Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Praise To Tim Horton's - Oatmeal

Who thought you could get a bowl of steamy hot oatmeal with your large black coffee?  It's true, pull into Timmy's and grab a bowl of oatmeal!!  Good serving size, maple or berry flavour, or plain.  Quick, easy and will help you keep your nutritional plan in check.

1 serving

160 calories
2.5g of fat
5g of protein
32g of complex carbs
4g fibre
4g sugar

While $2.00 is a bit steep for oatmeal, the conenience is well worth the price!!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Protein!! Eat it!

"A Johns Hopkins University study found that a diet in which roughly a quarter of the calories (about 60 percent more than the recommended 10 to 15 percent) come from lean protein sources reduced blood pressure, LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, and triglycerides better than a traditional higher-carb diet. Other research finds that diets rich in protein can help prevent obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes."  MSN.ca

Bodyweight Exercises / Power Lifting / Bodybuilding

How many of us can do a real pull-up? A show of hands? Ummmm, ok, I can't either and this is the reason for this article. In order to be fully rounded in fitness and training, I think it is important for this personal trainer to develop what I call "real strength". Benching 300 is fantastic, 400 super, 500 + amazing!!, but not being able to do a pull-up seems to be an unreachable goal for many.

Let's all shift our bodybuilding, to real strength training (some call it functional strength) for the next three months. 90 days.... that's all I'm asking. Give it a shot.

When you do traditional bodybuilding movements, there is equipment involved to keep you stable, taking smaller muscles out of play. Body weight exercises like pull-ups and muscle-ups require natural strength and the use of all of those stabilizer muscles. Your regular lifts will begin to increase as well on the machines. More muscles recruited for an action = less effort over time.

Whether you are a power lifter, bodybuilder, fitness model, weekend warrior or you are just trying to stay fit into old age, each different genre of fitness training can fit into your lifestyle. Try a little of everything to stay excited about training! Always keep track of your accomplishments and plan to succeed in everything you do.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Supplements - You Get What You Pay For!!

It's was alarming to see WalMart carrying bodybuilding supplements, but after about 5 minutes of careful thought, it was about the money. It's always about profit, I understand that, but I have always supported the independant store that catered to one industry. Nobody knows more about supplements than the gym owners and the independant supplement stores. They are there for YOU, the customer, the client, the reason they are in business.... to help you.

When big box stores start competing, the only thing you are saving is a few bucks, the knowledge base allowed to you by shopping at a local independant supplement specialty store really has so much more value. If you know exactly what you are looking for, then save a few bucks and shop the big box. However, if at anytime you have a question about what to use or when to use it, go to your local shop, pay the extra and get honest information. You truly do get what you pay for!