Tim Ferris.You'll recognize the name from the 4 Hour Work Week as well as the 4 Hour Body. Tim is accomplished researcher, NY Times best selling author and owner of a supplement company. He can get pretty much any nutritional expert on the phone he wants.But he chooses to have breakfast with Isabel to stay on top of the latest nutritonal findings.There are many more examples such as this. Isabel is the 'go-to-girl' for the top people in the health and fitness industry.And she's put together a short video about the foods you should never eat.I am almost certain there will at least one food on this list which you eat on a regular basis.www.goo.gl/y0uzY <--- 4 foods to avoidNow go have a watch and learn the 4 Foods to Avoid.Chris                                                                                                                                                                               okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'

So we all know the importance of the pre-workout meal. Well, maybe I'm jumping the gun. I should say that I hope we all know the importance of the pre-workout meal.And I should qualify the position I'm coming from on this topic. This is based upon training for performance and athletic excellence. The reason I make the distinction is that there is a growing movement and popularity for intermittent fasting when it comes to weight loss and body composition changes. I'm not referring to this type of goal.When it comes to pre-workout nutrition for a performance goal wer're looking to hydrate and top up the body's supply of glycogen. Glycogen is the body's stored form of carbohydrate which can be found in the muscle and liver. If we have some carbs before training this can help 'spare' muscle glycogen or minimize the depletion of this energy source.And while carbs are our best source to accomplish this we want to make sure to keep the pre-workout levels of fats and protein a little lower. This may seem contrary to what you'll see many 'meat heads' doing as they suck on a protein shake while warming up on the treadmill. Don't follow this lead. Too much protein slows gastric emptying and impairs performance.But while we hear all the time how important it is to eat before training, how important is it really? How much does it impact your performance? Can one meal really make a difference?Consider the following session I had with a client this week. This client wears a heart rate monitor while training and of course we are monitoring loads, recovery times and outputs on energy system work. And for this particular workout the client had not had a pre-workout meal.Here's what happened.When we got to some of the conditioning sets...

 So I just got back from a conference in California. And this means flights, hotel stays and long days of sitting in on presentations. For most this is a prescription to derail one's fitness and performance efforts. But not me.No sir! I feel like Superman when I travel. What do I mean by that?    Well basically it's that I have strategies in place that allow me not lose any of the forward momentum I've achieved with my training. And since we're into spring break here and many of you may be hitting the road for vacations this is a great time to share these tips with you.Here are my Top 10 Strategies for Staying Healthy on Vacation.Tip #1 - Bring a shaker cupThe thing with flights is that you get dehyrated. And with security rules limiting the volume of liquid to 100 ml you can't bring carry a drink with you. And once you're on the flight you get a serving of water as if you were rinsing your mouth at the dentist's office.To get around this invest in a shaker cup. They cost less than $10 and often are included at supplement stores when you purchase a bulk order. Don't bring a coffee cup or water bottle. The next points explain why.Tip #2 - Bring dried veggiesHave you ever noticed how great the salad bars are in airports? And how fresh everything is? And of course the variety rivals that of a Las Vegas casino. But the best part is how reasonable everything is. I'm surprised more people don't drive out to airports for their evening meals.Obviously I'm not serious about the points above. Therefore  it is that much more important to bring a number of dried veggies in envelopes. I use Prograde Genesis because I get 5-6 servings per packet and the...

 So the #1 goal of people who go to the gym is weight loss. And it's like finger nails on a chalk board when I see people making all the right decisions when it comes to training, rest and the foods they eat only to blow it in one area. What is that one area? It's the calories they drink. They will drink coffees with flavoured shots, artificial sweeteners, creams and other additives. They will puree enough fruit for two days and drink this. Worse they will buy the commercial varieties of the juice smoothies which often have well over 100 grams of sugar. They will finish off a hard day's work with a glass or two of their favourite beer or wine. Which normally isn't a problem except when you're trying to drop 20-30 lbs. And so for these people we make the rules very simple. 1. Get all of your nutrition from food. 2. Get your hydration from water. But there are exceptions to the rule. And this post is all about those exceptions. Because at a certain point you should gain control of the calories you drink back. And your water intake should be adequate. And you should be getting all your nutrition from food. And your weight loss should be on track. And if this the case read on to find out how you can begin to reintroduce drinks back into your like. If this is you then here are 5 drinks you can reintroduce back into your lifestyle. 1. Workout Drinks - Are your workouts at least an hour in length? Are workouts fairly intense? By this I mean that you broke a sweat, lifted as heavily as you could and were out of breath at various points during the workout. If you answered 'yes' to...

I remember growing up and my parents were following one of the low fat diets of the day. One of the ones that comes to mind was the Scarsdale Diet. Anyways this diet, and a number of others, recommended that for the best health we needed to reduce our intake of fat. Particularly saturated fat. And so we stopped eating egg yolks. And we cut back on our consumption of animal fat. Or we eliminated animal products altogether and became vegan or vegetarian. By we I mean society in general and not me personally. What have the results been? Obesity has more than doubled in the USA over the last 20 yers. But about our internal health? Have we become sicker as well? Take a look at the graph below which shows the changes in diabetes over the years. And below we can see the increase in sugar consumption over the past 80 plus years. So fat may not be the culprit we thought it was. Sure it has more than double the energy of carbohydrates and protein. But I've tried to drive home the point that a calorie is not a calorie many times before. Any five year will tell you eating 1 lbs of broccoli is not the same as eating 1 lbs of cotton candy. However many still cling to the belief that a caloric deficit is all that is needed to drop unwanted bodyfat fat. But is sugar really that bad? Consider the following research just coming out. Dr. Cantley, a cell biologist and biochemist, has recently shown that cancer cells have insulin receptors just as muscle, fat and liver cells do. So when we eat sugar these receptors are able to receive the sugar flowing through our blood and supply the energy to grow the tumour. And it appears the...

The body is a pretty amazing machine.It adapts to new environments. For example, in equatorial regions we develop more pigment to prevent burning. And in arctic regions we retain more bodyfat for insulation against cold weather.It responds quickly and measurably to stimuli. For example, step on a tack and you will reflexively flex the knee and or hip to pull away from the source of the pain. Or if you cause damage to the soft tissues of the body, which help to maintain strutural integrity, we will get an inflammatory response to provide more stability to the injured body part.For everything we subject our bodies to there is a reaction. Sometimes the reaction is obvious and external which allows us to take notice and make the connection. Falling asleep in the hot sun on vacation may result in a sunburn which is easy for us to recognize and connect the dots as to why we got burned.Other reactions in our body are harder to perceive.They may not be as immediate.Drinking 2 cans of soda a day as a young person may eventually lay the foundation for future diabetes issues. But at the time it is difficult to recognize the damage we are doing.I guess it's kind of like being a baby.We are not able to communicate our needs except through crying. And unless something is painful, such as a dirty diaper or hunger pangs, we may not cry at all, giving the impression that everything is alright.But absence of pain doesn't mean everything is alright.We can be putting stress and doing damage to our tissues and organs without even realizing it.How can this happen?Well as long as we can 'get away' with a lifestyle or habit there is no reason to change it, is there?However when we discover there is a problem we always...

The other day I finished up a session with a client and we were talking about post-workout nutrition. And as we have chocolate milk for after your workout I offered one to this client. And she had a question regarding drinking chocolate milk. Specifically she wanted to know if it was ok to drink the reduced sugar version. Here's what I told her. After training the body is looking to begin the repair process and replenish metabolites that have been depleted. During training the body uses ATP as the energy source. Carbohydrates are a prime source for generating ATP during training. Some of the cards we eat are stored in the body in the form of glycogen in the muscle and liver. Anyways, it makes sense that after training we've depleted the body's source of glycogen and this needs to be replaced. If we eat only protein we won't have the necessary nutrients to replenish our store of glycogen. This is a common mistake some make with regards to their post-workout nutrition. They believe they need protein, which they do, but nothing else. There is also the belief that more is better and if 20 grams of protein in your post workout shake is good than 40 grams would be better and 50 or 60 grams would probably be best. But here's the thing. 20 grams of whey protein will get the job done. As will 6 grams of branched chain amino acids. Or 2 grams of the essential amino acid leucine. But we tend to follow label instructions on our favourite protein supplement which tells us a serving is 30-50 grams of protein. And the other protein is the lack of carbohydrate. And optimal post-workout formulation would have 3 or 4 times the amount of carbs as protein. A regular...

 How important is healthy eating for you? What does healthy eating mean to you? The second one might be a more important question because our understanding of what is healthy can vary drastically. For some people it means 'low fat'. For others this means 'low carb'. Some people will try and grow some of their own fruits, vegetables and herbs. And when we start with a new client we will do a consult and assessment. The answer for many of them regarding their nutritional habits is to qualify the quality of their nutrition with saying where they buy their groceries. This is kind of funny. Funny because even 'health food' stores sell cookies, pop, ice cream and all other types of junk food that you can find at regular supermarkets. Don't believe me? Take a look at the current flyer for your local health food supermarket. You will find gluten free cookies, cane sugar soda, dark chocolate, soy based ice cream all on sale. But here's the problem...you can't make junk food healthy simply by using a natural ingredient or removing the worst ingredient of the day. This could be trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, gluten or whatever is the current nutritional villain of the day. Now I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here. You aren't the types to believe gluten free cookies will help you towards your weight loss goal. Or that cane sugar cola all of sudden become a healthy choice. I'm sure you get this. But there is an area where many people get tripped up. And that is when they buy organic. (pause...wait for crickets...) Now I may have the attention of a few more of you that this refers to. Do you buy organic? If so, what are your reasons for buying organic? Is it...

We live in a world where we can access professional advice for all areas of our life.We can consult with an investment advisor on the best ways to save for retirement. We can meet with an accountant about tax strategies that would benefit our business. And we can work with a strength & conditioning coach as to the best ways to achieve the results in the least amount of time.But what would you think if your advisor didn't follow the same advice they gave you? What if there was a case of 'do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do'?Recently there was an example of such an instance. At our facility. With one of our own coaches!After berating this poor coach for the better part of the day I said they would use this as an opportunity to explain why what they were doing was not good and what a better option would be.And this has lead to the birth of a new blog series called 'A Hint of Hypocrisy'. Every now and again your coaches and trainers will share with you some of the decisions they make which are contrary to the advice they try and drill into you on a daily basis.So sit back, relax and enjoy this inaugural installment of a Hint of Hypocrisy by Matt Baumeister.Hi everybody,Do you have a secret indulgence? I sure do, and I’m here to tell you all about it. But first, let me tell you about how it came about and why I love my treat so much. Can I get a drum roll please….everybody: my secret indulgence is Arizona Ice Tea. Why you ask? I love it simply because it reminds me of sitting on a beach with my good friends while basking in the hot Okanagan sun.While it’s true that we all have our little vices, I...

The other day I was talking to a client telling them they could accelerate their fat loss efforts by eliminating certain foods from their nutritional plan.And so I mentioned things like starchy carbohydrates (breads, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals, grains), most drinks as well as food with corn.But as soon as I mentioned the word 'corn' this client stopped me. 'Really?' they said. 'I can't eat corn? Why not?' It's a vegetable and it comes from the earth.And herein lies the problem with some of the nutritional rules I have passed on to clients. Some are borrowed from others. Some are our own creations at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. Now without going into the entire list here are couple of the rules:* eat as many vegetables as you like* foods from the ground, the ocean or a tree are good food for youJust considering these two rules we would all probably agree that these two rules would lead you in the right direction regarding a nutritional choice. Because corn is a vegetable that comes from the ground.So what's the big deal with corn? Why is it on the list of foods to avoid?I can see how this gets confusing. And the quick answer is to say there are exceptions to the rules. But that is kind of like a parent saying to a five year old 'just because' as part of suitable explanation.Well you aren't five years old and 'just because' won't cut it. We need better reasons than that to cut corn from the program. So with that in mind here are 4 Reasons to Cut Corn From Your Nutritional Plan.Reason #1 - Is It a Vegetable?The first thing to consider when it comes to corn is that depending on who you ask or what resources you use it may be considered a...

Recently I was asked to join a Program Advisory Committee for the Okanagan College Human Kinetics program by my friend Dr. Greg DuManoir. You may know Greg from Okanagan College as a professor. Or maybe you attended the Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference which Greg and I co-host. It could also be that you've crossed paths with Greg at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc where he trains. This is an exciting invitation as it allows us to provide feedback to the academic world as to what their graduates are doing really well at when they enter the job force. We are also able to give insights into skill sets that would benefit students once they begin their careers. And we are also able to share the trends that we are observing with respect to training in the post-rehabiliation, weight loss and athletic development fields. But that's not the real topic I'm going to cover in this post. Instead it has a nutritional theme which came to me during our first meeting yesterday. As with all meetings, our hosts at Okanagan College were gracious in offering us a variety of hot beverages as well as cold drinks in the form of juice boxes. It was at this point in the meeting that I leaned over to Greg and thanked him for the idea for my next blog article :) To be fair I know Greg wasn't the one who made the drink selection for the meeting and I'm just giving him a hard time. But it reminds me of a conference I attended in Seattle with Kayla last year. The lunch at this 'fitness' conference included cookies, potato chips and cans of pop. 'Now, hold on' you're probably thinking, 'there's no way juice boxes can be lumped in the same category as the...

[caption id="attachment_3199" align="alignleft" width="183"] Proper landing mechanics are an essential part of injury prevention.Are you following the NCAA basketball? Or March Madness as it is more commonly known? I think this is one of the best sports tournaments going because it has such as great format with the 'one-and-done' arrangement. To be honest I don't spend a lot of time watching college basketball during the year. But when March rolls around I try and check out a few games. This year is even more special as I got to go to some games. While I was down to California for a conference I managed to find some tickets on Craigslist for the games in San Jose. What a blast! What made it even more fun was the fact that I was able to keep it a secret from Megan right up until tip off at the arena. But although the experience was once in a lifetime and a fun thing to do on the side at the conference I actually want to talk about a game we didn't see. The one where Kevin Ware, from Louisville, broke his leg. Now if you have a weak stomach don't go check it out on youtube. And sorry Jordy, but blurring your eyes when you watch doesn't prevent nightmares. Anyways after seeing this horrifying accident I thought to myself 'I wonder if he had been doing x-y-z prior to the accident?' And I also thought this might interesting and useful for you as well. So here are 8 Things to Prevent a Bone Fracture. 1. Eccentric Training One of the first things that comes to mind is eccentric training which is the portion of a muscular contraction when the muscle is being lengthened. This is when most injuries happen so it makes sense to...

THE PLATEAUI’m a climber. Not in the traditional sense though. I don’t own the fancy, grippy shoes or do finger-tip pull ups or anything like that. I’m just a guy that keeps trying to get higher (or better) no matter what situation he’s in. Now, if you’re an actual rock climber, I’d say reaching a plateau is probably a good thing. You’ve been crawling and scrambling and sweating your butt off climbing on up and you’ve finally reached an area where you can actually sit down and have a rest without (as much) risk of falling to your death. But if it’s not rocks you’re climbing and the battle is more along the lines of losing weight/inches than I can assure you a plateau is just about the least fun you’re ever gonna have.I guess when it comes to the culture of fitness “plateaus” are fairly common. I have no idea of the scientific or even physiological reasons behind them (Chris tried to explain but my eyes glazed over after a few seconds). [Chris here...let me step in for a moment and see if I can answer the question regarding plateaus and help generate a better result for Jarrod and anyone who has experienced a plateau.] Weight Loss Plateaus Aren't All Bad First of all it is important to recognize that a plateau isn't necessarily a bad thing. Seriously think about it this way. If you've reached a plateau then that means you must have ascended to some level of accomplishment with your training but the results didn't continue. But that's the difference between a plateau where you achieve a result and simply getting started on a training program that ellicits no results whatsover. Big difference. The second reason a plateau may not be a bad idea is because it is...

Nighttime Eating Without question, one of the single worst habits I have (at least that I am willing to publically detail…) is that of “night eating.” Now, I don’t know if night eating is a “thing” in the clinical sense but it sure as shooting is a “thing” when it comes to my life. And it’s not new. I’ve been lost in the world of post-midnight munching for decades. Nighttime Eating at an Early Age It all started back when I was seven or eight. Mom and dad would send me off to bed where I would lie for exactly the amount of time it took them to vacate the lower level of the house. Once they were out of sight I would discreetly slip to the downstairs television set and supplement my cultural education. Without a word of a lie, I spent a good ten years crouched a maximum of five or six inches from our old Zenith television between the hours of midnight and 4am, hand on the power button ready to switch it off the very second I heard movement toward the stairs. During these hours I consumed all manner of forbidden television fruit, from All in the Family to Cheers to the Tonight Show to Late Night with David Letterman and far beyond. Alas, my consumption was not limited to entertainment. When you’re watching this much telly this late into the night you get hungry – real hungry - and no food was safe when I went hunting. Common (and Not So Common) Nighttime Eating Snacks My ideal snack tended toward the salted varieties – chips, crackers and what have you - but I would never limit myself to that. Oh no, I also freely enjoyed chocolate bars, leftover pizza, milk, cereal, cold lasagna, bread, butter, crackers,...

Do you like to drink? And unless you're like a few of my college buddies I'm talking about during the day, while at work or at school. I guess it's not so much a question of 'do you drink?' but rather 'what' do you drink? But you have to admit asking the question the other way got a number of you checking the calendar to see how many more days until the weekend. But seriously though when it comes to our nutrition it seems as though more emphasis is put on what to eat rather than what to drink. And this will trip up many people. How does it trip them up? By drinking things that don't support whatever their goal is. And in this case the goal could be weight loss, weight gain and or performance. So let's take a quick look at each of these to see what you should be drinking. Goal #1 - Weight Loss If you're like most people that go to the gym then your goal is weight loss. And as soon as we can agree that six packs are made in the kitchen and not the gym we'll be way further ahead than if we think we can go for extra walk after dinner to make up for the cherry strudel you had for a mid-afternoon snack. But even if we realize that our nutrition plays the most important role in our quest for the leanest physique we need to be aware that our choice of beverage can severely impact our goal. So what should be drinking? The best choice are water and green tea. There are no calories and the polyphenols and caffeine in the tea may help with your weight loss goal. Just be careful to monitor your caffeine intake and the potential for...

Do you have a fitness goal that you've been working towards for a while?If it's a weight loss goal you've probably tried different approaches. You may have tried a new training program. Maybe you switched up your nutritional plan. Perhaps you tried a new supplement to boost your workouts or enhance the fat burning process.And if you're like most people you probably have only so many tweaks you can make to your lifestyle in an attempt to achieve your goal before you just throw in the towel and give up. I mean that's a common theme on the after-noon talk shows isn't it? The attitude that it's not your fault, that you're an amazing person just the way you are and all the other warm & fuzzy psycho babble that is used to justify falling short of your goal.Now don't get wrong here. I understand there are a number of factors that contribute to an individual's propensity to gain weight and subsequent ability to lose it as well. And unless we have a blood and hormone profile to work with it may be quite difficult for some to drop weight without knowing the information that can be collected from such tests.But maybe we're going about this the wrong way?Maybe instead of trying harder we need to relax our efforts a bit.What? How does this make sense? How can relaxing the nutritional and exercise efforts you are making be holding you back from having the lean and healthy physique you would like to have?Look at it this way.A new exercise and fitness routine can be thought of as juggling.Ask someone to reduce the calorie containing beverages they consume and they may be able to handle this. (more on this in a bit)Now ask them to take omega-3 every day, plan and pack...

Do you like upgrades? Stupid question, right? I mean who doesn't like going from the a regular room to a suite. Or from a full size to a BMW. Or from coach to first class. Yeah, upgrades rock. Well the other day I was talking about nutrition with the some of the hockey players we work with and I was asking how much cold water fish they eat? I ask this because it's usually a good indicator of how much omega-3 they get in their diet. If they answer rarely or maybe once a week then I'll ask if they take an omega-3 supplement to ensure they are getting enough of this fatty acid found in grass-fed beef, fish, seeds (flax, hemp, chia) and nuts (walnuts) among other foods. One of the reasons omega-3 is so important is that it is an essential fatty acid which our body can't produce. And so we can only get it from the foods we eat. And while omega-3s are important for a number of reasons related to inflammation, anti-oxidation and indirectly to weight loss they are in short supply for most North Americans based on our nutritional habits. On the other hand there are omega-6s which are also essential but which get more than enough in our diets. What kinds of foods contain omega-6? These are contained in oils such as corn, safflower and sunflower and exert the opposable effect to omega-3s. So think inflammatory as opposed to anti-inflammatory. So while taking regular omega-3 supplementation is a great idea there is a better option. And while this better option, or upgrade, isn't anything new it only took a discussion with one of the hockey players to realize this would have benefit for many of our other clients as well. The issue this hockey player...

Do you drink milk? That's a pretty easy question because it doesn't specify what kind of milk? Most people assume you mean cow's milk but nowadays that question can be open to interpretation as the regular variety or one of rice, almond or soy. So what's the difference between the different types of milk? And more importantly is there one type that you should be drinking? Below is a table that summarizes the key nutritional differences between the various types of milk. Let's take a look at each. [caption id="attachment_3527" align="alignleft" width="300"] Nutritional data of different kinds of milk         Almond MilkThis is made by crushing almonds with water and as it is not produced with animal products it has little to no saturated fat or cholesterol. Compared to cow's milk it has as little as 40% of the calories and does not contain the sugar lactose. However when drinking almond milk you lose much of the protein, calcium and vitamin B12 found in cow's milk. Soy MilkThis milk is made with soybeans and water and is also produced without animal products therefore is has little saturated fat and no cholesterol. In terms of calories it is comparable to some forms of cow's milk and is almost double the energy of almond milk. In terms of the protein content soy has slightly less than cow's milk and is comparable in terms of the vitamin and mineral content. Rice MilkAny guesses how rice milk is produced? As with the other two varieties it is made by combining rice (usually brown) with water. Since this form of milk is made from a starch it has a higher carbohydrate content and the highest calorie content of non-dairy types of milk. Again as with the other 2 non-dairy varieties this is a non-animal form of milk so the...

Recently I've enrolled in a certification course through Precision Nutrition. And someone was asking me why I had registered for this course? They said I had a pretty good handle on nutrition, stayed current with the primary literature and had some great resources to turn to when we required something specific for our clients.And I said it had to do with wanting the best for our clients. And believing that this course would help us do our jobs a little bit better.So as I cracked open the text book and got started with the course I was immediately impressed. The authors had identified five limiting factors to success. And by success I'm referring to body transformation, rehab or athletic performance.Anyways below are the five limiting factors. Take a read through each and then ask yourself 'which one is holding you back from success? Or if you've already had some success, which one is your weakest link and if addressed would propel you to another level?' Limiting Factor #1 - Genetics I've just finished Arnold's autobiography and in it he talks about the movies he has movies and of course 'Twins' stands out. This was not only his first comedy but unique in how much money he made due to the unique contract he structured based on the potential success of the movie.Anyways, the premise of the movie is the Arnold and Danny DeVito are twins separated at birth. Arnold's character received the preferred complement of the genetic material in terms of brains and brawn whereas his sidekick DeVito gets the short end of the stick genetically speaking.Now I know there are a number of other movies we could discuss related to our genetic profile (Gataca comes to mind) but the point is there is huge value to choosing the right parents. Limiting...

Do you take supplements? In particular do you take a protein supplement? If so, you may be interested to know that there is another version of your protein you can take that requires you to eat or drink less than you may be used to and still get all the benefits. And this other version is essential amino acids or even more specifically branched chain amino acids. Let's just take a moment here and define what we're talking about. Without getting into too much detail an amino acid is a chain of carbon atoms with an amino group, -NH2, at one end, and a carboxyl group, -COOH, at the other end. Some of the amino acids our bodies can't make so they are called essential amino acids. And within this group of essential amino acids there is a sub-group of amino acids called branched chain amino acids or BCAAs with functional group bonded to one of the carbons. Clear as mud? Don't sweat it too much. The take home message is that when we supplement with protein there are a few options that will all achieve the same end goal. 1. You could take 20 grams of whey protein2. You could take 6 grams of BCAAs3. You could take 2 grams of leucine Leucine is an example of a BCAA. So all three options above have similar effects which one would you choose? Think in terms of minimal essential dose. Obviously we would go with the third option, right? Why take ten times the amount of something i.e. 20 grams of whey protein to get the same effect as a much smaller dose i.e. 2 grams of leucine? Alright so if we're in agreement that less is more when it comes to supplementation the next step is to determine what to...

Do you like pumpkin? People are divided on this flavour. And it seems to depend what variety of pumpkin you are talking about.The same people who have no interest in pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving will make sure to stock up in the plug-in pumpkin flavoured air fresheners at this time of year.Regardless of whether you think pumpkin is appetizing or disgusting doesn't change the fact that there are many health benefits of eating it.Pumpkin is a great source of vitamins specifically A,C and E. As well you also get a good dose of copper, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.***just a quick aside for the Breaking Bad fans...have you found your knowledge of the elements has improved when the opening credits shows the symbols of the various elements...just me?***Pumpkin is also a good source of protein, iron and tryptophan. And to jump over to another show while we're at it, tryptophan is the amino acid Seinfeld has the episode where everyone falls asleep after the big turkey dinner. Might have more to do with all the fat and calories but a great episode anyways.Anyways if you're looking for another way to give pumpkin a chance try out the recipe below which I 'borrowed' from Eric Cressey's blog. And if you already like pumpkin, what are you waiting for. Give this recipe for pumpkin pancakes a try.You'll only need seven ingredients to pull together this tasty recipe: 2 Egg Whites 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 1 Large Banana 1 Scoop Low Carb Vanilla Protein Powder ¼ cup Almond Milk 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree 1 Teaspoon of CinnamonDirections:1. Put the ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth.2. Heat up a skillet or pan and spray with non-stick spray. Pour the batter onto skillet, and cook!This recipe makes 2-3 normal sized pancakes, so you...

Have you noticed more and more people getting sick the last little while? Or maybe you've been sick yourself. Either way I've got you covered. Below is a protocol from my friend Esther at Prescription Health Studio. You'll find here contact info at the bottom of this post. The reason this all came about was that Esther and I were supposed to have a meeting a couple of weeks ago and I had to cancel as I felt I was coming down with something. You know what I mean? You are more fatigued than usual. Your workouts feel harder than they normally do. And you feel the tickle in the back of your throat when you wake up in morning. A nasty chest infection is just around the corner. So anyways when I let Esther know how I was feeling she replied with the protocol to keep me healthy and ward off any pending illness. I wanted to share this with you. Here are her instructions for for staying healthy during the cold and flu season as well as when you feel you are coming down with something. I wanted to answer your request for more information about what I like to recommend to my patients and also the protocol I use to keep myself from getting sick during the season.To keep my immune system strong during the cold and flu season I like to take:1. Thymus Spray by Douglas Laboratories. 1 to 2 sprays twice daily This thymus liquid extract consists of several proteins and peptides known as thymic factors that are derived from thymus tissues. The thymus is necessary for the maturation and maintenance of the immune system and works by releasing thymic factors that regulate functions of other cells in the body. These peptides are important for the healthy maturation and activation...

Last week we hosted a seminar at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc on Intermittent Fasting (IF). And while all in attendance said they weren't familiar with IF it quickly became apparent that they not only had an idea about IF they were all practicing it already.Since IF means to go brief periods without eating and none of the people attending are in the habit of eating through the night they all practiced IF until morning when they would break 'fast.In addition to not eating breakfast there are a variety of different IF protocols which are usually defined by two numbers separated by a slash. For example a protocol might look like 16/8 and refers to 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. So you could see anything such as 12/12, 20/4 or a full day of fasting which would be a 24/0.And in terms of the number of days per week someone would fast this ranges as well from one day per week to two days per week, alternate days or everyday for part of the day. Depending on which protocol they follow you may hear terms such as the 'Warrior Diet', 'LeanGains' and 'Eat-Stop-Eat' to describe when to eat and when to fast.Benefits of IFSo why would someone become an IFer?Well the proposed benefits include reduced bodyweight, reduced bodyfat, increased longevity, reduced chance of certain disease and improved neural function. And these are interesting claims which will draw the attention of almost everyone looking to shed a few pounds and improve their health.But the reality is there is not a lot of research out there to support these claims. And the studies that do exist tend to be done with animals. For example, when it comes to looking at mice completing a water maze task, the mice experiencing an IF...

Do you have a fitness person on your Christmas list? Below are a number of ideas that they will like to see under the tree on Christmas Day and be sure to put to use right away. The lists are grouped based on gear, nutrition, education and technology. Fitness Gift Idea #1 - GearThe most obvious place to start would be a gift certificate to whichever place carries the favourite brand of apparel or shoes. And don't get me wrong I'd never say no to a g/c for some new kicks or a training shirt but it kinds of lacks originality. Instead what about putting together a fitness travel pack for someone? This could be either for the travel itself or for training on the other end. For a travel pack think of things such as a shaker cup, a greens supplement, a neck pillow, a small collection of travel toiletries, some gum and a magazine or book on active things to do where the traveller will end up. As for ideas of what to get for fitness on the road think of things that are light-weight and pack easily. Bands, tubing, a jump rope, a Travel Roller, a lacrosse ball or a suspension trainer will all work. When you travel and need a gym you will seek one out and have access to everything else in terms of weights, dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells. However when no gym is available this is when the gear listed above can quickly provide an effective training session. Fitness Gift Idea #2 - NutritionWe all know how important nutrition is to achieving great results in the gym. And so a gift of nutrition would be an awesome way of telling someone how important they are to you at Christmas. With the previous gift we suggested a greens supplement to...

In my last post I signed off by saying I got in trouble at the ski hill. And suggested that it may have been my new celebrity friends that saved me from having my ski pass revoked. The people I'm talking about are the Crown Prince of Thailand and Canadian Olympian Jon Montgomery, who is also the host of the Amazing Race Canada. I'm calling them my friends because we stayed at the same hotel for a few days in St Moritz. Montgomery is there trying to qualify for the Olympics in Sochi next month while the prince was on vacation. So we're not really friends. But I did cross paths with both of got a few pictures which was kind of cool.[caption id="attachment_3799" align="alignleft" width="225"] Piz Corvatsch 3451 m near St Moritz Besides the great skiing in Switzerland I was also fortunate to have someone looking out for me when giving me seat assignments as I always had an empty seat next to me which allowed for lots of reading and room to stretch out. One thing I noticed on the flight from London was the number of people that ordered vegan or vegetarian meals. This was obvious because these meals are all delivered first before the meat options are passed out. I'm not sure if this is because vegans/vegetarians (v/v) are weaker and can't last as long without some quinoa or kale, or if it's because the airline can't risk letting the v/v crowd see how good the meat options are because they wouldn't have enough to go around. So this got me to thinking...what are all the downsides with eating as a v/v? Let me spell it out for you. Problem # 1 - Nutrient DeficiencyLet me be clear before all the arrows are launched my way on...

What do you like to have as a cheat meal? And you better not say 75% dark chocolate with almonds covered in sea salt. No, I mean when no one is watching what do you go for? Or when you have a severe craving for something what would like to have? Is it salt or sweet? For the sweet crowd this is usually chocolate. It could be ice cream, a chocolate chip cookie or a regular chocolate bar. And for the salt people this may be nachos, pizza, wings and quite often potato chips. Because the reality is we can't be perfect all the time. Sometimes we want to have fun and indulge. And when we look for a treat there are a few options we can choose. 1. Deny the urge and distract ourselves by getting busy. Some people can do this and it works for them. For many those the craving just seems to linger and it's always a struggle to ignore. 2. Go half way and have a somewhat healthy cheat meal Think of people who will opt for greek yogurt with some fruit. Or kale chips with salsa. Or as I mentioned above the ones who go for really dark bitter chocolate and some nuts. 3. Just go for it. Then there are those who will open the flood gates and enjoy a treat with no restrictions. We're talking beer and wings. Or ice cream with chocolate sauce. Or chips and dip. For these people there is no messing around. When they cheat they go straight for what they want and don't worry about healthier options. Healthier option cheats? If you always thought cheating came down to the three options above than you need to check out the link right below this sentence: http://okanaganpeakperformance.getprograde.com/healthy-recipes.html There are recipes...

I've just returned from a fitness conference in Las Vegas. And while this will help us train all the people in Kelowna to lose weight, stabilize their joints and perform at their best, some of the info isn't new. Consider for example the analogy used by Martin Rooney. [caption id="attachment_3914" align="alignleft" width="278"] Martin Rooney with Mark WahlbergIf you're not familiar with Martin Rooney he's a strength coach from New Jersey that worked with a lot of top MMA fighters. More recently he has relocated to North Carolina and now focusses on helping people transforming their lives with exercise. Anyways, Martin's analogy went something like this...'Are you familiar with broccoli?'. And almost everyone you are asking this to will nod their head in agreement. Then he will ask 'Did you know broccoli is one of the healthiest foods you can eat providing vitamins, minerals and helping prevent disease?'. An again everyone you are asking this will nod along with you as this is not new information. Next he will ask 'Are you making sure everyone you know is eating broccoli?'. And typically this is where the people he is talking to stop nodding and return a blank stare. Because although everyone knows something is good and we make sure to do it ourselves we aren't encouraging everyone else to do it as well. And if you work in this industry this can make you feel like a failure. This can happen because the info to a better life is readily available everyone can access it. And this info is simple and easy to understand. And because this info has huge value when applied to someone's life. So what do I mean by simple info? Well in terms of nutrition I mean to eat protein, veggies and drink water. Water is really obvious...

Have you ever heard something related to health and fitness that you just know to be true? I'm talking about the things every fitness professional and even a number of regular health nuts know as well. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself 'where did this information come from?' or 'how do I know this to be true?'. Because when we stop and think about it this way we can end up scratching our heads wondering how we did come to believe whatever it is that we believe. Consider for example the notion of the window for post-workout nutrition timing. This is the idea that to maximize your results in the gym you need to follow your training session with carbs and protein as soon after your last set as possible. Now before we get to the truth about post-workout nutrition let me tell you a story. This is one I'm stealing from nutritional expert Alan Aragon and it goes something like this. A family has a special recipe for pot roast. It is the family's special meal and all relatives and friends know about it and look forward to having it at gatherings. [caption id="attachment_3922" align="alignleft" width="222"] Sometimes info gets accepted because of tradition. Besides the specific cooking instructions there is one unique step involved in preparing this family's special meal. And that is that after all the seasoning and preparing but before cooking the pot roast you cut off one third. One family member asked her mom 'why do we cut off 1/3 of the roast?'. And the mother replied 'it's your grandmother's recipe so you'll have to ask her'. So the girl calls her grandmother and asks the same question. Her grandmother answers that many years ago when they started making pot roasts they didn't have a big...

This is Part II of 9 Easy Tips for Portion Control. Click here to read Part I. Other keep reading for the remaining tips. Tip #6 - No TV or Computer[caption id="attachment_3997" align="alignleft" width="300"] Don't eat at the TV or computer Eating alone usually goes hand in hand with watching TV or surfing the internet. As we associate the two activities we can continue eating, or grazing, to match the duration of TV program or as long as we have an internet signal. Plus as we are distracted with the entertainment on the screen we are less likely to perceive the message from our brain telling us we are full. Tip #7 - Share When Eating OutNowadays everyone is all about getting optimal value. 'Check out the features on my new vehicle' 'Look what is included with my all-inclusive vacation' 'I got upgraded to first on my flight' ***can you tell I love travelling?*** If we are so conditioned to want and almost expect the highest of value with any commercial transaction it stands to reason that when we eat out we expect to leave with a full and satisfied belly. Unfortunately even if the food wasn't that  good we are ok with it as long as there was lots of it. When you eat out combine a few of the tips above by drinking water with your meal. You'll probably have a glass or two before your food arrives. Eat the healthiest stuff first by ordering a salad or some other veggie appetizer. And because you won't eat alone you can share a main with your dining partner. This allows you to adhere to many of the rules above and not wreck your portion control when you eat out. Tip #8 - Slow DownRecently when I was in Hawaii I...

There is no arguing the importance that nutrition has on achieving success with your training and your overall health. It doesn't matter if the goal is weight loss, performance or rehab you will realize success sooner and to a greater extent when you make the effort to eat as well as you can. But what does eating well mean? [caption id="attachment_4026" align="alignleft" width="300"] What does eating well really mean? Does this mean jump on the band-wagaon with everyone down at the local box gym and go Paleo? Or should I go low carb? Or low fat? Do I just reduce my calories overall to create a decifict? Can I just cut out sugar? What about the Mediterranean approach? The Zone? Eat right for my type? Confused? Yeah me too! Sometimes we just make things too complicated, don't we? Instead of trying to figure which nutritional approach to sign up for and get their tattoo on your forehead what about if we started with the basics? What about if we addressed what is in common with all of these approaches and those not following any plan? What if we made sure some of the key nutrients of metabolism were satisfied before we worried about cutting certain things out of the diet? That might a little more sense and be easier to follow. Because here's the thing...the problem is not one of not knowing what to eat. It's not one of education where I can show you what a vegetable, a piece of fruit, some lean protein and a glass of water looks like. I think we're good in that area and you know what these foods are. And I don't think it's an issue of wanting your goal badly enough. When you see reminders of what your body used to look like...

So recently on the interwebs there was a bit of discussion on a social network about the importance of sugar in the diet. Actually it was more than just a discussion as some members took to mocking the other side who then responded to blocking the immature commenter from their profile.Now what that is all about was the fact that one group was of the belief that the increased consumption of sugar is the culprit of our deteriorating health i.e. obesity, metabolic syndrome etc. And the other side was dismissing the notion of sugar being responsible and favouring the opinion that increased calories were the root cause of society's declining health.A couple of points on this:1. This isn't religion and we don't need to get overly offended about the position of another individual or group based on what they believe with respect to nutrition.2. The two positions aren't mutually exclusive. Why can't we believe both positions? In other words isn't it possible that we are both eating more calories and eating more sugar today than we ever have in our history? It kind of seems like a silly 80s beer commercial.[caption id="attachment_4085" align="alignleft" width="300"] It doesn't have to be just one.So it is possible for both sides to be right. We are consuming more sugar than we have in our history and we are consuming more calories as well. The solution doesn't have to be one or the other in terms of reducing calories or reducing sugar. The answer should be both.And this is something we have been preaching to our clients for as long as I can remember. Actually I can remember as it was something I learned from an American colleague of mine at a conference in Colorado. You see as soon as I realized Shawn was a registered...

In the last post I talked about the fact that for optimal health and weight loss we can't simply worry about reducing our sugar intake. As well, we can't simply focus on creating a caloric deficit. Both of these need to be addressed in order for healthy weight loss to occur. [caption id="attachment_4093" align="alignleft" width="300"] A caloric deficit is necessary for weight loss. Because here's the thing...we can all find examples of people who have lost weight on a diet consisting of poor quality nutrition. If you want to read the story of the science teacher who lost 37 pounds in three months eating only McDonalds click here. No one is disputing the fact that creating a caloric deficit will lead to weight loss. But does weight loss always equate to better health? Can you lose weight and become unhealthier in the process? Sure it's easy. Just eat McDonalds every day for 3 months. At the same time if all we are concerned with is reducing our sugar intake we may improve our health as evidenced by having some blood work done however we may lose much less than 37 pounds in 3 months. From the previous post we established that it's not an either-or scenario. We need to reduce our sugar and our calories. We need to worry about our mass and our health. But let's just look at weight loss for the time being. How do we attack weight loss? Well we need to create a caloric deficit. In other words we need to expend more calories than we consume. And as we already mentioned numerous times on this blog our sugar and overall caloric consumption is constantly increasing. And it seems unlikely that any of us are going to find a 25th hour in the day and begin...

Since we know how the body burns calories it would also make sense to understand what puts the breaks on our ability to burn calories. Or in other words what slows down our metabolism?Now there are a number of factors that influence our metabolic rate. An older person burns fewer calories than a younger person, usually dropping by about 2% per decade. So if there were such a thing as copies of the same person in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s at the beach the oldest version at the beach would have a 6% slower metabolism than the version of themselves in their 20s. This is due simply to the fact they got older.[caption id="attachment_4107" align="alignleft" width="300"] To rev up our metabolism we need to take off all the brakes.Now in combination with getting older and having a slower metabolism there is also the fact that testosterone drops as we age as well. From a peak in our twenties this hormone slowly declines starting in our thirties. With less of this anabolic in our body it is more difficult to build and maintain our lean body mass. As a result a smaller frame requires fewer calories to sustain it and our metabolism slows.And besides our age and hormones there are other things which can disrupt our metabolism including prescription drugs, our sleep patterns, our overall health and our body type. With many of these we can't do too much to influence our metabolism. For example, we can't go back and choose better parents to alter our genetics. And it's tough to stop time and prevent the aging process but some people do a pretty good job of staving off the effects of aging.So knowing that there are some aspects of our metabolism that are completely out of our control means we...

Recently we've been discussing metabolism, how the body burns calories and things that put the breaks on our metabolism. In this post I'm going to discuss a situation that is not too uncommon among female fitness enthusiasts and may be leaving them frustrated with their weight loss efforts.[caption id="attachment_4117" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cardio: One of the things that makes fat loss harder.Normally I don't like to generalize but this is a unique situation and applies to many. And hopefully for those that recognize themselves when reading the sections below they are able to make some changes in their weight loss efforts and realize better results.The type of person I'm referring to here is one where the following conditions apply:* they have a weight loss goal* they prefer cardiovascular exercise as the preferred means of exercise* they employ a severe caloric restriction in an attempt to lose weight* they have plateaued in their weight loss efforts* they are stressed or are becoming so due to the lack of results they are realizingDoes this sound familiar? I think every gym I have every been a member at over my entire life has at least one if not a few female members that fit this profile to a 't'.You know what I mean? They are the members that are at the gym everyday. And not just everyday but first thing in the morning when it opens. And then maybe again after work when for a second workout.But these workouts aren't intense lifting sessions. And they aren't metabolic circuits. Instead these are purely marathon cardio sessions. These individuals have their machines of choice and always perform the same workout, on the same machine, at the same intensity at the same time of day.Guess what happens as the body gets used to an activity? It gets more...

If you're like the average person than you may struggle trying to keep up with all the nutritional rules nowadays. Do we eat saturated fat? What about trans fat? Can we have carbs? If so, what types and how much? [caption id="attachment_4138" align="alignleft" width="300"] There are lots of opinions on whether to eat gluten or not. Ask 10 different fitness professionals a number of nutritional questions such as these and you are going to get a variety of answers. Consider for example what people believe about gluten. You know about gluten right? It's the stuff that gives baked goods such as bagels, bread and pasta their stretchiness. But you also find it in sauces, dressings, gravies and many other products. Add to this the fact it may be listed by the Latin names for the wheat that contains gluten and it can hard to identify its presence and be truly gluten-free. So why eliminate gluten from the diet? Well those that have an allergy to this protein may experience gastro-intestinal problems, inflammation, anemia and fatigue. And if you don't have celiac disease (CD) should you eliminate gluten from the diet? Because we have been told that this protein is non-essential and therefore we don't need to have it in our diets. And even if we aren't fully allergic to gluten it is possible that we may be still be sensitive to it and benefit from a gluten-free approach. Well that's what many food manufacturers would have you believe. When you consider that about 0.5% of the population has celiac disease but 20% of us purchase gluten-free products I'd say the food industry has done an effective job of getting the message out to switch to gluten-free products. Why the special interest in convincing you to buy gluten-free? Well it comes down...

How do you track your training sessions? At worst I'm hoping you have a notebook to record your loads, weights, reps, sets, rest breaks etc and be able to refer to this information from one workout to the next.[caption id="attachment_4190" align="alignleft" width="225"] A training journal is a necessity for those seeking the best results.With something as simple as bringing a notebook to the gym you'd think everyone would do at least this much. it doesn't cost anything and takes no extra time or effort. You can make all your entries during a rest break or immediately after training.But besides going old school and low-budget with a journal there a number of fitness trackers which will monitor and record everything from heart rate intensity and averages, caloric output and even sleep cycles at night.Recently, a study at the Iowa State looked at the accuracy of 7 different fitness trackers. Researchers looked at BodyMedia FIT, DirectLife, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Jawbone UP band, Nike+ Fuel Band and the Basis B1 Band. BodyMedit Fit and the Fitbit Zip were found to be most accurate. And in a related story Nike may be killing off its fuel band in the near future.But back to the point of gadgets to track your caloric output I have never really been sold on them. I'll admit there are benefits to knowing what your heart rate data is and to monitoring the length of your workouts. However when you think about it these type of products are usually favoured by those with a few pounds to spare.And my concern is that individuals tracking how many calories they burned at Zumba or spin class will then see this as a credit to indulge later. For example, if a fitness tracker shows that I burned 473 calories sweating to the oldies can I...

So do you know what your cow ate? I'm assuming of course that you eat beef.[caption id="attachment_4234" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beef offers a number of nutritional benefits.Because there are a number of benefits to eating beef such as:* it's a complete protein meaning it has all of the essential amino acids* it's a good source of B vitamins which are important for immune function, the nervous system as well as healthy skin and eyes* it's a good source of iron which is important for oxygen transport in the body* it's a good source of zinc which is required for healthy immune function* it's a good source of magnesium which helps develop strong muscles and bonesAnd with particular types of beef we can get more nutrients such as omega-3s, vitamin E and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).Other types of beef? You may be thinking 'beef is beef', right? Well not exactly.Growing up we all remember hearing the expression 'you are what you eat'. In the case of beef a more appropriate expression might be 'you are what your food ate'.Because depending of whether a cow ate grass or grain influences the beef that develops within it. Here's the difference.A cow that eats grass will have:* less fat* fewer calories as it has less fat* more omega-3s which we all need more of* more CLA* more vitamin EUsually when we think of beef we think of protein, which is natural. The interesting thing is that the nutritional benefits of beef that is grass fed doesn't have very much to with the protein. Instead this has almost everything to the quantity and quality of fat in the beef.Another interesting thing to note is that many of the nutrients found in beef such as zinc and magnesium can also be found in some vegetables as well. The difference...

Last week team Okanagan Peak Performance Inc headed up to Whistler for Tough Mudder. [caption id="attachment_4245" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Team OPP post-Whistler Tough Mudder For some of us this was our fourth or fifth 'Mudder. And for others this was the first experience. Regardless of wether this was our first or multiple race of this type there are a number of take-aways to help others considering doing the same. 1. Saturday's Race is Fueled by Wednesday's MealYou know how people talk about a 'pre-game meal'? The food you eat before the big game to ensure you have all the proper nutrients and hydration to win the big game. Well, instead of thinking of this as the meal right before the race start thinking of a few days or even a week out. Eat better quality foods. Carry a water bottle and ensure you are properly hydrated. Pack enough food for your travel to the race. Bring food for breakfast on race day. Ignoring any one of these tips and you potentially jeopardize the results that might have been. 2. HydrationThis year at TM teams were taking an average of 4 to 4.5 hours to complete the course. And this year the conditions were warm for Whistler at 23 C. So when you consider you will be exerting for that long in warm climate you need to ensure that you don't become dehydrated. As soon as you sense thirst you are already dehydrated and performance is compromised. [caption id="attachment_4246" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Replacing only water can create problems But there's another thing to keep in mind. You don't just lose water. Sweat contains salt and you need to replenish what you are losing. I don't want to get too sciency on this but imagine if your body has a very specific salt concentration in...

This past weekend we had a birthday party for our daughter Olivia. And as with many parties like this there was food, cake and drinks. [caption id="attachment_4341" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What healthy people drink, right? Because we're all trying to do the best we can with our health we have diet pop as an offering. And I'm sure many of you are the same. If you drink pop you probably opt for the diet version, right? Not many health conscious people are buying regular Coke or Pepsi when they do the grocery shopping. So why do we choose diet pop? Well I guess it has to do with the fact that we don't want empty calories. I mean if I'm going to eat or drink something I better be getting some kind of nutritional benefit from it such as protein, healthy fat, vitamins, minerals, hydration etc. Regular pop offers virtually none of these but does have a dose of sugar, carbonation and is acidic. But besides avoiding the extra calories by drinking diet pop the other reason to avoid it was for the fact it wouldn't alter our blood sugar levels. In other words we didn't have to be concerned with the connection to type II diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Until now. A new study in the journal Nature found that consuming an artificial sweetener may impair glucose metabolism similar to that seen in type II diabetics. In the study researchers fed mice and humans one of three treatments, glucose, saccharin (the artificial sweetener) or glucose. You may be familiar with saccharin as the sweetener in Sweet N Low. Anyways, only the group fed saccharin showed altered glucose metabolism. So what is taking place that is accounting for this altered glucose metabolism? Well it appears that the mice and people fed saccharin...