After you train what is your plan for nutrition? For some, they don't want to think about eating anything for a while. Their heart is still pumping. Their temperature is up a bit. And there may be a bead of sweat on their brow. All of these may result in the individual not having a huge appetite post-training. A recent study looked to see how exercise influences our nutritional choices. The timing of this study is interesting as with COVID more gyms are closed and therefore more of us are more sedentary and consequently have put on a few pounds as a result. For this study researchers had 41 individuals made up of 23 women and 18 men divided into one of two groups. The subjects ranged from 18-29 years and had an average BMI of 23.7. A BMI of 25 is considered overweight. One group would perform 45 minutes of exercise and the other group would rest. For the following visit the two groups would switch and do the other condition i.e. rest or exercise. Before the visit the participants would fill out questionnaires asking them how hungry or full they were, the preferred amount of food they would want to eat and how long they would wait until they ate. What they found is that exercise resulted in a greater amount of food to be eaten post-exercise, both immediately and 30 minutes post exercise. As well, after exercise there was an increased preference for immediate consumption of food. Takeaways from this study: None of the subjects were above 30 years. How closely would the results match for a study with subjects over 30?The exercise in the study was 45 minutes on a stationary bike at 60% of VO2max. Would the same results be expected for exercise of different duration,...

Hey everyone, Coach Harry here! Yes,Coach Harry, writing a blog post, miracles can happen! This is my first one soplease bear with me! And if you have any questions, please forward them on toCoach Mlait, he loves answering all of them, and promises to get back to youwithin 30 minutes, 24 hours, 7 days a week! ;) Anyway, why am I writing this?  Well it's a crazy world out there right now, so I wanted to write one for the youth/adolescent soccer players, parents of players, and soccer coaches. I think we all agree it has been stressful in some way or another for everyone, and it is probably harder than ever for the players to progress and get better at football. I love the game, and I love coachingyouth players, especially. As an S&C coach, my goals for each player areto: Keep it fun, engaging, and educate themHelp and guide them with their goalsMake sure they can play the game wellinto their 60’s (Injury risk reduction, for my fellow S&C coaches outthere) I’m telling you this because I want you to know that I have a purpose behind everything that I do for the player, which is so important when it comes to coaching an athlete. I’m constantly asking myself why? Why am I making them do this lift? Why am I testing? etc. Hold up… just so you know I’m English(big shock right), and refuse to call football, soccer! So, from now on you’llsee football in this post, no more soccer nonsense! Anyway, back to the blog… So, I want to ask you, the player, thekid with the big dreams of one day making it as a pro , a couple ofquestions…  You all have goals, and you all havethings that you can control. So, what are you doing off...

So Kelowna got hit with a number of COVID cases in the past week. And while many of the cases seemed to be tied to a younger crowd partying downtown, this serves as a good reminder to the rest of us that we're not out of the woods. We still need to wash our hands, disinfectant surfaces, maintain social distancing and self isolate if we're under the weather or travel. As well, exercise can be one of the best things we can do to keep our immune system strong. And we can't forget the benefits nutrition can play in keeping us healthy. One nutrient in particular that may help is zinc. Sources of Zinc Zinc is an essential nutrient meaning we need to get it in the diet as our bodies cannot produce it. Red meat, chicken and shell fish will be our best sources of this nutrient but we also get it from baked beans, chick peas and nuts. Fortified cereals commonly tout being a source of zinc but this should be considered a last option compared to the other whole, fresh food options listed above. Why Vegans & Vegetarians May Need More Zinc Vegans and vegetarians should be more aware of their zinc intake for a couple of reasons. The first is the primary sources are from animal products. Secondly vegetables and grains containing phytates which will reduce the absorption of zinc. So it is even more imperative for vegans and vegetarians to meet the minimum daily amounts listed below. How Much Zinc Do We Need? In terms of how much zinc we should get, women should aim for 8 milligrams (mg) and men 11 mg per day. Deficiencies may lead to delayed growth in children, an increased risk of infection and possibly pneumonia. It is estimated that approximately...

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...

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...

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?...

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...

Sometimes I wonder how many people that train are satisfied with their results? I would suspect that those that don't continue training are not satisfied with the results they are seeing. But there must be some that aren't seeing the outcome they had hoped for and continue chugging along. Maybe they feel if they stopped that their health and fitness would be a lot worse than it currently is. Or maybe they really enjoy the process and the fitness community that they train with. I'm not sure? If we look at just the group that doesn't achieve their goal and then quits I would bet that something was missing. And by something I actually means three things. And these would be the plan, the execution and the review. If we don't have these three things in place it makes it really hard, if not impossible, to achieve the best health and fitness possible. Look at it this way. Imagine if back when you were in school you just showed up. You hadn't selected any classes. You didn't know which rooms to go to. You didn't bring any books, pens or anything to write on. There wasn't an agreed upon time to start. And the day finished whenever. And let's imagine as well that the teachers all showed up at random times. And there was no clear assignment of teaching areas. There weren't homerooms assigned for each grade. No lesson plans had been created. And there was no consideration as to what would be taught, to which students and at which level. All that was known or agreed upon was that there was this structure, that was the school, and there were people, usually older with more knowledge, who showed up to pass on some knowledge to the younger people known as students....

On a scale of 1-10 how good is your nutrition? Or better yet, if we evaluated your nutrition in terms of the quality what number would you give it on the same scale? (assuming 1 be to poor quality and 10 would the best possible) How would you rate the amount of calories you eat in a day? If 1 meant the absolute wrong amount (high or low) and 10 meant the perfect amount based on your goals, age, sex, occupation and training demands. Lastly how would you rate the timing of your meals on a 1-10 if a 1 meant terrible timing and missing meals altogether and a 10 meant always fueling your body for optimal health and performance? For most people these would be some hard questions to answer. They might not know how much they should eat and probably don't weigh, measure or track their intake to know how much they eat. As well, many people might have a misunderstanding as to what constitutes healthy nutrition. Do this mean organic? Gluten-free? Natural? Vegan? Vegetarian? Low cal? Low carb? Fat free? Eating the right macros? Lastly, what is the consensus on meal timing? Should you eat 3 squares a day? Or maybe 5-6 smaller meals? What about intermittent fasting? Can you eat at night? [caption id="attachment_4919" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Confused about nutrition? You're not alone. The more you think about it the more confusing it can get. But it gets worse. As we just described above many people don't have the knowledge of a dietician to know everything there is to know about eating healthily. And some people may have a good knowledge on the nutritional basics but they just don't have the time. Maybe work has them on the road more days than they are home which doesn't leave...

 I don't know about you, but when a woman is pregnant, EVERYONE seems to be worried about her nutrition. Don't drink alcohol, drink lots of water, eat healthy, supplement, sleep, don't stress...Yes, these are all extremely valid advice bits to make sure you're providing the best of the best for the little human you're working so hard to grow. And we need to be careful, because fetuses are nature's most incredible parasites. They will draw all of the nutrients from your body, before they go without what they need. Which is why we need to be so careful in taking care of our own nutrition! On that note, the following list is not about me telling you what you need to be doing and not doing, but about helping you find the best balance for you, in a real life setting! Here are 8 tips that I found incredibly important to keep up my own sanity, when it came to nutrition:1. To care for your bundle of joy, take care of you first.We are often so incredible careful about our bodies when we're growing our little ones (multi-vitamins, balanced meals, cut down/stopping smoking/alcohol, exercise etc. ), but as soon as they are welcomed into the world, we go back to our known habits! As a new mom (or second or third or fourth time mom), you total sleep and quality is down, you're taking care of everyone and fulfilling their needs, and often not eating enough, or very healthy!  You may feel fried. I know I sure as heck did. The best way to care for your family, and accomplish everything you need to, is to care for you first. And when you exercise sufficiently, you'll have more energy, feel better about yourself, and grow stronger as your little one grows bigger! So make sure...

It's fairly common to enter a gym setting and not know where to begin. This is obvious based on the number of gym newbies that venture straight to the treadmills. [caption id="attachment_4838" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Treadmill: It's pretty hard to do it wrong. A treadmill is pretty straight-forward. There's usually a large button marked 'Start' and if you were able to successfully navigate the parking lot, lobby and cardio area, it's safe to assume you are proficient in walking. Hence the popularity of the treadmill. It's easy to start. You are able to watch your favourite show. It doesn't have to be very difficult. There are numbers to track the work you did. And most importantly, no one will judge you for your technique on using a treadmill. I mean, c'mon, you're walking on a treadmill. But further still, nobody else at the gym really cares what you're doing or how you're doing it. But that's a story for another time. Instead of talking to you about how people don't know how to get started once they get inside the gym there is another common issue people struggle with at the gym. And that's what to eat before training. Many people struggle with how they should fuel their body for training. And others know they should eat something yet feel nauseous part way through their workout. If this sounds like you below are some tips to ensure you are optimally fuelled and not tasting your breakfast a second time. Tip #1 - Ease Into ItAt this time of year many are getting starting on a training program for the first time or resuming one after a layoff. And with positive intentions they try to jump straight back in to where they left off. Or it could be a training partner that is leading...

Last weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Dr Susan Kleiner for a day of nutritional lectures. Dr. Kleiner is the author of seven books including Power Eating & The Good Mood Diet. Below is a quick recap of some of the takeaways from these lectures. #1 - Never StudiesThere are a number of myths circulated in gyms and training circles that just aren't supported in the research. For example, there are people who believe they should throw away the egg yolk as this raises blood cholesterol. There has never been a study linking the consumption of egg yolks with increased blood cholesterol. Hopefully anyone ditching the yolk will stop and reap the rewards of the nutrition contained within the whole egg. #2 - How to See Your InflammationDo you live with inflammation? I don't mean the acute type Megan and Kayla are known to display after they play basketball and sprain an ankle. I mean the day in day out type of inflammation that you live with otherwise known as chronic inflammation. Sometimes this is hard to tell the state of our cells without having some medical tests done. Another quick way to tell if you are in a state of inflammation is to look at your gums in your mouth. Are they red, swollen and potentially receding? If so, this is an indication of inflammation of the gums and is most likely not limited solely to your oral health. While you could take an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like ibuprofen another option would be to supplement with extra virgin olive oil. This has equivalent anti-inflammatory properties without the side effects associated with NSAIDs. #3 - Put Sugar on the TableWhoa! Hold on now. Are you kidding me? Isn't added sugar one of the biggest nutritional problems people are facing?...

Life is rarely a series of absolutes. There are few times when we always 'do this' or never 'do that'. Oftentimes an answer to a question from a client might be prefaced with 'it depends...'.And this is not meant to be a cop out. For example let's look at a few examples.If a young athlete asks if they should be taking a particular supplement the answer might begin with 'it depends'. How old is the athlete? What does their nutritional profile look like? Is the supplement being considered safe and effective? And are there other ways to achieve the same outcome by tweaking the athlete's eating habits before investing in a supplement?Or another client might ask if they should add sprints to their training program to enhance fat loss. Rather than a outright yes or no we might ask the client if they have any current joint pain or injuries. Sprinting puts exceptional stress through the feet-ankles-knees-hips and low back. An individual with current issues at these joints may realize additional pain and problems from an activity with high velocity and impact.Additionally we might want to know how this person moves? Have they already been doing some high speed running? How old is the client that is considering sprinting? What type of footwear and surface will they be sprinting on? And what other training will this individual be doing in the days prior and after some sprint training?In other words this is not Vegas and simply a condition of whether or not to double down on 11. It's not that cut & dry.[caption id="attachment_4530" align="aligncenter" width="300"] One of the few absolutes in life.Consider as well the notion to eat only protein and veggies.On the one hand this sounds very simple and possibly effective in terms of a healthy nutritional approach. By eating...

Whenever we have an inquiry from a client interested in training at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc we sit down and do a strategy session with them. We want to learn about their goals, their training history, where they have aches and pains and what their recovery is like. Once we know these things we can much more effectively provide a personalized plan for that individual to help them achieve their goal(s) in less time.And one of the most common areas people need help with achieving their goals is with regards to their nutrition. After meeting with hundreds of clients, athletes and teams over the years I can say there are a number of common areas where people get tripped up with respect to their nutrition.With that in mind here are the Top 7 Nutritional Fails.1. Not Eating Enough Fruits & VegetablesThis should come as no surprise to anyone. Yet what is surprising is that even though most people are aware that they aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables they are surprised that they haven't achieved their ultimate physique or performance. On the one hand they recognize how vital these foods are to attaining their goal but then they fail to make the connection between this and the fact they are in poor health, obese or under performing in competition as a result.2. Missing One of D/Q/TThis one doesn't mean you are missing a Dairy Queen treat. Instead it refers to Dose, Quality and Timing. Most people do two of these really well. For example, they may eat the right amount of calories, and it's all high quality nutrition but it's all at one meal and so the timing is not ideal.Or someone might eat quality foods at the right times but just not eat enough total calories.Lastly, there maybe a situation where someone...

Sport supplementation is as popular as it's ever been. More people are 'taking this' or 'swear by that'. But where do they get their info on a particular supplement?Is it based on which has the best ads in a fitness training magazine? Or is the product recommended or endorsed by the reigning Mr. Olympia? Or maybe even an Olympic champion?Maybe the person at the local health food store is friendly, healthy looking and seems knowledgeable? They're there to help, right?Where does the research factor into the search for safe and effective sports supplements? And if we are going to look at the research than which studies count? Do they have to run a minimum length of time to show a physiological adaptation? Should they include a minimum number of test subjects? Should these subjects be young? Old? Male? Female? Athletes? Sedentary? Healthy? Diseased?Is the research even on human subjects? Or what if it is using rats?And does it matter who funded the research?There are enough questions there regarding research in the primary literature to make your head spin.And that's assuming the reader has a background in science and statistics as well as the time to break down all the studies out there.That eliminates 99% of us, doesn't it?And it makes most of us a little more vulnerable to all the ads, marketing and pitches to get us to buy this and take that.If only there was a better solution. A place where someone in the know could break down the science into small manageable and easily understood recommendations for all the various supplements that exist.Guess what? There is such a place. And it's called examine.com. This is my go-to resource for anything related to sports supplementation. But don't my word for it. Go check it out.And if you like what they're...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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 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...

Often times when we think about our reasons for training they can be pretty obvious such as a weight loss goal. This is an obvious goal because it's the number one goal of people who have gym memberships. Heck, it's probably even the number one goal of even the ones who don't have gym memberships.And it makes sense to drop a few extra pounds. It takes stress off weight bearing joints. It allows us to move more easily and without feeling totally spent after performing daily tasks like walking up a flight of stairs.There are improvements to our blood chemistry and overall physiology. Our sleep improves and so does our mood. The truth is we can find many reasons to invest our health by taking some time for training and proper nutrition.But what I find really interesting is that all of these reasons are lower in the grand scheme of things.Consider Maslow's Hierchy of Needs.The diagram represents a variety of human needs from more basic ones at the bottom. In other words as basic requirements we need to breathe, eat, drink water, sleep and carry on basic physiological human needs.But as we progress we must satisfy higher levels of needs related to feeling safe, being loved, having esteem and eventually realizing self-actualization.So how does this relate one's fat loss goal? What does my fitness training have to do with these needs?Let's look at each of these in detail.Physiological - Getting started on a training program involves better nutrtional choices. We drink more water. We sleep better. And as a result our physiological needs are satisfied.Safety - With our training our primary goal is to reduce the incidence of injury. We want to strengthen your immune system to keep you from catching the various colds and flus that get passed around. You...

LL said 'no tequila stories for you'Well I escaped from the last post with my dignity and reputation intact. We came close to the required number of posts for me to disclose an embarrassing story from my past. Thankfully some of you spared me the shame of having to broadcast this to the entire world. And I can tell you that I did in fact produce this less than flattering recollection of college days gone bad. Considering how the occasional rant or contraversial article gets a few more people riled up each time maybe it's best to leave that story buried in my memory where it shall stay.So that previous post had a couple of objectives. First of all it was to provide you with information and content regarding agave nectar.  Some of you mentioned seeing this product on the store shelf and a few others were brave enough to admit that you had in fact tried it. That's alright. The whole point of this blog is to provide you with content, information and resources to make tomorrow better than today. That might be related to fitness, performance or the rehab of an injury. And it could be related to your training, nutrition or recovery. I'm doing my best to seek out the simplest, safest, most effective ways to provide you with the best results for you efforts. Hence our motto 'always moving forward'.I've just got a couple more things to cover here before I sign off for the weekend. The first is a favour I'd like to ask of you. You see many of you email me and tell me how much what we're doing here has helped you. Or you might pass along your feedback in the comments section. Or at the hockey game, a movie or Costco. And I...

Hi there: If you've been following this blog for any period of time you're aware that I'm all about providing you with the best return on investment. I want you to realize the best results with minimal investment in time, finances, sweat or any other sacrifice you may have to make. But this isn't about seeking out the 'magic bullet' so no hard work has to be done ever again. Instead it's about finding ways to get in sync with your body and its environment so every effort results in forward momentum.And along the lines of forward effort and forward momentum there are times when we may slip back slightly. Think of the progress you make as the peaks you climb and the setbacks as being the valleys you fall into.Now here's the trick.You don't want your peaks to be too steep or your valleys too low. Notice I referred to the peaks in terms of steepness rather than height. I'll explain more about why height may be more crucial than steepness in a moment. But first consider the following.If you think of the expressions we have for when things are working well for us we refer to 'smooth sailing' or 'everything is on track'. On the other hand when we are having troubles we consider this a 'shipwreck' or 'off the tracks'.Let's look at how your rest, nutrition and training apply to the concept of peaks and valleys.Rest - We know that the body needs around 8 hours of sleep a night. And if we deviate up or down from this number significantly we run into problems. For example we can't stay in bed for days on end to make up a sleep debt. And we can't get by with 5 hours a night thinking we're fine. We need to...

Hey there: It's Hallowe'en weekend and in the past I've given you some strategies as the 'best' treats to eat this weekend. Or I've given you extra workouts to do before heading out for a night of partying but today I have something different in store for you. But before I get to today's tip I want to let you in a little experiment I'm running.The experiment is the Collins Health Project. What this involves is a behind the scenes look at the healhy and not so healthy things I do. Yeah I admit it. Every now and again I like to enjoy a beer, some pizza and maybe even some ice cream. But I have a standard to maintain, as do the rest of you. And of the best ways to make ourselves accountable is to let others what we are doing. They will support us and give us a pat on the back. And at the same time they will let us know when something is out of character given what out stated goals are.So with that in mind I'm going to video portions of my workout? I'm going show what I'm eating, how much and how often. You'll get to see what I do to relax during my down time. This will serve two purposes which are to help me get in the best shape of my life and secondly to help you steal some ideas that may help you as well.Stay tuned because some of the first footage you'll see from this Hallowe'en weekend will be unique but hopefully serve as a great launching pad for the rest of the project. Now on to the tip.Did you ever watch the Price is Right? I remember watching this a kid when we would visit our grandparents in Edmonton....